What You Should Know About Ear Candling

Everybody loves a quick fix, particularly when the solution is also a DIY fix. Got a leaky sink? You can learn about how to fix that from a YouTube video. A plumber would probably be a little more efficient but then you wouldn’t get that sense of self-satisfaction that comes with doing it by yourself.

But that feeling only continues until your sink begins to leak again. That’s because sometimes the skill and experience of a professional can’t be effectively substituted for a quick fix.

It’s not always easy to admit that this is the case. And, in part, that’s why people will frequently continue to look for “easy” DIY-fixes for intricate problems, which might help explain the popularity of something known as ear candling (or, sometimes, earwax candling). It sounds… kind of gross, right? Let’s dive into just what earwax candling is and its dangers.

What is ear candling?

Have you ever had a stuffy-ear kind of feeling? On occasion, your ear will fill with mucus when you’re ill. In other cases, it may occur because you have a surplus of earwax in your ears (and surplus earwax can have a variety of causes). This can sometimes be very uncomfortable. You may even notice a temporary loss of hearing. It’s no fun!

Some people, because of this, believe that ear candling is just the cheap and novel fix they need. The idea is that a special hollow candle is placed into your ear (non-burning end). Somehow, the blend of heat and the hollow style of the candle changes the air pressure within your ear canal, pulling the earwax or mucus out.

It should be quickly recognized that ear candling is not advocated by healthcare professionals. Do ear candles actually pull wax out? No. There’s absolutely no evidence that ear candling is effective (particularly not in the way that it’s claimed to work). Essentially, most hearing and healthcare professionals will emphatically recommend against ever utilizing this approach. (Does ear candling help with sinus pressure? Also no.)

Just listen to the FDA! (What is the FDA advising about ear candling? Basically, don’t do it!)

The drawbacks of ear candling

Ear candling might feel safe, initially. It’s not as if it’s a huge flame. And you’re utilizing “specialized” equipment. And people on the internet claimed it was safe! So how could it be possible for ear candling to be harmful?

Ear candling can, unfortunately, be very hazardous and there’s no way to get around that! What negative affects can ear candling have? Here are just a few of the (possibly painful) ways that ear candling can affect your health:

You can severely burn your ear: Fire is hot, and so is melting candle wax. Your ear is really sensitive and considerable burning can take place if the flame or the hot wax gets somewhere it shouldn’t.

You could seriously burn your face: There’s always a pretty good chance that if you’re holding a flame up near your ear, you could burn your face. Accidents will happen! It’s all too easy for candle wax to trickle into your eyes or for your hair to catch on fire or for your face to get severely burned.

You could accidentally pierce your eardrum: There’s a risk that comes with inserting anything in your ears! Your hearing will suffer significant damage and discomfort if you end up puncturing your eardrum. Frequently, this is something that has to be treated by a hearing professional.

You can push that earwax even further up into your ear: Inserting an ear candle inside your ear can actually push earwax further into the ear canal much like when you utilize a cotton swab. In other words, ear candling can make your earwax issue worse! Other complications, from hearing loss to ear infections can also be the outcome.

Your ear can have residual candle wax left behind: Even if you don’t get burned, residual ear candle wax can go into your ears. Your hearing can become impacted from this, not to mention the uncomfortableness.

So, do hearing healthcare professionals endorse ear candling? Not at all! Ultimately, earwax candling isn’t simply useless, it’s downright dangerous.

A better way to manage earwax

Ear wax is typically rather healthy. In normal amounts, it’s beneficial for your ears. Problems begin when there’s too much earwax or when it won’t drain effectively. So what should you do if utilizing a candle is a bad idea?

If you have an earwax blockage, the most beneficial thing to do may be talking to a hearing specialist. Normally, they will recommend that you try some at-home solutions, like a saline wash, to loosen the wax allowing it to run out by itself. But they might also clean out your ear during your visit.

Hearing specialists have specific tools and training that allow them to remove wax without damaging your ear.

Generally, you should avoid techniques like utilizing cotton swabs and earwax candling. Unless your hearing specialist says differently, it’s a good policy to never put anything smaller than your finger in your ear.

Give your ears some relief

Schedule an appointment with us if you have surplus earwax that’s causing you some discomfort. We can help you get back to normal by clearing away any stubborn earwax.

References

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams/ear-candling-ineffective-and-risky