Ways to ease troublesome symptoms of ENT issues

Q: My ears tend to feel itchy and I like to dig my ears with cotton buds. Is this good for my ears?

A: No, you should not dig your ears at all! Many of my patients turn up with severe ear infections, perforated eardrums and deeply impacted wax, as a result of digging their ears repeatedly. Cotton buds (and metal ear diggers) merely worsen the problem and should be banned from ear use. The ears are self-cleaning as the skin inside migrates outwards to move most wax away.

Ears which are too "clean" tend to feel itchy because repeated ear digging has likely damaged the skin inside and stripped it of its naturally protective oils. Applying a few…