Ear candling- why do people practice this dangerous new age technique?

Question

I friend of mine had an 'ear candling' done on him- and what he got was a damaged ear drum- I am shocked people engage in this new age foolishness- The so called 'earwax' drawn out by the ear candle lit afire is obviously the candle wax. Is this ear candling illiegal? If not it should be.

Answer 1

It is illegal in Canada. In the US, it is illegal to sell ear candles as medical devices. Instead companies claim them to be for entertainment purposes. Studies have been performed that show that NO vacuum is placed in the ear, so there is no way for anything to be removed. Other studies have determined that the material left on the plate is only from the burning of the candle itself. There is no proof that it works, but there is proof that it doesn't. And there is evidence that it can be dangerous...causing minor burns up to damaging the ear drum. Why do they do it? Some people will do anything that "sounds" good, without doing their research. It supposedly feels soothing. Also, some folks just want to believe that it works, and I'm sure there is a placebo effect.

Answer 2

people are stupid and are willing to have potentially dangerous procedures done to them to give them relief from their earwax frustrations

Answer 3

I work in the supplement industry and sell lots of the ear candles. I have had many people return and thank me for suggesting their use. No one has ever told me they were harmed in any way. I I do not know what went awry with your friend. So, yes they are legal, yet not regulated or have any "claim or guarantee" to be effective.

Answer 4

Many people do have good results with this. This should, however be done by a licensed health practitioner like an accupuncturist or chiropractor.

This can remove build up from the ears but can pose the possibility for damage as the other poster mentioned, using a q-tip can damage your ear.

I find it interesting that there are so many harmful side effects, injuries, illnesses and deaths caused by pharmaceutical drugs and medical procedures done by doctors. Far more than you will ever find in natural health care. Natural health care has been around far longer than allopathic medicine yet when there is a problem that arises from a natural procedure it is branded "new age foolishness" and people want to make it illegal. Should we then make allopathic medicine illegal and call it "new age foolishness"? It is a much newer modality.

It is never a good thing when people suffer and tragic when their suffering is increased by the failure of something or someone that they trusted would help them.

I am a person who has been failed many times by western medicine, in ways that could have ended my life and that did seriously reduce the quality of my life, yet I still believe that it is valid and useful in some cases.

I have had my life saved and the quality of life improved by natural health alternatives, yet I know they have limitations.

We do not live in a world of simple black and white answers and our bodies pose us some very complicated questions.

It is out job to educate ourselves and to so some research and interviewing of various practitioners medical and alternative when making choices about our health. In this world of law suits and excessive regulation, with so little focus on personal responsibility, it is personal responsibility that we need most.

Answer 5

no its not and i have heard of good results from it and yes  it can be dangerous but so is sticking a q-tip in your ear

Answer 6

I was a real skeptic until I used them to clear up my ex-husbands chronic sinus infections; it's been 12 years since he's had a sinus infection, and he had 4 sinus infection episodes in the three months before we used the ear candles. He had sinus infections for the ten years before also.

And how did someone bust their eardrum with one of those things? This is the reason we have to have warning labels on everything.I could see some idiot catching themselves on fire, but you would really have to shove it down in there...

Answer 7

Like Leia said, people are just gullible and they WANT to believe.  Lack of critical thinking skills.