What is the principle of ear candles and is it useful?

Ear candles "detoxify" big holes in the eardrums

●Ear candling is to insert a hollow candle into the ear and light it. It is said that it can "detoxify", but it does not produce any negative pressure suction.

●The melting of the candle and dripping into the external auditory canal and tympanic membrane can make people deaf. In severe cases, they will continue to discharge pus

●Guests are fooled by the candle remnants as toxins by the ear candling therapist, feeling "non-toxic and body feeling light"

At present, many health care and beauty institutions have launched "ear candle therapy"-insert a hollow candle into a person’s ear and light it. The heat rises to form a vacuum negative pressure, which can suck out earwax, and even suck out the inner ear, sinuses and sinuses. The harmful substances in the brain have the effect of detoxification, so it is also called "intracranial purification therapy". It is said that the heat and vibration generated during the burning of the candle are also beneficial to the ears. Ear candle treatment is purely pseudo-science, and there is a great danger. Not only can't suck out the earwax and toxins in the ear, but the melted wax drops can enter the external auditory canal, and the heat generated when the candlestick is burned can also damage the ear canal, which can easily cause otitis media, and in serious cases can lead to perforation of the tympanic membrane and deafness.

Case: Ear candling oil dripped into the ears. A Canadian woman felt nasal congestion and earache after diving, so she went to a "qualified" ear candling therapist for treatment. During the treatment, she felt severe pain in her ears and was sent to first aid. As a result, the doctor found that the wax on the tympanic membrane could not be removed, and a large hole had been burned through the tympanic membrane.On January 27, 2005, a 59-year-old woman in Alaska, USA, used ear candles to treat herself in bed. As a result, she accidentally dropped the candle and burned the sheets and other objects. Eventually, the fire triggered her asthma attack and eventually died in the hospital.On July 14, 2009, Mr. Weng went to a health massage shop for ear candle therapy, and the therapist accidentally dripped candle oil into his ears. Afterwards, he barely took out a piece of candle oil at two hospitals, and half of the candle oil was hidden in his ears and could not be taken out.

Can you see the "toxin" of ear candles?

Ear candles originated from ancient times, and the place of origin is unknown. Some say China Tibet, some say Egypt, and some say North America. The raw material for making ear candles is generally flax or cotton, which is soaked in wax and hardened to form a candle with a hollow inside. According to a video from a manufacturer on the Internet, their products range from 6 mm to 12 mm in diameter, using pure natural beeswax, containing Chinese herbal medicines and some aromatherapy ingredients. Some ear candles contain sage, fruit chrysanthemum, rose, rosemary, honey and so on. Some people use newspapers for DIY, soak wax and roll them into ear candles, or use funnel-shaped pottery filled with herbs for lighting instead.

During the ear candling treatment, the client should lie sideways on the bed. The therapist passes the candle through a disc used to receive wax and ashes, and then inserts it into the guest’s external auditory canal. The therapist lights the candle and cuts off the burned wick as it grows. During the process, the skin around the ears is massaged with essential oils. During the treatment process, it is said that the guest’s ears will feel warm but not hot, and they will experience physical and mental relaxation and “full of spirituality”.After the candle is burnt, the therapist wipes off some visible earwax with a cotton swab, and then often puts on some "ear oil". Some therapists will immerse the burning candles in a bowl of water to extinguish them, and then show them to the guests with the bowl, claiming that the contents are your earwax, toxins, dead skin, medication residues... and some treatments The teacher took the things received in the disc and said similar things to the guests, which made people feel "non-toxic and feeling body light". The curative effect of ear candles is praised by some fans. It is said that it can reduce sinus pressure, reduce inflammation and relieve pain; clean the ear canal, relieve pain and fever after ruptured tympanic membrane; assist lymphatic circulation; unblock energy, refresh the brain, and stabilize mood ; Treat ear infections caused by water in the ear after swimming; improve the acuity of smell, taste and color perception.

Truth: Ear candles can’t extract earwax at all

Feng introduced that the human external auditory canal leads to the tympanic membrane and is responsible for transmitting sound, but the ear canal is not directly connected to the structure behind the tympanic membrane-as long as the tympanic membrane is intact, the external auditory canal will not communicate with the brain and sinuses. Earwax is the cerumen secreted by the ear, which is attached to the external auditory canal in a clump. Most people's earwax will move with the external auditory canal, and finally excreted with all kinds of dirt and impurities, and the dry earwax must be removed by the doctor. Earwax is sticky, and the blower may not be able to extract it. If the suction force of the negative pressure is large enough to suck the earwax out of the external auditory canal, it will definitely break the tympanic membrane with a thickness of only 0.1 mm.
In fact, ear candles do not form suction. Some people in the United States have used ear models to study and found that ear candles do not produce vacuum negative pressure. They also found that the eight customers who underwent ear candling treatment did not have their earwax sucked out, but instead had melted wax dripping into individual ears.

Danger: Melting wax dripping into the tympanic membrane can cause deafness.

Dr. Lisa Rosen, an emergency doctor in New York, USA, pointed out that ear candles are neither effective nor safe. The most serious one is burns by molten wax.In 1996, a survey of 144 otolaryngologists in the United States found that 13 people had received patients who were injured during ear candling treatment, including at least 13 cases of ear canal burns, 7 cases of ear canal blockage with wax, and 1 case of tympanic membrane perforation.   Once molten wax falls into the external auditory canal, its high temperature can burn the tympanic membrane and external auditory canal, and the wax block is difficult to remove. Yu Feng said that the tympanic membrane will perforate after burns and affect hearing. If the infection is not dealt with in time, it can cause acute and chronic otitis media, which will continue to drain pus. It is also difficult to treat the stenosis of the external auditory canal, causing severe hearing loss.Feng pointed out that the candle is very close to the head, and the closer it burns, it is easy to burn the tissues around the ear canal. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) banned the entrance of ear candles from many companies and confiscated a large number of ear candles, pointing out that the advertisements of these products did not match the facts, and there was a health risk-the lit candle was too close to the human face It is very dangerous and can cause severe skin, hair and middle ear damage. Ear candle sales are also illegal in Canada.

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