Letter of Recommendation: Ear Candling

I'm surprised the NYT legal team let this through, let alone the fact-checkers. There have been plenty of ear canal burns as a result of candling and even one person who died when she set curtains on fire while candling. During my residency one of my fellow residents saw a patient with ear canal burns from candling and did a study of its effectiveness. His published study found that there was no updraft generated and the goop that collected at the bottom was just candle wax (the author of this piece even admits that). PLEASE don't use ear candles

A lot of self righteous and judgmental comments to this article, eh? Are readers scared of things they don't know about and don't understand?

Folks seem awfully defensive of the Western medical system that wants to make EpiPens all but unaffordable, yet they go out of their way to discredit alternate treatments and therapies. Stockholm syndrome??

May I remind you, there was a time when acupuncture was treated the same way...and there was a time when natural health practitioners knew about inflammation in the body yet the scientific community had not yet caught up. YOU don't know everything, and nor does the medical community, so don't knock it 'til you try it.

I have never used ear candles, but one thing makes sense; by warming the ear canal they probably improve circulation there, and circulation is often diminished in those who have hearing problems!

Sounds to me like a unhealthy social life. Why not get together and apply leeches....at least there's no risk of setting your hair or furniture on fire. Peroxide in your ears once every week or so will prevent ear wax build up. You could even have a peroxide party in the cabin in the woods.

The N Y Times should be ashamed of itself for publishing this without countering it with accurate medical advice.

Research evidence suggests Reiki practice down-regulates the nervous system, moving the receiver into parasympathetic dominance, also know as the rest and digest phase. This happens through an unknown mechanism, but the effect is well enough documented that Reiki treatment is offered in such academic medical centers as Memorial Sloan Kettering, NY Presbyterian/Columbia, Dana Farber/Harvard, M.D. Anderson, and Yale, where we did a study in which Reiki practice improved heart rate variability comparable to beta-blockers.

I didn't know that the NYTimes was in the habit of promoting dangerous quackery as medicine.

If you have wax in your ears, the easiest and safest way to remove it is with one of the kits, available at most drugstores, labelled "ear wax removal". Each kit contains a small bottle of peroxide-mix and a bulb-syringe. You use the peroxide to start chemically softening the wax. (You can use a hydrogen peroxide/water mix instead of you prefer, or nothing at all.) Then you irrigate the ear with water that's as warm as you can tolerate. It can take several minutes, but you'll actually see the wax in the sink basin as it comes out.

Safe, inexpensive, and no rituals required.

I have yet to read anyone's defense of reiki treatment, so casually lumped together in this article with ear candling and an alcoholic drink. Reiki, well researched by NIH, is non-invasive and its certification is even approved for nurses in many states for CEUs (continuing education units). This pot shot at an approved CAM treatment, included in many hospital programs, is a true disservice to thousands of reiki practitioners.

Who cares what doctors or scientists say. I know best! And this attitude gets published in the NYT! Any many wonder why so many other Americans doubt global warming or believe vaccines cause autism!

ah, whisky on a baby's gum, sounds like an early version of w.c.fields...

I have major problems with, shall we say, ear canal production. As a result I have a very good relationship with my ENT. He takes care of my issue and has never once set my hair on fire.

Before you pass from this Earth, go to Chengdu, Sichuan, proceed to the "big and small alleys" neighborhood, and sit for an ear cleaning and cleaning. You can find them because they spin their instruments and make a soft ringing sound with them. Candle away, it's worthless and wonderful.

Over 15 YAG a retired physician saw a friend digging at his ears and told him he had either bacteria or a fungus in his ears. His solution - stick a Q tip in rubbing alcohol and swab it into your ear. Only use on ears on one side - don't spread whatever is in there.

Works great - rubbing alcohol and Q tips are way cheaper than a ENT doc.

Had one lady friend who liked to have wax from burning candles land on her chest - not for me!

What a fun read!! I first heard about ear candling as it relates to restoring hearing. It doesn't. I've always wanted to try ear candling but worried that it would burn down into my ear wax and keep burning.

In Japan you can purchase long slivers of wood shaped with tiny spoons at the ends. One can easily plough a nice canal straight to the medulla.

Weird sort of intimacy. I'd rather just smoke some grass.

Maybe what's so satisfying about this has nothing to do with aural hygiene. Maybe it's good to hear the flame from the inside and the world through the flame.

With friends at a Vermont cabin after the kids have gone to bed, this is what you do? What if one of the kids came out and caught you in the act? Probably scarred for life, that's what.

BURNT OFFERING I prefer not to turn my inner ear into a burnt offering. I splash a few drops of water into my ear when I shower at least once a week, then I take a Q tip and gently wipe out the small quantity of wax that has accumulated. The warm water effectively melts it. Ear candling? NO THANK YOU!

Keep the friends and the wine (or coffee, or tea). Drop the candles. The real pleasure is in the company, not in the "cracks" you hear in your ear.

Perhaps you all would have such wonderful bonding with a
good seance. If so make sure the table has 4 legs.

My former neighbor who had come from Serbia only did that when her children had an ear infection. It would draw out the infection and there was no need to go to the doctor or use an antibiotic. It was not used just to remove ear wax. It worked for her kids. Some of the old country remedies did work.

Why pick on yoga, restorative or otherwise? There's far more evidence for the effectiveness of yoga practice than there is for this silly candle-in--the-ear nonsense. I think the bong and the touching are the whole point.

"And while I trust the professionals, to be honest, I don't really care." Thus is the whole of secular, rational, scientific culture consigned to the dustbin of history.

In my senior years, I have found that I really do get a wax buildup in there that needs serious attention to remove. I used to go to the doctor, where they used to use a menacing-looking syringe-like device to shoot warm water in there to clean it out. I still go to the doctor sometimes. But I also found on line a pump-bottle device, made for the job, that I can use myself and also shoots the water and works safely and well. The last time I went to the doctor I discovered they had switched to the exact same pump-bottle. That was validation enough, so for me it has become mostly a do-it-yourself procedure.

This article is nothing short of irresponsible. The author acknowledges that ear candles are dangerous and don't actually remove wax and yet spouts on about their calming benefits. There are safe ways of relaxing with friends. Ear candles aren't one of them.

Right up there with nasal irrigation and wearing magnets.

I have some serious questions about the editor of this section of The Times. These types of articles are becoming too prevalent.

Never put anything larger than your elbow in your ear - you can actually very easily puncture your eardrum.

Candling has limited success - limited being the key. Even using an oil after candling I've gotten some pretty bad ear infections along the way.

Best recommendation? See an ear doctor.

Ear cleaning is bad for you? Ear wax is a myth. It's all apparently in your brain, not in your ear. Good grief. What's next, a 5-day waiting period for Q-tips?

Although the act of ritual and friendship discussed in this article are attractive, the risks of ear candles lead me to suggest that finding another activity would be wise. The FDA issued a consumer advisory against ear candles in Feb 2010 and the American Academy of Otolaryngology (your friendly ENTs!) also warns against them. While Ms. Jezer-Morton acknowledges there are detractors, it extends to more reputable sources than just WebMD. Burns on the ear, wax impaction in the canal and eardrum rupture are all significant and legitimate risks.
Caroline Schlocker, MD
Otolaryngologist/ENT

Best way to avoid burning yourself or your hair is to put a hole in an aluminum pie plate & insert candle. It will then catch any ash. You can then do it yourself if no friends around to help.

It's called an orgy (and is all consensual, I happily note). You're just keeping your clothes on (yet sighing with pleasure feeling that tug, tug, tug in your ear whilst a bit of the grape loosens your mind, your emotions, your restraints, oh my!) and claiming that the benefits outweigh the risks, which is better known as rationalization. Hedonism is a lovely thing, at least to the beholder.

You should, though, include your views on whether that ear candle, were it to burn you or suck out a bit of brain (joking), would be considered To Blame for your injury (would you sue?) or would the logical, responsible action follow: acceptance of consequences for *your* action(s)?

The latter is always my concern when people just "do what feels good." I'm all for hedonism (and have the scars to prove it), but I'm adamant about personal responsibility too, e.g., heroin deaths are a consequence of buying the unknown and injecting it into yourself. It is not society's problem (although the norm being a uber-structured, capitalistic "life" motivating people to believe there is nothing meaningful in life other than daily toil for a few dollars while the self-chosen few get rich and fat could be argued as 'a problem') stupidity -- which is what heroin use is, without debate -- is often an expensive thing. I have empathy, but not for those who claim victim for their own actions. So, burn out that middle ear, baby, but it is your doing.

Wow, that caffeine kicked in...

This article is beneath the standards of the NY Times. Burning a candle that is sticking out of ones ear does absolutely no good and has the potential to cause real harm. Comparisons with yoga, and even to a warm beverage, are preposterous.

Has the paper of record finally supported full quackery?

I am sure that magnet therapy, chelation and aura manipulation are also relaxing. However, they have no scientific evidence behind them. Just evidence that fools easily part from their money.

By far the safest and best way to clean your ear canals is with earwax removal drops, which are generally carbamide peroxide or similar. After 5 minutes, you can then flush the ear out with warm water using a rubber bulb. This method is simple, very effective, and requires no assistance.

Amen!

"Hiss punctuated by satisfying little pops?!!" A "little ear-rake?!!!!" No thank you. I'll take a skilled PA with a Vacutract over hocus pocus any day.

This is a REALLY STUPID idea. Put nothing in your ear smaller than your elbow.

The reveal which you mention is strangely satisfying, but I'm here to tell you that the wax you discover as you unwrap the gauze is actually wax from the ear candle, not your ear. I've actually used them, as directed, a couple of times in the past, but then got curious so I held a lit ear candle in a mostly closed fist and let it burn down. Behold. Wax. Same color, same textures as my previous "real" ear candling. Bummer.

Ear wax and the material it traps (probably its main purpose) can accumulate to the point that the ear canal is completely blocked. The admonition to put nothing into your ear is crazy. Shove a Q-Tip in there once in a while and live it up. Did you hear me?

This is one of the funniest articles I've read in the New York Times inages.

Ear Candles are illegal to sell in Canada and - I assume - Montreal.

That should be your first clue.

Please don't allow this proponent of quackery any more space in the NYT

Yeah that pleasure connection between the inner ear and body has made it very erotic at times. Glad to know I wasn't the only one.

This is hilarious, thanks! I think many of us are the same way with acne; we're not supposed to pop, but it's so damn satisfying.

The reason you shouldn't put a q-tip deep in your ear is because you can impact the earwax, which can be very painful, and because you could puncture your ear drum, which is even more painful. The reason you shouldn't use a candle to remove wax is because it doesn't work. It's very simple.

If you want to relax with your friends, pour that bottle of wine and light a candle, but keep it out of your ear. It's very simple.

Please tell me this article is a "put on". Wine and fire? It sounds dangerously menacing and foolhardy. Why not simply use Debrox to clean one's ears. Perhaps it does not have the ritualistic symbolism this author seems to be seeking but it is eminently safer and far more effective. NYT, some of your "lifestyle" articles are becoming more and more bizarre!

Playing with earwax between friends; sounds grody.

Once I experimented: an ear candle left to burn in isolation, and one used as directed in an ear. These 2 'used' remnants were identical.