Ear Candling - Controversial Feels Great - Potential Safety issues
Spas Take Heat for Offering Ear Candling
At a time when people turn to specialists for everything from detoxing their feet to washing their hair, it appears that the age- old Q-Tip solution to ear wax just isn’t cutting it anymore. Enter ear candling, the controversial 15-minute ear cleansing solution done in doctors’ offices and spas throughout the country.
Ear candles are hollow stalks typically made of muslin dipped in paraffin. Rolled, the muslin creates a slight cone shape with a spiral pattern. The tip of the candle is inserted about a quarter- inch into the ear, just enough to seal the entrance and create a vacuum, says Jody Buckle, owner of Timeless, an anti-aging spa in Naperville IL .
“That causes smoke to fill the ear, melting the wax, which is then drawn up into the cone. (The wax) then adheres to the inside of the coated candle,” Buckle says.
According to some practitioners and clients, the technique’s benefits include relief from sinusitis, headaches and inhalant allergies. Others even say it can help with hearing. But doctors caution against the procedure, which isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Andrew Celmer, a member of the DuPage Medical Group’s department of otolaryngology, cites several risks, including the potential for severe burns of the ear and ear canal as well as possible temporary or permanent hearing loss caused by damage to the eardrum.
The risks became a reality for several patients who turned to Richard Wiet, professor of clinical otolaryngology at Northwestern University and an otolaryngologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
“I’ve seen melted ear drums from a candle that burned too close, and I’ve seen permanent conductive hearing loss. I’ve also seen the development of a skin cyst that formed,” Wiet says. “I think it’s quackery, and we’ve got to get the word out to the public.”
Besides the potential for ear damage, Celmer says, there’s no evidence that the product’s claims are valid.
“Several studies have been done, and each has shown there is no vacuum present to draw out the wax,” he says, further explaining that the debris people are shown is actually the melted wax from the cone.
The Mayo Clinic also advises against it, stressing many of the same concerns and risks as Wiet. , The Mayo Clinic offers the following advice: “Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.” Instead, it suggests to seek treatment for ear wax build-up from a doctor trained in ear-cleaning techniques with the proper equipment.
Still, this century-old folk treatment is gaining in popularity again, thanks to it being offered at some spas and even gyms.
A Chicago Day Spa, Kaya Day Spa has had ear candling on its menu since the spa opened about three years ago, and it’s been growing in popularity. Maria Sakoutis, the owner, says clients love ear candling’s easy fix for ear allergies, and no one’s ever reported any injuries following the treatment.
“I just think that sometimes modern medicine doesn’t trust ancient medicine,” Sakoutis says. “The research that I did prior to offering it never talked about any dangers.
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