With all of the talk these days about 'homeopathic' and 'naturopathic' healthcare treatments, we get asked on a fairly regular basis about the benefits of "ear candling." In a nutshell, this is a procedure that involves placing a flaming cone of wax-coated cloth into the ear canal while you rest on your side. The cone burns for about 15 minutes and is sometimes repeated several times per ear.

Those who do ear candling profess that, first and foremost, they do it to remove excessive earwax. However, other claims are made as to benefits such as "stopping tinnitus" and "clearing sinuses," and even to "purifying the mind and blood." If you think this all sounds too good to be true, well, so do the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Academy of Otolaryngology as well as the audiologists at Audiology and Hearing Aid Center, to name a few.

In fact, ear candling is quite dangerous. Ear Nose and Throat physicians report incidences of ear candling gone wrong that include burns to the face, outer ear and ear canal, occlusion of ears with candle wax, ear drum tears, subsequent ear infections and hearing loss.

Also, a study using an empty test tube and one with human earwax showed that candling removed none of the wax and yet both candles removed the same debris. In fact, closer studies of the debris found that it was candle wax and cloth - not ear wax.

Remember what your mother or grandmother used to tell you, "Don't place anything smaller than your elbow in your ears."

If you have regular deposits of earwax, come see us or your medical doctor. We regularly provide cerumen management services. Bottom line is, when it comes to removing earwax from this sensitive area, leave it to the professionals to clear the way.

Reference:
"The Dangers of Ear Candling" by Heather Shenk, Au.D., and Jess Dancer, Ed.D.,
and   HealthyHearing (www.healthhearing.com)