Ear candling

File:Ear Candling.jpg

James Mally, N.D., ear candling a patient in an experiment debunking the practice. [1]

Ear candling, also called ear coning, is a folk medicine practice intended to remove earwax (cerumen) and "toxins" from a person's ear by means of a hollow candle placed in the ear. It involves placing one end of a lighted hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting it. Ear candling has been shown to be ineffective at creating a vacuum and removing impurities from the ear, and has resulted in injuries [2].

Origin

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.

Procedure

One end of a cylinder or cone of waxed cloth is placed into the subject's ear, and the other end lighted. Usually the subject is lying on one side with the treated ear uppermost and the candle vertical, perhaps stuck through a paper plate or aluminum pie tin to protect against any hot wax or ash falling down the side. The hot air is claimed to melt earwax and create a vacuum that pulls out toxins from the inner ear and the sinuses. At the end of the treatment the subject can be shown the accumulated ash and melted wax inside the candle, which are presented as wax and even fungus drawn out of the ear. Smoke circulating in the ear is sometimes also claimed to have physically beneficial or even mind-clearing effects.

Claims

The often vague, unscientific and even contradictory nature of what is claimed for ear candling can be gauged from these excerpts from the Colon Therapists Network website:

You may hear some crackling and popping, from the burning candle, and as the ear wax is being pulled from within your ear.

If you have excessive hearing loss, you may feel some heat during the ear candling session since your feeling (tactile) senses are keener than a person with relatively better hearing.

Who can benefit from Ear Candling?

Ear candling can benefit almost everyone, from infants to adults. Musicians can benefit — especially singers and horn blowers — who often have a lot more wax build up than other people. People who wear hearing aids can benefit. Also, those people who have had previous ear injuries, can benefit from ear candling as they tend to have a greater build up of wax and fungus.

Who should not have Ear Candling?

Ear Candling should not be done to people who have ear tubes, perforated ear drums, or artificial ear drums.

A comprehensive list of claims, from cleansing the ear canal and curing infections to clearing the eyes and purifying the blood, can be found on the Quackwatch website.

Controversy

Ear candling is generally classified as pseudoscience or even quackery by mainstream medicine, as none of the scientific evidence supports it. Skeptics point out 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. Nor could the candle create a sufficiently high temperature to "melt" the earwax as is sometimes claimed.

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.

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. [3] Some ear candles are designed with a plug inside to help prevent this. Others are designed to be self-extinguishing.

Legal status

In Europe, some ear candles are regulated as medical devices, tested for safety and bear the CE mark (93/42/EEC).[4] 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. [5] However, they remain widely available.

External links

Opposition

• Seely DR, Quigley SM , Langman AW. Ear candles: Efficacy and safety. Laryngoscope 106:1226-1229, 1996.
• Health Canada's statement on ear candles
• The Straight Dope: "How do ear candles work?"
• CBC Marketplace article on ear candling and risks
• Skeptic's Dictionary on Ear Candling
• Quackwatch on Ear Candling by Lisa M.L. Dryer, M.D
• Photos of an Ear Candling experiment
• Dr. Andrew Weil's opinion on ear candling (see also: Andrew Weil)
• Keeping Ears Clean by Robert Jackler, MD