Ear Candles

[dazdaz]

Woke from my slumber the other night (radio on) and heard the back end of a caller who rang in praising the beneficial results he had obtained using 'Ear Candles' . It seems they draw more wax (hope your not eating) out of the ear than drops.

Anyone heard of these, where can one buy them? From what I recall, it seems the flame is inside some tube and draws the wax using the vacuum created by the flame. Thanks in advance.

Daz

[Lost_ethics]

I've heard of Hopi ear candles, don't know how they work but a friend swears by them.
Bit of information on them;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/mind/pages/hopi.shtml

[dazdaz]

Thanks for taking the time Lost Ethics to post the link, much appreciated.

Daz

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Asian supermarkets (a lot of them are made in India) or purveyors of barber supplies.

[chiglet]

The "best" ones are made by "Biosun" in Germany.[From Beeswax and Cotton] They actually act as a chimney.
One end is lighted and inserted [by a friend/therapist etc] and is left to burn down to a mark on the candle. It is then extinguished. You can then unroll it and observe the results.[looks a little bit like crushed Demarara sugar]
G/f and me give each other a [hopi] treatment about once a month.
Hope this helps
watpiktch

[gingernut]

if you can show me robust evidence that hopi candles work, I'll buy you all a drink:)
everyone on pprune

[obgraham]

Hmmm. Looks like a duck. Sounds like a duck. I'll bet it can QUACK like a duck, too!

[Flyin'Dutch']

Call me a cynic, but where is the evidence base for this candle-ing of the ears?

Must be published in the same journals as where you can find the evidence on eustachian tube massaging.

:sad:

[VH-MLE]

I had a very blocked ear a couple of months back. Purchased some ear candles after a strong recommendation, however they didn't work. Relied on good old syringing to do the job.

If my ear hadn't been quite as blocked they may have worked however drops that loosen and eliminate wax are probably (i) cheaper; (ii) easier to use; and (iii) safer (if you're a DIY person).

Regards.

VH-MLE

[Lancelot37]

What a load of tosh.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Abraham Lincoln (http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Abraham_Lincoln/),

[portsharbourflyer]

You still need to use the candles in conjuction with some ear drops; again the candle sellers will normally sell some ear drop oil which is normally expensive.

Similary for syringing you have to use drops first to soften the wax.

My own Doctor recommends olive oil as a good natural alternative.

Chinese Herbalist will sell the ear candles for about 10/12 pounds but you can purchase on line for about £6 a pair.

[naturals]

I've used these things a couple of times and they're really good.

You can buy them from the chinese medicine places that seem to have sprung up in every town over the last few years. They're about £4 a pair - I'd urge all the sceptics to try them before casting judgement.

On the medical side I don't know if they'll help if you have a history of problems but they certainly improved my hearing noticeably as well as being extremely relaxing (the noise in your ear is lovely). I got about the equivalent of a heaped teaspoon of wax out of each ear. Truly foul.

Just PLEASE don't do them on your own - you need someone else to put them in for you and make sure they don't burn too close to your ear.

[mach79]

I've used these candles in the past and did some research on them.
I remember seeing a tv programme where after they were used, the candle was opened up and what was left inside was supposed to represent the wax that had come out of the ear.
HOWEVER if you try lighting a candle up-and don't put in your ear, you'll find the same stuff in the candle-ie it's a load of rubbish.

[A10Warthog]

"Ear candling appears to be popular and is heavily advertised with claims that could seem scientific to lay people. However, its claimed mechanism of action has not been verified, no positive clinical effect has been reliably recorded, and it is associated with considerable risk. No evidence suggests that ear candling is an effective treatment for any condition. On this basis, we believe it can do more harm than good and we recommend that GPs discourage its use......, There is no scientific proof to support claims that ear candling provides medical benefits ... However, there is plenty of proof that ear candling is dangerous. It says that while some people claim to be selling the candles "for entertainment purposes only", the Canadian government consider that there is no reasonable non-medical use, and hence any sale of the devices is illegal in Canada" - From Health Canada.

I've tried earcandles my self, and I do not think I would do it again, rather let your ENT flush your ears.

Be careful, the hearing is easy to damage, hard to repair....

[gingernut]

I used to love syringing ears....it was one of the very few times I got to cure a patient.

It is slightly frowned upon nowadays. There is a risk of damaging the delicate ear drums, the risk is small, but if you do rip a hole in 'em, they can be a pain to repair. The biggest cause of perforation was the metal tip flying off the syringe-usually 'cos someone forgot to check it was tight.

Insertion of drops (Olive oil if your a Southener, Rapeseed oil if from up North) for as long as possible (2w usually) is recommended, but in my experience patients usually end with a syringe eventually.

Be vary wary of shovin' anything down your lug hole before someone checks it with an otoscope.


Off the subject, I've heard some really bad things about Chinese Herbs. Anyone know if they really are indoctrinated with large doses of prednisolone really?

[mphysflier]

"Be vary wary of shovin' anything down your lug hole before someone checks it with an otoscope"

Or as an ENT specialist once said to me

'never put anything in your ear that's smaller than your elbow'

:}

[isi3000]

I've heard they are good but I wouldn't trust myself to do it :\. It would probably be safer and easier if you got the 'professional' do it for you where you bought it :)

[eastern wiseguy]

I tried them...found them of NO benefit whatever. A waste of cash in my opinion.

[hippotamus]

Health Canada doesn't think much of them either

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/earcandle/statement.html

[flower]

Also another who has tried them and they did diddly squat, it was part of a package of spa treatments so thought I would give it a go, doesn't hurt and isn't unpleasant but seriously couldn't see or feel any benefits from it.

[PingDit]

Yuuuuk! Can't see me ever going the candle route. I've always found that a sharp crack across the back of the head with a cricket bat does the trick! :E

[WG774]

Why Ear Candling Is Not a Good Idea
Lisa Roazen, M.D (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html)

Taken from linkWhy Candling Can't Work

Since wax is sticky, the negative pressure needed to pull wax from the canal would have to be so powerful that it would rupture the eardrum in the process. However, candling produces no vacuum. Researchers who measured the pressure during candling of ear models found that no negative pressure was created. The same investigators candled eight ears and found that no ear wax was removed and candle wax was actually deposited in some of them! [3]

The notion that the ear canal is connected to structures beyond the eardrum is false. A review of a good anatomy book should dispel this notion. The external ear canal, with an intact eardrum, is not connected to the brain, the sinuses targeted by the procedure (those above your eyes), or the Eustacean tubes (the passageways between the internal ear and the back of the throat). While some claim that the eardrum is porous and quickly allows impurities to pass through, this is untrue. The "impurities" that appear in the collected wax (usually on a paper plate or other collecting device) are nothing more than the ashes from the burnt wick and wax of the cone itself.

Dangers Reported...

The most popular ENT site in the US has this statement on every page:Warning! ENT USA considers ear candles to be pure quackery and strongly advises that they not be used http://www.entusa.com/index.html

Experience from my associates has suggested that candles cause nothing but problems, and can lead to scarring and burning of the ear drum.

[Wilton Shagpile]

If you've got ear wax, just use drops....put them in you ear (lying on your side) when you're in bed, shove some cotton wool in and then turn over after a few minutes....

After a while you'll get rid of it. You need SOME wax in your ears although not so much that you can't hear obviously....