An Article on Ear Candling

[Guest guest]

There have been questions lately as to ear candling.. Here is a

copy of an article I wrote for a local magazine. Hope it helps..

 

Ear Candling

By Misty L. Trepke

 

Ear coning, also known as ear candling, is a natural healing

technique that is said to date back centuries, possibly all the way

back to ancient Egypt. It is used currently by many naturopaths,

chiropractors, salons, spas, massage therapists, as well as other

health care providers, even including medical doctors. I personally

am most impressed with this technique. After finishing my first ear

coning session I noticed the music that was being played was

significantly louder. I asked the practitioner if they had turned

up the music during the session. She said no. Clearly, my hearing

had improved and was the source of the " louder " music. I could not

have been more impressed and thrilled.

 

The idea of sticking the candle sitting on your dinning room table

into your ear and lighting it may not seem like a good idea, rest

assured, it is not. Ear candles are specially made for their job

and are in fact swathes of linen covered in wax and then rolled into

a hollow funnel, one end being larger than the other. The small

opening is inserted into the ear and the larger end is lit, creating

a vacuum. The flame of the candle is believed to slightly warm and

therefore loosen ear wax which is then sucked up higher into the

cone. There is a surprising variety of ear cones available,

including the " normal " paraffin all the way to the specialty cones

such as beeswax and/or herbal infused cones.

 

Not sure whether your ears need to be candled? There are said to be

many conditions that ear candles will assist. Now not everyone with

difficulty in hearing will experience the dramatic results that I

did, but generally (we will cover this more shortly) there is no

harm in trying. Imagine as we become older the amount of ear wax

that can be trapped in the ear. Are you sure that is not the case

for you because you clean your ears with q-tips, well, you just

might be surprised. I have been told that practice may in fact

impact more wax in the ear channel than it actually removes.

 

Do you suffer from: ear aches, allergies, post nasal drip, sore

throats, sinus irritation, chronic headaches and/or migraines,

vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), focus problems,

hyperactivity, Menier's Syndrome, swimmers ear, a blocked ear canal,

excessive ear wax or stress? These are some of the conditions ear

candles have been used with. Ear candles are also said to be useful

in cleaning the lymph system, restoring equilibrium, removing

Candida (yeast), fungus and bacteria from the ear as well as

improving: mental function, vision, hearing, taste, smell and color

perception.

 

It can often be quite shocking, in a grotesquely fascinating way, to

open up the remaining part of the candle after the ear has been

coned. Not only will one see the excessive ear wax that has been

pulled up, but it is not uncommon to see a white powder like

substance that is said to be Candida. Pollen, seeds and even small

bugs have been seen in the cones afterwards.

 

Does ear candling hurt? No, absolutely not and if it does- quit the

session immediately. Pain can be an indication there is an

underlying condition that is beyond the scope of ear coning. But

barring complications ear candling is incredibly relaxing and

soothing. It is not uncommon at all for people to fall asleep

during the session.

 

Is ear candling safe? This is not a practice that I recommend doing

on yourself. Consider: flame, hair, an odd angle, and well, you put

the pieces together. But do you need to be a professional to do

this? While almost anyone can do this for their friends and family,

and ear candles are readily accessible, I do actually recommend

seeing someone who has had some training or experience, at least

initially to see how it is done. One of the very few problems I

have heard of is when the candle is left to burn too far down and

the melted wax drops back down into the ear, something an

experienced practitioner would know to watch for. Plus, most

practitioners practicing ear candling know massage or other

techniques to assist in the cleansing of the sinuses as well as draw

more of the excessive wax out.

 

Who should not have their ear's coned? Anyone who has recently had

ear, throat or sinus surgery of any kind, anyone who currently has

tubes in their ears, has a punctured eardrum, or is currently or has

recently experienced bleeding from the ears should avoid having

their ear's coned.