New research has today revealed that Brits are putting their health at risk by testing out unusual health remedies and trends seen on social media. From a recent poll, it has been revealed what lengths we are willing to go to.
At a time where it is near impossible to get a doctor’s appointment in the UK, new research revealed today shows a shocking one third (30 per cent) of Brits have admitted trying unusual home remedies to get rid of illnesses, with one in five (19 per cent) even testing out health trends spotted online or social media. Earol – the Olive Oil Spray – is warning Brits to seek medical advice and use doctor approved methods to avoid lasting health damage.
It seems the younger generation are more blasé in trying unverified techniques, with 48% of 18 – 34 year olds agreeing that they have tried unusual home remedies, and 38% being swayed by what they see online and social media.
From a recent Opinium poll of 2,000 adults, the whackiest home remedies include putting lemon juice on an insect bite (7 per cent), massaging butter to a burn (6 per cent) and 3 per cent of men even go as far as to putting turmeric powder on their scalp to prevent baldness (3 per cent). And in true Mary Poppins fashion, 4% of us are taking a spoon full of sugar to help hiccups.
Perhaps less surprisingly, 1 in 10 Brits (9 per cent) have tried the old adage ‘hair of the dog’ to cure a hangover.
While these unverified methods might help, hopefully none of them will cause lasting damage to our health. However, the research – carried out by Earol – also concluded that a shocking 60 per cent of Brits are still sticking cotton buds in their ears, despite the wealth of medical experts advising against it. Slightly shockingly, 7 per cent of women are even willing to stick a hair pin in their ear to clean out the wax.
Hilary Harkin, Nurse practitioner for Earol says; “We know that consumers are always looking for the latest health hacks to cure the common ailment or cold and social media often leads the charge. But when it comes to our ears, we need to be aware of how these hacks can cause irreparable damage. The ear is in fact self-cleaning, so you do not need to and should not clean inside the ear canal.
“Experts often talk about the health hazards with using cotton buds, but hair pins and pen nibs will cause serious health issues, it can create scratchy and irritated ears leading to infections. Olive oil sprays such as Earol are really the only solution before seeking medical advice.”
Earol is an Olive Oil Ear Spray helps soften and naturally remove earwax as well as preventing wax build up.
Earol® is available from Amazon and Boots, with a RRP of £5.99.
