Ear Candle - Good, Bad or Neither?

**Selmia19** · 12-11-2011 10:07 PM

I have seen this done on tv and it looks so disgusiting, yet i cant say that I am not tempted to try it. Just the thought of cleaning out all that wax and dirt out of my ears makes me want to do it.

Has anyone done it and fouind it to be beneficial in anyway?

**rosekitten** · 12-11-2011 11:21 PM

I have, and I love them. The pure beeswax ones are slightly more expensive, but they're worth it. I have a good friend who sells them online for $3/pair, and they're just fantastic. Also, if you do try them, try to have someone there to help make sure you don't burn yourself. O.o

**Seeker_Advice** · 12-12-2011 03:10 PM

There is a lot of anti-ear candle information on the Internet and else where.

Bottom line is that they're not recommended or considered necessary except by those who sell them or so called "health food" or "natural food" stores.

IF they were truly beneficial, safe and had any medical necessity, don't you think every physician across the U.S. (there are about 495,00 of them) would be carrying them in their offices?

It's your body, do what you want to it and with it. Just make sure you do so with as much knowledge and education as you can.

**rosekitten** · 12-12-2011 03:43 PM

Seeker, I have to disagree. It's rare to find a doctor who will try "natural" (I use the term loosely lol) alternative, as opposed to surgeries, pills, and other procedures. I was lucky to have a family doctor growing up who didn't push major pharmaceutical down our throats.

**Aeryn Sun** · 12-12-2011 04:45 PM

I have always wanted to try them, but have read on numerous sites that the hot wax can cause burns, and I am not up for that.

**ItsASecret** · 12-12-2011 05:35 PM

It's rare to find a doctor who will try "natural" (I use the term loosely lol) alternative, as opposed to surgeries, pills, and other procedures.

That is because there is so little evidence with "natural" medicines they do not want to recommend anything that can jeopradise their license if their patient becomes sick due to that natural method. Doctors are medical doctors that work through medicine, they are not talk therapy or holistic medicine men/women from the jungle, they treat and diagnose based on the medical side of things governed by Western practices. Doctors also work through conducted research, such as drug trials while natural medicine is often "here is some stuff we say it works even if science says it does not", it often lacks an incredible amount of research. In addition there are patients who end up in a doctor's office because they tried the "safe internet cure method!!!!!" (lol I highly doubt if someone used this candle method they would need the aid of a doctor though). Candle wax is not likely to have them lose their license if they mention it but if there is no reputable information, which "I tired it, it works!" is not reputable, the doctor is very likely going to say "I do not recommend it but you can do as you please". Unless that candle is covered in some sort of toxin, due to the shanty it may be sold from in a foreign country, the chance of something worse than a minimal burn happening is pretty slim.

**rosekitten** · 12-12-2011 05:40 PM

I wasn't referring to general "I read it on the internet, it must be true!" Take vitamins in foods, I had a doctor that looked at my diet to see if there was a nutrient deficiency, instead of just saying "oh, well, here's a pill to fix that!" I am in no way implying that "I read it on the internet" was a valid form of medical research or application. There is more to being a doctor than just giving someone a pill, and giving dietary advice, or advice that doesn't require more doctors or pills does not automatically = unscientific.

**Aeryn Sun** · 12-12-2011 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by rosekitten

There is more to being a doctor than just giving someone a pill, and giving dietary advice, or advice that doesn't require more doctors or pills does not automatically = unscientific.

I agree, and even if it is done scientifically, it doesn't mean it was done ethically or in the best interest of the person who will be stuck with said drug.
I actually am very skeptical of the pharmaceutical companies/doctors at times. They give funding to Med schools, research firms and offer incentives to Doctors. Hello unethical motives! It wasn't until recently that phase II/III or research had to be selected from a preselected list of approved researchers.

It is really disheartening to see clients prescribed a pill for every ill and consuming Vicodin cocktails, sometimes in adolescence.

**Little** · 12-13-2011 10:37 AM

I have looked into these, and found no evidence that they work to clean out your ears. However, you can irrigate your ears with warm water. What I've read says that you need to be careful about the temperature of the water, but this is a solution that doesn't require you to purchase anything other than the water from your tap and maybe energy to heat it.
Though people should indeed be wary of the possibility that a doctor is only suggesting a product because of a kickback s/he may receive, it's important to remember that a seller of a product is even more invested in its being purchased.

**rosekitten** · 12-13-2011 11:07 AM

From personal experience I can say that the ones I've used have pulled out ear wax. I wanted to test so I burnt on without putting it in my ear to see what kind of residue was left. :S Not particularly super scientific, but compared with the one I used in my ear, there was a lot more wax in the one that I used in my ear compared to the one that was just burnt alone.