Complementary therapies: Hopi ear candles

An alternative health therapy, Hopi ear candles, also known as thermo-auricular therapy, first became popular in the 1980s as a supposed method of removing toxins and improving general health and wellbeing. Biosun, a German company, began manufacturing them claiming that they were making them with "knowledge passed on to them by the Hopi Indian tribe".

What are Hopi ear candles?

What is ear candling good for?

Before you go

Precautions

What to expect from ear candling

Hot tip!

What are Hopi ear candles?

Oddly enough, ear candles aren't actually candles. Hopi ear candles are, in fact, wraps of cotton, formed into a tube and impregnated with beeswax, honey and natural ingredients including sage and St John's Wort.

Add to that the plea from the Cultural Preservation Office of the Hopi tribe who have repeatedly asked for their name to be removed from this treatment as they are not aware that the Hopi people have ever used Ear Candles and they regard this as false representation and misuse of their name.

What is ear candling good for?

Ear candling claims to be able to help with a range of issues including:

* Excessive or compacted wax in the ears

* Irritation in ears and sinuses

* Pressure regulation in cases of sinusitis / rhinitis / glue ear / colds / flu / headaches / migraine

* Stimulation of local and reflex energy flow

* Energetic revitalisation in cases of hearing impairment

* Relaxing and calming effect in cases of stress

* Noises in the ears, ringing, tinnitus

However, there has been no support of these claims from medical professionals, and no evidence to suggest that the supposed benefits of ear candling are genuine.

Before you go

Think about why you want to try Hopi ear candles. If you feel your ears are blocked try using 2-3 drops of olive oil in your ear two or three times a day for three weeks. The wax will soften of its own accord and you'll probably not even notice wax coming out. If things haven't resolved after a few weeks, make an appointment with your doctor before considering ear candling.

Precautions

Controlled medical tests of ear candles have demonstrated that burns, blockages of the ear canal and punctured ear drums can all be acquired during ear candling.

Medical professionals foreground the side-effects and dangers of ear candling as serious injuries have been proven to occur, yet no health benefits have been medically proven.

What to expect from ear candling

To experience the treatment, you lie on your side and your therapist will put the "candle" inside your ear drum. Lying comfortably? Your therapist will then light the "candle". The theory is that the suction formed will draw impurities from the ear and the rising air will "gently massage the ear drum and help regulate ear pressure".

Hot tip!

Your body is an amazing thing. Wax isn't there to annoy you; it's there for a purpose. It's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and is there to protect your ear drum.

Before trying ear candling, we strongly suggest that you do your research first. Look up what medical professionals have to say on the matter, and consult your GP.