Did you know that experts say that up to 1 out of every 5 people deals with the symptoms of tinnitus at any given time? Some experience problems temporarily due to a one-time event, like a really loud rock concert, or from an ear infection.
Others deal with symptoms like ringing, buzzing, popping, crackling or hissing every single day of their lives.
These people, in particular, are desperate to figure out how to banish tinnitus and finally get some peace.
Sadly, because of the desperation level of some of these sufferers, there are a lot of quack ideas out there that not only don't help, some can even make things worse.
One of the worst ideas is ear candling.
This is a process where a hollow candle is placed in the ear and then the other end is actually lit! Supposedly this will create a vacuum effect that will draw out the wax and toxins from within your ear.
This is one of those ancient remedies that should have been left dead and buried but there are still people who swear by this very dangerous and unscientific theory.
There is also another very dangerous method still in practice that is called ear scraping.
Bet that made you wince, didn't it? Me, too, but people still try it because of their desperate need to find relief.
Yes, it's just like it sounds, too.
They take a metal tool with a flat paddle-like end and literally scrape the walls of the ear canal.
There have been many people who have ended up with permanent damage and even deafness from this unsafe practice.
There are a multitude of other weird and whacky home remedies to try to relieve the symptoms from this condition but these are the two most ill-conceived and dangerous notions.
Unfortunately, when people can't find any other means to banish tinnitus, they turn to these dreadful practices out of sheer desperation for help.