Why you shouldn't clean your ears with Feathers

An Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist, Madam Beatrice Anima, has cautioned  the public against the use of items like cotton buds and feathers to clean the ear.

She said the use of these items to clean the oily wax in the ear in particular is dangerous and harmful.


She said unknown to many, frequent cleaning of the wax from the ear is dangerous to the health of people, adding that "you could introduce micro-organisms into the ear and have infections".

In an interview with The Finder, she appealed to the media to frequently offer specialists in charge of the treatment of various infections within the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) circle a platform to inform and educate Ghanaians about the dangers associated with the practice of unapproved ear cleaning.

According to Madam Anima, many health cases being reported lately at health facilities have something to do with ear, nose or throat.

Out of these reported cases, she explained that the ear-related cases usually take the chunk, with the causal agent being the unapproved cleaning of the ear by the public.

“To avoid sustaining any injury in these sensitive areas of the body or introducing strange bacteria or unknown micro bacteria, people should avoid pickling these sensitive organs”, she counselled.

She said despite frequent itching of these sensitive areas, it remains unsafe to want to get rid of the itching or dirt through the use of objects.

Many Ghanaians enjoy tampering with the ear, nose and throat when they appear itching or unclean. As a result, people use feathers of birds, matchstick, and other items to do the cleaning.



Source: The Finder