India, Nov. 11 -- Do you also reach for a Q-tip whenever you experience a tingling sensation in your ear or feel that there is some earwax stuck inside the canal? Many commonly use Q-tips, also known as cotton swabs or cotton buds, to clear out their earwax.

However, this practice is doing you more harm than good, as like many parts of our body, the ears are also self-cleaning. Dr Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist trained at AIIMS, Harvard and Stanford University, also warned against using them in an Instagram post shared on November 10.

In the post, Dr Sethi issued a strong warning against using Q-tips or cotton swabs inside the ear canal. The doctor explains that despite the warning label on the product, which says,...