Dangers of Ear Candling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Mally, N.D. ear candling a patient. Ear candling, also called ear coning, is a folk medicine practice intended to remove ear wax and toxins from a person's ear. It involves placing a hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting it; the rising hot air is said to create a vacuum that pulls out toxins from the inner ear and the sinuses. Ear candling has been shown to be ineffective at creating a vacuum and removing impurities from the ear, and has resulted in numerous injuries.

Some practitioners of ear candling show accumulations of "wax" inside used candles as evidence that they are effective. However, one European manufacturer, Biosun, points out that these are in fact products of combustion of the candle, which form inside the candle even when it is not placed inside the ear.

Manufacturers of ear candles often refer to them as Hopi ear candles, referring to the Hopi Native American nation. There is, however, little objective evidence that ear candling is in fact an established treatment within Hopi folk medicine.

Dangers
Placing a candle inside the ear can potentially lead to burns, infection, obstruction of the ear canal and perforation of the eardrum. One particular concern is wax dripping into the ear, which can cause internal burning and blockage. Some ear candles are designed with a plug inside to help prevent this. Others are designed to be self-extinguishing.

Ear candling is generally classified as pseudoscience or even quackery by mainstream medicine, as very little scientific evidence supports it. Skeptics suggest that that there is no mechanism by which the candle could conceivably draw out anything from the ear, and that a sufficient vacuum to do so could not possibly be generated.

Legal status
In Europe, some ear candles are regulated as medical devices, tested for safety and bear the CE mark. The CE mark is mostly self-issued by the manufacturer, supposedly assuring conformance to a standard.

Selling or importing ear candles with medical claims is illegal in the U.S. and Canada. However, they remain widely available.

Ear Candling Is a
Procedure Not Approved By FDA

POSTED: 2:46 pm CST February 24, 2006
UPDATED: 1:29 pm CST February 26, 2006

HOUSTON -- What if you could cure your sinus problems and allergies without taking medications or getting any shots? Some Houstonians are turning to a treatment that promises just that, but the holistic cure has its critics, KPRC Local 2 reported Saturday.

Ear candling has been around for centuries, but has recently been rediscovered.

At Shear Paradise Salon and Spa, the ancient remedy has its following.

"A lot of people come in regularly, like every month, and get it done," said Rachel Miller, with Shear Paradise Salon.

"It helps them with their smell, their breathing, sinuses," said Filiberto Martinez, a massage therapist.

During the procedure, a long paraffin candle is placed into the ear and then lit.

Those who perform the procedure say the smoke that is produced travels down the candle and into the ear canal, removing all wax and other impurities.

"It's being pulled into the candle, so that's why it's being taken out of the ear and letting the ear canal become clear again," Filiberto Martinez said.

Johnny Martinez has been getting it done once a month for more than three years, paying $40 for a half-hour session.

"It moves the wax from my ears and I can hear a little better," he said.

"The darker the wax, the older the wax is," Filiberto Martinez said.

But massage therapist Anthony Robbins said ear candling is not only a waste of time and money, it's dangerous as well.

"It really doesn't do you any good," he said. "It can potentially lead to burning of the ear, hot wax dripping down to the canal. You can catch your hair on fire. You can burn your face."

He admitted that he learned the technique in hopes of making extra money, but said he stopped offering the service once he realized it was not really helping his clients.

"It doesn't pull away any wax that it says it's supposed to," Robbins said.

He said the wax that appears during a procedure is actually just soot from the burning candle.

KPRC did its own experiment -- burning a candle in a glass jar. When the candle was cut open, wax was found, which was certainly not from any ear.

"It's more or less burned wax from the candle itself," said Dr. Kevin Smith, an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Smith said ear candling provides no real medical benefit, but makes for good entertainment.

"It might smell really good. It might make you relax, and thus might make you feel better," Smith said.

But he said the practice might also seriously damage the ear.

"If the wax goes far enough down it can actually coat the entire ear drum," Smith said.

Ear candling is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has ordered American manufacturers to stop claiming any medical benefits from the candles.

But patrons still swear by it and said they are not worried about getting injured.

"I think it's safe," Johnnie Martinez said.

But doctors warn that customers should take the practice at face value.

"If you want to be relaxed or entertained, then take the ear candling for that and no more than that," Smith said.

Customers interesting in ear candling should make sure the therapist has been properly trained, uses fire retardant towels and that the candling is done in a well-ventilated room.

Copyright 2006 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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