Traditional medicine that does not work

You can not run to the doctor with every injury or illness. But sometimes playing doctor can do real harm to your health.

Check which folk remedies doctors will never recommend to you and what you can do instead.

Hydrogen peroxide for disinfection of cuts

Your parents must have followed the bottle of this antiseptic every time you broke your knee. But this is the last century.

Nowadays in many centers of first aid hydrogen peroxide simply is not present, the doctor of family medicine of university of state of Ohio Aaron Clark speaks. And all because this remedy really slows down healing, as it kills healthy cells too.

What to use instead of peroxide?

Wash with normal water and soap. Then smear with petroleum jelly - not antibacterial ointment - it will provide a barrier against the penetration of microbes. Ointment can cause irritation, but will not provide additional protection. At the end, apply a clean bandage.

It is necessary to immediately seek medical help if the incision is deep, located on the hands, face, joints or genitals, and continues to bleed for more than 20 minutes.

Ear heating to remove contaminants

According to the general opinion, heating the ear canal helps to remove excess earwax, improves hearing and reduces pain. In fact, the effectiveness of this method has not been proven, but the disadvantages are obvious. You can damage the eardrums or even get a burn.

The ear canal is sensitive, and it is very easy to damage. In addition, the moisture that gets into your ear while bathing, can become an ideal soil for germs. In a warm environment created by you during the warm-up procedure, they will begin to multiply actively. Do you really want to arrange such problems for yourself and worsen your health?

What can I do instead?

Nothing. Most of the time, you probably do not need to remove earwax, as it protects you from infections. It keeps the bacteria before they enter your body.

But if you suspect that earwax harms your hearing, you can buy special ear drops that will slowly dissolve it. And it is even better to visit an otolaryngologist who will be able to determine whether or not you have a problem. If necessary, the ENT can irrigate the ears with warm water to clear them, and also conduct a test with which you can determine the loss of hearing and the problem as a whole. But he can also tell you that you are creating problems for yourself.

Home removal of warts and papillomas

Use forceps or scissors in order to remove irritating spots on the skin, it may seem like a good idea. In the end, sometimes doctors remove warts just like that. But in warts very often there is a large number of blood vessels, and therefore they are prone to heavy bleeding. Any damage to them can trigger an infection or even a risk of scarring.

But more importantly, the spots that grow can signal the development of skin cancer. If you try to remove them yourself, it will complicate the diagnosis.

What to do instead?

You should contact your family doctor or dermatologist to make sure that your warts and papillomas are not a signal of great problems. In addition, in the hospital, their removal will be absolutely safe, in contrast to a similar procedure, but conducted at home. The doctor will do it much faster and cleaner than you yourself could have done. But also this is a great chance for you to make the necessary annual analysis of the skin condition.

Treatment of sunburn with the help of oak or ivy

Some sites of "folk medicine" offer to rub the bleach on the basis of plant components in the skin to remove sunburn and relieve itching. For most people, such myths sound insanely, but there are those who tried them on themselves. The use of a similar bleach on your skin can lead to tissue damage, and these wounds will be very difficult to treat.

What should I do instead?

The affected area is best cleaned with soap and water. Use soothing treatments, such as sunburn remedies or oatmeal baths. And do your best to prevent additional injuries and possible scratches of the skin. This increases the risk of infection.