A recent opinion I saw from a doctor that made sense to me was: the reason they tell people to absolutely not do a lot of things is because there is a certain p

A recent opinion I saw from a doctor that made sense to me was: the reason they tell people to absolutely not do a lot of things is because there is a certain percentage of people who aren't competent to do anything on their own. The example given was Q-tips: we all know the advice that you shouldn't put them in your ears... even though that's literally what they're designed for. The doctor's explanation was that something like 10% of people actually will burst their own eardrums with a Q-tip, so you advise 100% not to use it to avert the harm to that minority. (If anyone knows where I saw this feel free to say; I can't recall.) In general, if someone's reason for tackling their own health is because doctors (including specialists) have failed to help, I don't see why or how you'd argue against that. Even if you're bursting your own eardrums with cotton swabs, at some point you've got to do something.