Ear candles are candles used during an alternative medicine procedure for clearing out ear passages. The process is called ear candling. Modern Western medicine disputes the claims made by proponents and discourages the use of ear candles to remove ear wax.
Features
An ear candle is a hollow rolled candle made of beeswax or paraffin and paper or cloth.
Function
The practitioner places an ear candle on top of the ear canal and burns it down to near the ear. The creates "negative pressure," according to proponents, in order to pull out ear wax (cerumen). Ear candles are also used to clear the mind and sinuses.
History
Claims that the use of ear candles date back thousands of years to mythological countries such as Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu and that ear candles were used by Native Americans have been disproved.
Considerations
When unrolled, used ear candles may contain a waxy-looking substance and white powder. These substances are not from the ear and form in a burning ear candle regardless of whether it is on the ear canal opening.
Significance
Modern medicine has found no proof that ear candles are effective, according to the National Institutes of Health, and they could be dangerous if melted wax attaches to the eardrum.
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