Ear problems- alternative to vacuming?

Question

I've have that "full" feeling in my ear and have tryed vacuming and was very sore... is their an alternative? i've heard about candling... what is it?

thanks

amber

Answer 1

Ear candling is a wonderfully gentle way to relieve pressure in the ear and remove excessive wax build-up.

The candles actually look more like cones, and each one takes about 10 minutes to burn down. You can do it on yourself, but it's MUCH easier (and safer if you're new to it) to have someone do it for you, as there are some tricks to it to make it work better and to make sure that you don't get any ash or sparks on you as they burn down.

Ear-candling works by the difference in air pressure from the inside of your ear to the outside of the cone created from the heat from the lit end. It creates a very gentle vaccuum. You don't even really feel it. All the ear residue is pulled into the bottom of the ear candle.

You can read more about it here: http://www.wellness-centre.com/earconing...

I've tried this several times and never had any issues with it, but there has been a glut of backlash from the mainstream medical community against ear candling over the past couple of years. If you read it, most of it actually stems from the fact that many people burned themselves by incorrectly candling themselves or others - to make sure this doesn't happen to you, make sure you go to an experienced practitioner. Also ask if they use a shield, which is a wide plate type device that goes around the base of the candle to ensure that should any candle debris happen to fall that it will not hit your skin. The medical community also reported that sometimes people ruptured their ear drums from sticking the candle in too far - obviously you shouldn't be shoving the candle deep into your canal, just as with q-tips. Duh.

I also just found out that in the US and Canada, they have made the sale or usage of ear candles illegal. I shake my head about this one - plus I see them all the time for sale at health food stores, so I guess no one actually heard about that particular law being passed (I sure hadn't).

But - to be fair, you'll want to weight the pros and cons of this method. I personally found it to be relaxing and effective.

Answer 2

sticking a candle in your ear and lighting the end of it that sticks out. supposedly the air heats up and pulls the

wax out of your ear. I would think you look pretty silly while you are doing it. Suggest you put warm olive oil in your ear for a week. You will find it will soften the wax and the normal

function of your ear will push the excess out of your ear without a candle or a vacuum

Answer 3

Ear candling is right up there with those worthless foot pads. Other than burning your ear drum with hot wax it is pretty much scientifically impossible for them to have any effect. No I am a little bit of a skeptic on alternative medicine, but willing to allow for certain possibilities with herbs and such given the complexity of the internal workings of the human body. Plain old simple physics though say these ear candles are bunk.