Opponents Rebuke The Effectiveness Of Ear Candling

Those opposed to ear candling state that the vacuum effect of candling is a myth and the substance left in the candle is nothing more than the melted wax from the candle, colored by the smoke. Lisa M. L. Dryer, M.D. in her article “Why Ear Candling Is Not a Good Idea” (April, 2005), states, “Since wax is sticky, the negative pressure needed to pull wax from the canal would have to be so powerful that it would rupture the eardrum in the process.” Also, the ear wax is a healthy part of the natural cleaning and protecting process of the ear, coating the ear drum, preventing infection, and moving debris out of the ear.

Another man experimented with taking pictures of an ear candle being held inside a clear vial in order to see what happens as it burned. Pieces of powdery dust dropped down into the vial from the burning, which would end up in the ear canal. He also noted that there was the waxy buildup exactly the same as an ear candle used in an actual person’s ear even in the candle that was used over the vial. These pictures can be easily found with a simple search on the internet using the words “ear candling.” I noticed, however, that the home experiment showed that the candle was burned far below its proper level of 3-4 inches from the end. This could account for some of the negative results.

The woman who reported that ear candle wax dripped onto her eardrum has posted lengthy details about her experience and cautions the public about ear candling dangers. I agree with her that it is dangerous but I don’t agree that ear candling is a useless procedure that doesn’t work. I believe that her ear candling session was administered incorrectly by burning the ear candle too low.