A coworker swears by warm olive oil for ear infections. is it safe to pour anything in your ear like that?

It depends: There are times when it could be dangerous, like a perforated ear drum for instance. But for a suspected middle ear infection, this form of treatment has been practiced for centuries and provides relief while the body's mechanisms for dealing with the infection take over. After years of prescribing antibiotics for these, we now know that the majority will heal on their own without drug risks.

Maybe..........: If you are going to put anything into your ear, check to make sure that the temperature will not burn you. Olive oil, baby oil and mineral oil can be used to give temporary symptomatic relief of ear pai. None of them is a treatment, and you would never want to use it if there is a discharge from the ear, suggesting a possible perforation of the ear drum.