{"id":51592,"date":"2026-04-15T16:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=51592"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:58:35","slug":"brandi-glanvilles-health-hack-makes-absolutely-zero-sense-warn-docs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=51592","title":{"rendered":"Brandi Glanville&#8217;s health hack makes &#8216;absolutely zero sense,&#8217; warn docs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Cauliflower ear was apparently too bland.<\/p>\n<p>After catching a cold from her 19-year-old son, Bravo personality Brandi Glanville decided to try a <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/05\/health\/doctor-warns-against-viral-trend-for-fighting-a-stuffed-nose\/\">TikTok-approved congestion-clearing method<\/a> recommended by her other son, 22.<\/p>\n<p>And the move is drumming up questions.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Bravo reality personality divulged that she didn\u2019t do anything on Easter because she had a clove of garlic stuck in her ear \u2014 her attempt at treating a cold. <span class=\"credit\">YouTube\/ Brandi Glanville Unfiltered<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On a recent episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GFKLjbUeJmY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cBrandi Glanville Unfiltered\u201d podcast<\/a>, the 53-year-old shared that she had shoved a garlic clove so far into her ear that she needed an urgent care doctor to fish it out. On Easter, she said, she \u201cdidn\u2019t do anything because of my garlic in my ear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her older son allegedly said he\u2019d had decongestion success placing garlic cloves in his nostrils, which Glanville said she tried first. She decided to move them to her ear after her nostrils \u2014\u00a0recently lasered \u2014 started burning.<\/p>\n<p>But the allium in her ear wouldn\u2019t come out when she went digging for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time I tried to get it out, it really went down further, and I had <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/04\/14\/celebrity-news\/brandi-glanville-rushed-to-urgent-care-for-doing-tiktok-medical-trend\/\">to go to urgent care<\/a> the next day and get it out,\u201d she said on the podcast.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Ear, nose and throat specialists don\u2019t like what they\u2019re hearing.<\/p>\n<p>When asked if a clove to the ear is a legitimate, safe way to treat congestion, Dr. Madeleine Herman, physician president at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scenthouston.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sinus Center &amp; ENT Specialists<\/a> of Houston, said \u201cno, absolutely not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForeign bodies in the ear canal can cause infections or worse,\u201d she tells The Post. They could lead to ear drum perforations or even damage to the bones that allow you to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a reason ENT\u2019s tell you not to put anything in the ear canal, including Q-tips.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Garlic, she said, is also made up of active compounds that could cause chemical burns when applied to the delicate skin that lines the ear canal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>TikTokers are recommending garlic cloves shoved directly into the nostril to treat congestion. ENT docs don\u2019t approve. <span class=\"credit\">TikTok\/siuwupeepoo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The original garlic \u201chack\u201d involves placing garlic cloves in the nose. Several now viral <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@hwannah5\/video\/6977720100862430469\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok videos<\/a> show in gruesome detail a torrent of snot gushing from the nostrils when the cloves are removed. (Watch at your own peril.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This volcanic effect is likely the result of one of two realities, Herman explained to The Post back in December: Either \u201cmucus has been collecting behind the obstruction and simply comes out all at once\u201d or the garlic has so irritated the nasal lining that it \u201ctriggers increased mucus production as the nose attempts to \u2018flush out\u2019 the irritant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s no evidence to suggest that this method can actually treat sinus congestion.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say garlic can\u2019t be medicinal when used correctly, however.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>While garlic can be used medicinally, doctors don\u2019t recommend putting any foreign objects inside the ear canal. <span class=\"credit\">TikTok\/dalilaramirez9423<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sinussnoringent.com\/ryan-salvador-md\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Ryan Salvador<\/a>, an ENT Surgeon at Sinus &amp; Snoring Specialists, acknowledges that the use of garlic in traditional medicine dates back millennia \u2014 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spandidos-publications.com\/10.3892\/wasj.2025.337#:~:text=Ancient%20cultures%2C%20including%20those%20of,diets%2C%20rituals%20and%20medicinal%20practices.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ancient Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Indian<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ashkenaziherbalism.net\/blog\/garlic#:~:text=Similar%20to%20neighboring%20Slavs%2C%20Jewish,could%20keep%20evil%20at%20bay.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jewish cultures<\/a> \u2014 and continues today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecent studies have indeed shown that several compounds in garlic (allicin, S-alkyl cysteine) have significant antimicrobial effects, especially when delivered topically,\u201d he tells The Post. \u201cAs such, garlic can be used effectively for mild external ear infections and has shown as much efficacy as over-the-counter drops for ear infections for that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But shoving a clove in your ear to soothe congestion is a fool\u2019s errand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe principle is that the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory compounds in garlic, when placed in the ear or nose, can be used to relieve sinus pressure,\u201d Salvador says. But \u201cthere is little evidence to show that such a treatment would be effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Glanville and her two sons, Jake (left) and Mason (right). <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/Brandi Glanville<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Because of the structure of the ears and sinuses, there\u2019s nothing you can put in your ears to treat congestion, which \u201cis caused by swelling of the Eustachian tube, which empties into the back of the nose,\u201d Herman says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is separated from your ear canal by the ear drum, so a garlic clove in the ear canal wouldn\u2019t affect the middle ear or the Eustachian tube,\u201d she adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Dr. Andrew Spector, an otolaryngologist with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics<\/a> in Manchester, NH, calls it the \u201cright church, wrong pew\u201d phenomenon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt absolutely makes zero sense that putting something in your ear would help sinus or nasal congestion, let alone ear congestion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if somebody had an opening in their eardrum (which they should not naturally), garlic would not get from the ear canal through the Eustachian tube into the back of the nose and up to the sinuses. In other words, it literally cannot reach the nose or sinuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The important thing to do to treat ear congestion is to decrease the swelling of the Eustachian tube. Nasal steroids like Flonase or Nasacort and short-term use of decongestants like Afrin or Sudafed can help.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If all else fails, it\u2019s advisable to book an appointment with an ENT who can prescribe other medical therapies or, in more severe cases, ear tubes.<\/p>\n<p>Gentle massage on the outer ear and ear canals can also \u201cpromote opening of the Eustachian tube and relieve ear pressure,\u201d Salvador explains.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, there are several proven methods to relieve ear congestion, and garlic to the brain isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n<p>But for now, at least for scores of TikTok creators, it seems the doctors\u2019 advice has fallen on deaf ears.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/15\/health\/brandi-glanvilles-health-hack-makes-absolutely-zero-sense-warn-docs\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cauliflower ear was apparently too bland. After catching a cold from her 19-year-old son, Bravo personality Brandi Glanville decided to try a TikTok-approved congestion-clearing method recommended&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}