Potentially harmful home remedies

Did you know that for most people, cleaning the wax out of their ears is unnecessary? That's because ear wax provides waterproof protection to the ear canal, as well as a barrier against infection. Some people have an abundance of ear wax, which makes removal necessary. Removing the wax can be tricky, however, and should never be done through a process known as ear candling.

This is just one thing I learned reading about these five home remedy no-nos from CBS News. Others include putting whiskey on a teething baby's gums (whiskey provides no numbing relief and could be dangerous to the baby), putting butter on the burn (doesn't help, might cause infection), and taking colloidal silver to improve immune function (too much colloidal silver can be toxic and its benefits are not well supported).

Minor health issues can often be treated through home remedies, just be sure that the method you are using won't cause more harm than good!