The Truth about Ear Candling

I “lifted” this informative editorial from the website of the American Academy of Audiology. The authors are Jackie Clark, PhD, a clinical associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, UT Dallas; Douglas L. Beck, AuD, the Web content editory with the American Academ of Audiology; and Walter Kutz, MD., assistant professor, Department of Otolaryngology, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

CLAIM 1: Interconnections in the head allows the candles to drain the etire eyestem through the ear.

          FALSE:  Liquids and gases cannot pass through a normal healthy ear drum.

CLAIM 2:  Oxygen drawn through the candle will create a vacuum.

          FALSE:  A basic scientific evaluation measured the amount of vacuum force created by ear candles when placed in a simulated human ear. Despite numerous trials, this presumed phenomena (creation of a vacuum) simply did not occur at any point during the trials.

CLAIM 3: When a vacuum is created, it will pull residue out from the ear canal.

          FALSE:  A scientific study compared individuals’ ear canals before and after candling. In all instances after andling, there was no reduction in the amount of ear wax found in individual’s ear canals.

CLAIM 4: The method is safe, noninvasive, and effective.

     FALSE: Candling is dangerous. Survey responses from medical specialists in the United Kingdom reported ear injuuries from ear candling incuding: burns, ear canal occlusions and ear drum perforations and secondary ear canal infections with temporary hearing loss.

SUMMARY:  Ear candling is dangerous (even when used as directed by the manufacturer) and serves no legitimate purpose. There is no scientific evidence showing effectiveness for use.