Why I Do Not Recommend Ear Candling

“Do you do ear candling?” That is probably the most common question I receive about the services offered at my clinic. No, I do not offer ear candling. I actually recommend against this practice and I’ll tell you why …

Ear candling involves placing a hollow candle in the ear canal. The candle is lit and typically burned for about 15 minutes. After burning, a brown waxy substance is left over in the candle stub.   Proponents of ear candling claim the procedure removes excess wax by creating a vacuum that pulls wax and other debris into the hollow candle. Ear candling has been advertised to help with hearing loss, ear pain, tinnitus, sinus congestion and even Candida overgrowth.

The claim that a vacuum is created to pull out the wax is false. Research has shown that ear candles cannot produce a negative pressure strong enough to move ear wax. The amount of negative pressure that would be needed to force the wax out of your ear would be so high that it would likely rupture your ear drum in the process. A clinical trial demonstrated that no ear wax was removed through ear candling. In fact, wax was actually deposited in some of the subjects’ ears. The “brown substance” left over is a combination of ashes from the wick and wax from the candle itself.

Ear candling is not only ineffective, but can potentially cause damage to the ears. A survey of 122 otolaryngologists identified 21 ear injuries resulting from the use of ear candles. These injuries include burns, blocked ear canals and even a perforated eardrum.

Ear candling is often performed by individuals without a medical license and who do not use otoscopes. Therefore, they do not check for contraindications – conditions that would make even an ear lavage inadvisable, such as perforated tympanic membranes, grommets or individuals who have had recent surgery.

Even if ear candling actually was effective and didn’t pose any risk, I would still recommend against it. We have wax in our ears for a reason. It is nature’s way of cleaning and protecting your ear. It provides a coating that protects against dust and water and also protects against bacteria and fungi.

In some individuals, earwax has a tendency to build-up. Excess earwax is most commonly due to essential fatty acid deficiencies. The individual may not be getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet and/or they may not be metabolizing the essential fats optimally. I recommend consulting your naturopathic doctor to properly address this concern.

The bottom line is that ear candling does not do any good and has the potential to do harm. Nature has provided our ears with its own self-cleaning mechanism. No need to disturb that with cotton swabs or ear candles.