Brandi Glanville Ended Up in the ER with Garlic Stuck in Her Ear After Taking Medical Advice from Social Media

NEED TO KNOW

• Brandi Glanville attempted a viral garlic remedy for congestion but ended up in urgent care after it got stuck in her ear

• The reality star shared that her son Mason also suggested the hack, which he claimed had worked for him in the past

• Experts warn against using garlic for congestion as it can cause irritation, infections, and worsen symptoms instead of helping

​​Brandi Glanville had some bad luck after taking medical advice from social media.

During the Friday, April 10 episode of her Unfiltered podcast with co-host James Maas, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 53, recalled getting sick recently after catching a cold from her son Jake, 18.

“Jake came over and he kept sneezing in my face. He’s like, ‘I’m not sick anymore.’ Like, cover your mouth when you sneeze. And then I got his cold,” she said.

Glanville shared that after looking up remedies online, she decided to try putting a garlic clove in her ear to help with congestion. However, she ultimately ended up in the emergency room after it got stuck.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“On Easter, I didn’t do anything because of the garlic in my ear. I was trying to get it out,” she said on the show. “It really went down further and I had to go to urgent care the next day and get it taken out.”

“I was just trying to clear my sinuses. It’s online,” she added. “Don’t listen to people online or TikTok or Instagram or Twitter or Facebook.”

The reality star explained that she originally had the garlic in her nostril after her son Mason, 22, told her that he tried the hack and it helped him in the past. But she said when she tried it, the garlic started burning.

“It was burning too much so I moved it to my ear. It was like burning my skin because I’d just lasered it,” she said.

Brandi Glanville
Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Many people on social media have shared videos of themselves with a raw garlic clove in their nostril. The trick is said to relieve nasal congestion. However, it’s not scientifically proven and many doctors advise against doing so.

Dr. Raj Sindwani, an ENT specialist, told the Cleveland Clinic that garlic in the nose can cause irritation, an infection, trauma to the septum and even make congestion worse.

“What you’re doing is putting this irritant up your nose — one with a very strong and noxious smell,” he said. “That irritates the lining of the nose, causing it to produce increased mucus while also trapping the mucus you already had.”

“There are some complications that could arise from it,” Sindwani added. “And in the end, it’s also just not going to help you.”

Putting a garlic clove in the ear is also not scientifically proven and can cause similar problems, including ear infections, skin irritation and hearing damage if the ear is perforated.

Read the original article on People