Breaking Down Viral ENT Health Hacks

By Christie DeMason, MD, FAAOA

Social media continues to be a highly utilized source of health information especially among younger patients. According to a survey done by Healthline, 1 in 3 Gen Z participants use TikTok as their main resource of health information.¹ Despite social media’s popularity, the accuracy of medical information on social media post are not verified and many studies have shown that misinformation is very high (up to 87% in some studies).² Here are some of the most popular social media trends in ENT and the evidence behind them.

Local honey for allergies

Social media videos claim that local honey can reduce allergy symptoms. However, the largest study published did not show that local honey relieves allergy symptoms.³ A few small studies and some in rodents found some improvement in symptoms.^4-5 It is also important to note that while rare, there are some reports of allergic reaction to honey itself.³ Local honey is typically safe for ingestion but may not be beneficial.

Food Sensitivities

Many videos on social media discuss food sensitivity testing that can be purchased. These tests look at IgG food testing and many who support them claim that when avoiding foods that are positive, this will improve digestive health and reduce inflammation.

Classically food allergies are not IgG but IgE mediated. Several studies have demonstrated that production of food-specific IgG is the body’s natural response to a regularly ingested food. Studies have also shown that IgG to cow’s milk protein can be detected in 98% of healthy children by 2 years of age. There are no established, standardized reference values for IgG specific for foods.⁶ Therefore, these test are currently not recommended.

Garlic in the nose

Videos have been posted with people placing garlic in the nose in order to clear congestion and remove mucus from the nose. While the videos are impressive for getting out mucus, there is almost no data on this except for that garlic can be local irritating to the skin.⁷ Because of this reason, nasal irrigations is a better alternative to the garlic method.

Mouth taping

Mouth taping is supposed to help people breathe better out of their nose which is the natural (and recommended) way to breathe. Breathing out of the nose ideally reduces snoring and dry mouth, improves sleep and some social media videos claim it will even improve the jawline.

There are many studies on the importance of nasal breathing and some small studies show improvement of obstructive sleep apnea with mouth taping.^8-11 There are no studies that support it will improve the jawline though. While mouth taping may help with nasal breathing, it is recommended to have your nasal passage evaluated by an Otolaryngologist before attempting. See https://www.aaoallergy.org/keep-your-mouth-shut-at-night/ for more information on mouth taping.

Oral microbiome mapping

Oral microbiome mapping is a test that shows what types of bacteria are in a person’s individual mouth. Many of the sites that sell these tests offer personalized treatments based off of the results.

Many diseases have been linked to the oral microbiome. This includes pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and even some cancers.^12-13 However, the treatment options remain unclear.¹³ While the oral microbiome is important to overall health, the current treatments have not been proven to be successful.

Conclusion

There are numerous ENT hacks that people are posting on social media. While most are not harmful, many are not beneficial and some can even be costly. However, before trying one, it is important to look at the data published or discuss with your Otolaryngologist.

References

1. Cassata, Cathy. Healthline. TikTok Is the Main Source of Health Information for a Third of Gen Z, Survey Finds. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/tiktok-main-source-health-information-gen-z?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
2. Suarez-Lledo V, Alvarez-Galvez J. Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2021.
3. Rajan, T.V., Tennen, H., Lindquist, R.L., Cohen, L., Clive, J. Effect of ingestion of honey on symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 Feb;88(2):198-203. doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)61996-5. PMID: 11868925
4. Saarinen, K., Jantunen, J., Haahtela, T. Birch pollen honey for birch pollen allergy–a randomized controlled pilot study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2011;155(2):160-6. doi: 10.1159/000319821. Epub 2010 Dec 23. PMID: 21196761
5. Yip A, Reece A. Can ingesting local honey reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) in children and young people? Arch Dis Child. 2023 Dec 14;109(1):71-73. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2023-325761. PMID: 37898502
6. Hammond, C., Lieberman, J.A. Unproven Diagnostic Tests for Food Allergy. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2018 Feb;38(1):153-163. doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.011. PMID: 29132671  DOI: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.011
7. Esfahani, A., Chamlin, S.L. Garlic Dermatitis on the Neck of an Infant Treated for Nasal Congestion. Pediatr Dermatol. 2017 Jul;34(4):e212-e213. doi: 10.1111/pde.13147. Epub 2017 Apr 19. PMID: 28425131
8. Naclerio, R.M., Pinto, J., Assanasen, P., Baroody, F.M. Observations on the ability of the nose to warm and humidify inspired air. Rhinology. 2007 Jun;45(2):102-11. PMID: 17708456
9. Musseau, D. Mouth Breathing and Some of Its Consequences .t J Orthod Milwaukee. 2016;27(2):51-54. PMID: 29799704
10. Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY. The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Sep 13;10(9):1755. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10091755. PMID: 36141367
11. Fangmeyer SK, Badger CD, Thakkar PG. Nocturnal mouth-taping and social media: A scoping review of the evidence. Am J Otolaryngol. 2025 Jan-Feb;46(1):104545. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2024.104545. Epub 2024 Dec 4. PMID: 39662104
12. Verma D, Garg PK, Dubey AK. Insights Into the Human Oral Microbiome. Archives of Microbiology. 2018;200(4):525-540. doi:10.1007/s00203-018-1505-3. PMID: 29572583
13. Willis JR, Gabaldón T. The Human Oral Microbiome in Health and Disease: From Sequences to Ecosystems. Microorganisms. 2020;8(2):E308. doi:10.3390/microorganisms8020308. PMID: 35563531