Hopi Ear Candling – Removing the Grey Goo Between Your Ears

excellent and very funny demolition job. As not too many wooists read your blog, maybe it’s worth trying to get this published in a national broadsheet?

Great, another myth bites the dust. I’ve been aware of medical concern about possible harm from this ‘ancient’ procedure, e.g. here:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,47112,00.html

but not that the Hopi Indians have denied any connection.

I see Ezard Ernst has given an unequivocal verdict:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14979962

That’s hilarious, thanks LCN..

That’s funny…
We have that here as an old French Canadian custom. Once in a while, a rolled beewax candle is used with a metal “pod” wax recepticle at the base. It is holed, the heat draws out the earwaxe and deposits it into it. Seen this for eons in French Canada. Never heard of the Native American notion.

Cheers.

I would bet you that the deposits in your french canadian ear candle do not come from your ear but from the candle itself. Its the same scam as athe Hopi candle. Test for yourself by burning the candle in a cop or something and look to see if the ‘deposits’ appear.

“Acupuncture as we know it is less than 300 year old” ….

No, far less than that.

Modern acs use single-use, sterile stainless steel needles. Not available 30 years ago.

“Five element” style acupuncture can’t be traced more than 40 years back in time.

“Ear Acupuncture” was invented from scratch in the last 50 years. No two maps of ear points are identical.

I could probably go on, if I could be bothered to research it

I myself have tried burning them from a glass bottle…the deposits, probably the linen material, are huge. It was almost clogged after only a minute of burning.

Great, now I hafta go get one and try…might as well get those lower colon powders that “cleanse the accumulation of worms” while I’m there…Merde!

Cheers (j/k)

Aww! Come one on 100,000+ people a year use ear candles alone in the United kingdom!
They can’ all be wrong, though I appreciate ear candles are an ‘alternative medicine why not find out more about
Ear Wax Removal Using Ear Candles

Yes, they can all be wrong, and in fact are. Your link was simply to an advert with a ridiculous description of how they supposedly work. The heat will prduce a miniscule lowering in pressure, which cannot draw out the wax because there is no corresponding entrance for cold air to replace the hot and cause a flow to take place – unless you have a perforated eardrum already.
And guess what – the practitioners say you shouldn’t use these candles if you have a perforated eardrum!

cowes 2008

You are a fucking shameless advertiser. Even on a web site like this.

i have stumbled upon this page while i am researching hopi ear candles for an essay. i am aware that they definatly do work as i have tested them my self and seen them being used many times what most people are unaware of is the fact that the result for most people is very subtle unlike conventional medicine that has very sudden and dramatic effects. the conventional version of this would be ear syringing which can be a very painful and traumatic experience if these candle are used by people who have a tendency for ear wax build up on a regular basis there should be no need for using such drastic measures as syringing having said that it does annoy me that company’s and practitioners feel the need to make there products seem so full of magic and misteek when it would be much more beneficial to them to just explain the science behind them so there would be less grounds for speculation

suzy – I would be very much interested to know what evidence you have that ear candles can indeed clear ear wax. As far as I can see, there is none. There also does not appear to be any science whatsoever behind them.

I am not a great believer in this sort of thing but i do suffer from sinus problems. I had had a headache for about 4 days and in the end thought i might as well give it a go as there was someone local offering the service. It did seem strange and it was not instant but my headache cleared within a couple of hours and over the following 24 hours my ears did feel quite a lot better !! I dont think that they magivcally sucked the wax out of my ears or anything but they certainly seemed to help. Whether this was all placebo effect or not i could not say but i certainly felt better afterwards !! At the end of the day this is surely what should matter and i know i will probably get it done again as i did find it quite relaxing as well.

and that is how alternative medicine makes money out of people.

Not used them myself, but have seen them used to good effect on my father-in-law and seen the ear wax removed. He certainly felt better for the experience. Surely that’s good. Not sure about all the mystique around it, the fragrant versions and the price but am fairly convinced that they are a gentle non-invasive way of removing wax.

Then you are obviously easily fooled by simple tricks. The candles themselves deposit a brown residue that looks like earwax. Burn one in an egg cup or something.

You may not be aware that qualified therapists understand that the residue left in an ear candle after treatment does, indeed, come from the candle. Unfortunately, you will find unscrupulous people, and various websites that peddle the myth that the candle sucks the wax out of your ear. The evidence that ear candles work is more anecdotal than based on scientific evidence, and many people find relief from the discomfort of headaches, blocked sinuses, and compacted ear wax. It doesn’t work for everyone, but then, nor do painkillers, anti-biotics or syringes. When combined with a facial massage, it adds up to a relaxing way to spend an hour. You could spend the same money on a few drinks at the pub, a new shirt, or a face cream -its personal choice as to what you get the most benefit out of. And remember, not everything you read on the net is true……

Well, what a lot of “negative Nellies” you lot are out there! I’ve just been for my first ear candling session today because of a blocked right ear, tinnitus noises, catarrh etc. Tried all sorts to free it up so last resort was ear candling. And, guess what? It did the trick! It took two candles in each ear in one session but there was definitely more “stuff” in the right candles when they were opened up at the end than in the left ear candles. I can hear again and the tinnitus noises have stopped. Explain that you negative Nellies! (Please don’t tell me I couldn’t really have had a blockage in the first place!) Get a life and for once just trust that some things work that can’t always be scientifically explained. I’m now a Hopi fan.

I’ve had problems with earwax for 10 years to the extent of having to have them syringed every six months just to be able to hear. My wife started using ear candles on me 18 months ago and I haven’t needed to have them syringed since. She treats them a couple of times a month and this keeps them pretty much wax-free. Am I just imagining this? Well, actually, no. My wife is a beauty therapist and went on a proper training course; the kit included one of those doctor’s scopes for examining people’s ears so she can check visually as to the effectiveness of the ear candles. There is absolutely no question that they work. If they didn’t I’d be completely deaf by now, not having had them syringed for so long. However, it is a myth that they “suck” the wax out. What they do is soften the wax which facilitates expulsion by the body’s natural processes. I normally expel a good-size lump from one or both ears a couple or three days after treatment, whereas the residue from the candle is expelled within an hour or so of treatment and, not surprisingly, smells smokey. So I don’t care about the science and I particularly don’t care about the knockers on here (apart from the fact that they might be putting my fellow sufferers off a valid cure for discomfort and deafness) because I’ve proven it works.

Is Mr “noir’ ever happy? I think not, my post pointed out that 100k people a year use them in the UK, what it didn’t point out was that also over 5M people a year use them regularly in Italy, So in your ‘choice’ language are all 5.1M Italians + British who use them ‘Fucking’ thick. Blatant advertising? it’s not even my site you “FUCKING’ idiot!!! Do you even think before typing! Moron!

Yes, I do think before typing. I thought about ear candling and after a little research find it to be an utter fraud. Do people think before using them? Obviously not.

As for being a ‘negative nelly’. How can i be negative by pointing out the facts that ear candling has nothing to do with the Hopi and does not work?

As for the heartfelt testimonials from people battling with the lifelong issues of ear wax, I thank them for sharing their pains on this web site, but it is hardly proof of efficacy. Ear wax comes and goes – occasionally needs professional help – and the fact that you have not gone deaf does not mean that candling solved the problem. I have not been abducted by aliens because I wear a lucky pixie charm.

I was looking around to see where this candling idea came from – good one quackometer! It’s amazing how people seem to just want to believe. There’s a funny piece, with some of the dangers, by somebody who tried it out here:
A load of Earwax

I had them this morning. I do not beleive they have speacial powers or ‘cure’ anything. It is quite relaxing however. Massage, aromatherapy etc are all best viewed as relaxing ‘treats’ in my view. As for this blog – isn’t it taking things a bit too far to get so het up over this. I know someone just like you lot and he is unhappy and a conttrol-freak obsessed with being right about everything. Why don’t you all relax and go to the spa.

For people who assume to be so knowledgable you have overlooked the power of belief itself, which is the most interesting phenomena in human behaviour. Myths biting the dust and ‘demolition’ might give you feelings of personal power, but I feel there is a streak of fear of the uncontrollable running thru your particularly humourless form of scepticism. You are all obsessed with evidence.

Glad to see this has gone the way of most web-based discussions, i.e. descended into foul language, personal abuse and name-calling. The reason they’re getting het up over something so minor, Gareth, is because they’re not here to have a gentle exchange of opposing views, they want to vent their feelings of anger and inadequacy on others but don’t have the courage to do it in real life. It doesn’t matter how important or otherwise the issue might be because that’s not why they’re here.

As far as anecdotal evidence is concerned if there’s enough of it it becomes statistical evidence which does have some credence. Now, whilst I totally agree that five million Italians could easily be wrong (!) it seems highly unlikely to me in this instance

It amuses me how, when someone favourite woo is exposed as a hoax, then people turn to abusing me. Yes, ear candling might well be a minor issue on the world stage, but I am sure many people will find it fascinating how its supposed traditional heritage is a sham. It is also interesting how peoples faith remains after thr truth is exposed.

As for the daft comments about anecdotal evidence becoming ‘statistical’, do mirages become real water after millions report seeing them in a desert? Common delusions, false beliefs and mistakes of thinking can be made by millions of people. Counting numbers does not magically turn a delusion into reality. Thousands of people no doubt are fooled by the ear candle wax residue trick – it does not mean that the candes do anything more than empty peoples wallets and risk burning their ear drums.

I work in care. We had a trainer come in about a year back about medication. They got a bit ‘off topic’ and started recommending ear candling – when I asked whether it worked they said ‘yes aparently you can see the ear wax’. Luckily thro sites like this I had the knowledge to say that was bullcrap (in the nicest possible way of course)and that we were more likely to cause ear damage than shift ear wax. The trainer had, apparently, just heard about them ‘from a friend’ and luckily no one went off and stuck candles in the ears of people we were supposed to be caring for. I’ve added this post to show that there are dangers to unchallenged beliefs, however many people believe in them, and that sites, comments and links like the ones here are actually very useful!

As a practioner of this therapy I would like to point out that no correctly trained therapist would say the lumps come from your ears, they do not. they are from the candle ingredients an this practice has nothing to do with ‘indians’ as you rightly say it is however extremely soothing, comforting and completely harmless the candle does not go into the ear deeply but only just in the surfact area, and it stimulates the ears natural ability to clear it’s own wax and debri much nicer that water squirted in which can encourage the ear to produce more wax, don’t knock it till you try it. most of us are trained, caring, insured, and registered therapists, there are however some out there who are not always look for FHT registration they qualifications have been checked. Steph Lyn

Steph – thanks for commenting. Saying ‘don’t knock it until you try it’ is irrelevent. If I had tried it, I would not change my criticism – which are about the bullshit surrounding the practice – something you obviously agree with. Also, it is worth pointing out that there is no evidence the candles actually do manage to clear wax. There is just anecdotal evidence – hugely unreliable.

I have recently completed two sessions – over a three week period – and on both occassions the ‘therapist’ opened up the candles after my treatment and told me that the residue I was looking at was wax from my ears.
Each session cost me £40.00 and has done nothing for my deafness or the tinnitus I suffer from. Indeed, following the last one, my hearing is worse.
I feel, having read the above, that I have been conned.

I have just completed the second of two ‘sessions’ involving candles. I have a hearing problem and suffer from tinnitus.
After the first session, the ‘therapist’ opened up what was left of the candles and showed me what she described as the wax from my ears.
I have to admit, I was rather impressed with what I saw. My hearing was no better and the tinnitus was still there but she strongly recommended a second session, which I agreed to. I attended accordingly – this was about two weeks after the first and the whole operation was repeated with her proudly showing off what she had allegedly removed from my ears.
This time though, my hearing had worsened and the tinnitus was quite bad.
Her advice was for more treatment – but then I saw this site and I am now beginning to think I have been conned.
Each of these sessions cost me £40.00 which is rather a lot of money, particularly if exaggerations are made and lies told.

I’m sorry if I have repeated myself. I didn’t think my first posting had been accepted.

Still deaf though….

I have suffered with excess wax and sinus problems for many years and yes, it is anecdotal evidence but from my experience-I feel a whole lot better after a treatment and notice a definate increase in sinus pressure and wetness in my ears if I havent had a treatment for a few weeks. With regard to whether the residue is ear wax or not, all I can say is that if I do not have the treatment for over a month, the next time i use the candles, there will be a lot of deposits. if I only leave it a week or so between treatments, there is always a lot less. I would say dont dismiss these things before you try them-maintream medicine does not have all the answers and sometimes can do more harm than good.

F YOU HAD BOTHERED TO DO YOUR RESEARCH CORRECTLY THEN YOU WOULD KNOW THAT EAR CANDLING DOES NOT STATE WAX IS DRAWN OUT THE EARS BUT DOES HOWEVER LOOSEN MUSCOUS ALLOWING COMPACT WAX TO DROP OUT NATURALLY LATER ON. ALSO I FIND IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE IF THE TRIBE DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HOPI EAR CANDLING THEN IN THIS DAY AND AGE HOW COME THEY HAVE NOT SUED OR TAKEN LEGAL ACTION?? HMMMM, EVERY BOOK ON THE SHELF REGARDING HOPI RELATES TO THE TRIBE AND USED NAMES AND PICTURES, SURELY SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE THEY WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THESE PUBLICATIONS IF THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. MY GOD HOW PEOPLE LIKE YOU GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING AND MANAGE TO DRESS YOURSELF IS BEYOND ME, I BET YOU DON;T EVEN HAVE A JOB DO YOU??? JUST SIT LOOKING ON THE INTERNET ALL DAY LOOKING FOR STUFF TO MOAN AT, HAHA YOU ARE SOOOO FUNNY, LOSER!!!!

Anonymous – do you spend a lot of time commenting on YouTube?

Whats you tube?? Don’t normally go on useless sites but i was looking to purchase some ear candles when this site caught my eye due to the unbelievable misinformation spurted by “the quackometer”????

It just looks like the sort of comment left on YouTube by illiterate, shouty, rude, uneducated, teenage, sex-starved morons, that’s all.

A little like this statement??

“So, ear candling looks like it is little more than twenty years old and is just abusing an American tribe to make believe that the stupid practice of sticking a candle in your ear is ancient and justified. But then again, anyone who does go through with this nonsense probably has very little between their ears that could be damaged by such stupidity.”

I think the name calling in this statement is very mature with excellent literature, good work, your opion has been very well documented, i’m sure a research team for Hopi ear candling would be besides themselves to have you on board. You have conclusively proved hopi ear candling is “stupid”, well there you have it folks, anyone wanting to try the complementary therapy of ear candling, be aware, it is stupid!! do you have a degree??

So, anonymous! You can string a coherent sentence together without the CAPSLOCK key stuck on. Did you seek help?

Yes. Sticking burning candles in your ears in the belief that it is an ancient healing ritual is gullibility and stupidity. I do not expect the gullible and stupid to see that.

By the way, is there any evidence that a Ear Candle research team actually exists? That would be amazing (and a complete waste of resources).

O dear, i see i have wasted my time with you, it seems you are more interested in name calling and insulting rather than getting into a serious adult debate, there are so many ignorant people around today that if they don’t fully understand something or do not agree with it, its stupid, again, well done for the above mature comeback debate, lets hope that the people reading this will see that the information given may not be very accurate but rather an attack on a seemingly harmless treatment that he doesn’t really understand, or just doesn’t like and wants to get others to agree with him!

I am sorry. I was not aware you wanted a serious debate. All that shouty CAPSLOCK, abuse and nonsense rather suggested the opposite. Please forgive me.

If you want a serious debate perhaps you would like to check your own post for accuracy. For example, it is trivial to find sites declaring that candles draw wax out .And perhaps the hopi have more dignity than to go around threatening to sue every daft quack company. They have stated their position. Shame on those who choose to ignore it.

As i previously stated, ear candling does not claim to draw wax out the ears, yes i agree that unfortunately these days there are people out there looking to make false claims so as to make money out of someone elses pain. As much as there is no scientific evidence to support this therapy, there isn’t any evidence to prove it doesn’t work, as with everything, some things agree with some people while on others it doesn’t, there have been people killed by orthodox medicines due to allergic reactions etc, surelythis is far worse than someone believing an ear candle may help there pain? If this treatment does work for someone who may have spent many years in pain who are we to tell them that they are idiots for thinking it was the treatment that worked. Each to their own, if you don’t like it, don’t have it, if you like it great, i don’t see what the problem is of having to be so vengeful and hateful of it, i also do not understand why you are so rude to the people who have commented that they enjoy the treatment whether it works or not, if it relaxes them and gives them 45 mins of peace out of an otherwise stressful day, then what is the big problem?

I am sorry anonymous. I am finding it difficult to think down to your level. At least you are getting politer as you go on.

One thing though. You say I cannot prove it does not work. Can you prove that listening to Frank Sinatra does not clear earwax?

again with the insults, yawn!!!! I would dearly love to resort to your level but i can not be bothered as there doesn’t seem much point when all you are after is a slanging match full of insults, i left that behind at primary school, good luck with your site though, i am sure a person with your vocabulary will go far, you do have a day job right???

ps, if you’re not out of primary school yet that was a joke kido, you have a great site and your vocabulary is great for your age. (i would never intentionally insult a child)

I have just experienced my first Hopi Ear Candle session and it difinitely won’t be the last. I was suffering from severe sinusitis and catarrh. I could feel things happening whilst they were burning. If nothing else heat, even very gentle heat is going to help with these type of problems. And even if it is just purely a placebo effect there is nothing wrong with this a method of treatment.

nonnie – if it is a placebo then by definition it is not a treatment. Placebos are inert interventions that are designed to please. (Placebo is Latin for ‘I shall please’) You are paying for a therapist to humour you. And if you find you can validate your existence on this planet by letting someone insert foreign objects in your ears and then setting light to them, then I would not wish to stand in your way.

It’s a real shame that a potentially useful and helpful site like this can be degraded to such a degree that the author/primary contributor is the one to START the offensive language.

Far from being convinced of the ‘scientific’ nature of the site, your mad rantings have shown that you are are more of a quack than those you have spent the last couple of years trying to accuse of quackery.

You are clearly more invested in winning your arguments at all costs than trying to truly understand whether or not a treatment protocol is quackery or not.

What are you doing all this for Canard?

To ‘save’ us all from being conned?

Take a chill pill (if you can find one that meets your exacting standards) and stop DELIBERATELY going through life trying to see the bad in everything.

Not everything is a con.

Not everything that can’t be explained to your exacting standards is a rip off.

Not everything that that science doesn’t have a study for is quackery.

I’ll grant you though, that some of it is.

Maybe even a lot.

But people aren’t as stupid as you seem to think, Mr C, they can decide for themselves whether or not they’re wasting their money or not on treatments that don’t work.

If there’s no scientific explanation but the person feels reduction or cessation of symptoms then who cares whether or not the ‘story’ attached to it is correct or not?

People like stories.

They WANT stories. You could even say they NEED stories.

Just as you need the story that science has all the answers.

It clearly doesn’t my friend.

‘Science’ supports the ongoing use of pharmaceuticals KNOWN to cause damage to human physiology (many are KNOWN to cause death if used long-term) yet because it’s part of a bigger club, the stories of science are immediately assumed to be correct and everything else is wrong?

Please!

I know you’re more intelligent than to believe that.

The quality of (most) of your arguments on this site show that you are.

Instead of just slagging off everything that’s non-scientific or cannot be explained by science, why not put your brain to a higher purpose?

Why not investigate why some of these things are working when science says they shouldn’t?

Why not figure out why the things that science says DO work, aren’t?

It’s a lot more satisfying than picking fights, pointing fingers and calling names don’t you think?

Obviously, anonymous, you feel very strongly about your need to stick candles in your ears and set fire to them.

What is interesting, and why I may get a little annoyed, is that no one has really addresses the central theme of this post – that ear candling is not an ancient tradition, but a made up fad that inappropriately appropriates the name of the Hopi tribe in order sell candles. There is no evidence that the candles do anything and no good reason to suppose they do.

And all I get is a a shocked stream of people who appear to be taking offense that I am somehow deny them their right to insert flaming wax tubes in bodily orifices.

That people somehow feel good after a candle session is a sorry testament to how so easily so many people are pleased. The lack of critical thinking evident and the eagerness to grasp onto any faux treatment is rather pathetic.

Quite a fascinating debate, personally I use them occasionally, have never believed they shift ear wax, which would be pretty impossible in such a short time, but i do find they alter the pressure within the ear somehow and stop a lot of the pain caused by sinnusitis, so long as care is taken and if they help why not use them, its personnal choice really.

Do you not think that this could be a simple placebo effect? Do the risks of ear candling make this worthwhile?

Be nice to each other. To much hate in the world.

This article is just a bitter, closed mind idiots ranting about something unfamiliar. Why dwell on the origins of the ‘Hopi Candle’s name, try it out and see if it works for you. It beats blindly following everything you are told and defending your ignorance and lack of curiousity with hollow and meaningless fodder for your fellow drones.

Yet more people who feel their rights to stick burning wax candles in their ears is being threatened. Calm down. I am merely pointing out the stupidity and duplicity of the whole commercial exercise.

I was think of hopi ear candles today, as its something i’ve always wanted to try for curiosity. I just came across this site, and am shocked at mr Noirs, obvious ignorance in this debate. Its up to an Individual to decide how they want to spend their money.

I’m quoting a sensible previous post.
‘But people aren’t as stupid as you seem to think, Mr C, they can decide for themselves whether or not they’re wasting their money or not on treatments that don’t work.

If there’s no scientific explanation but the person feels reduction or cessation of symptoms then who cares whether or not the ‘story’ attached to it is correct or not?’

I’m a firm believe in all holistic/alternative therapies, and most of them do offer some relief for the clients, that explains their popularity.
Alopethic medicine isn’t the be-all and end all, and in many cases does more harm then good. I woke up this morning wondering why people are always putting down alternative and complimentary therapies, and why it is illegal to treat any serious disease naturally, surely this is a person’s choice. It just makes me so angry that some people have such a narrow mind on things, and don’t listen or repect other people opinions/choice.
There is nothing wrong with trying different things, infact it is a gift to be open minded.

Another ‘Anonymous’ simple fails to get it yet again. Of course it is everyones right to do whatever they like with candles. I am merely pointing out they are being told porkies. If they choose to stick them in their ears and set light to them after they know this then this is fine by me.

Anon then appeals to me to be ‘open minded’. Yawn. I am open minded, I am not empty minded. For so many, being ‘open minded’ means swithing of thinking, not asking questions and believing any old rubbish if they just feel that it ought to be right. This is just plain gullibility. Crooks often call them ‘marks’.

..All people want to know is, Are they safe? Do they Work? the public in general couldnt give a dam about the rest of the history etc. Ear candles are an effective alternative for most people who try them. Always use someone trained to use them and if they dont work.. then try something else. Its as simple as that. X

Do you not worry that people are being deliberately and knowingly deceived and that all the evidence suggests that ear candling does nothing for you and that there are risks that may not be explained to customers?

No one in this day and age of Health and Safety intentionally decieves. What helps one person may not help another. Any medicine, lotion, potion or otherwise works on some but not others…its the way life is. X

… and some do not work at all.

Why is the plight of the Hopi indians so important to you?

You have never tried ear candling yet you have evidence that it does not work, you have not published it on this blog, what is your evidence?

why call yourself the black duck?

open minded from what i have read as long as eveyone agrees with you then it’s ok if they don’t they are wrong, not the definition of open minded i was brought up with.

One would have thought that a sane person would be able to work it out for themselves that this is nonsense.

There have been a number of academic reviews of ear candling. You could try the The Journal of Layngology and Otology that concluded:

Ear candles are hollow tubes coated in wax which are inserted into patients’ ears and then lit at the far end. The procedure is used as a complementary therapy for a wide range of conditions. A critical assessment of the evidence shows that its mode of action is implausible and demonstrably wrong. There are no data to suggest that it is effective for any condition. Furthermore, ear candles have been associated with ear injuries. The inescapable conclusion is that ear candles do more harm than good. Their use should be discouraged.

And as for being ‘open minded’, it is worth repeating the old aphorisms that there is a huge difference between being open minded and empty minded. You should not open your mind so much that your brains fall out. You have a mind, so use it.

have just read the link that mr noir has kindly added to the last comment and that only says that ear candles dont remove ear wax! We know it dosent… I think that the candles you know about and the ones my part of the country use are 2 entirely different treatments. I think you should clarify what they “dont Work” for and “the harm” then this blog may have some standing because at the moment.. its just a joke, and I dont mean to offend but well it is. x

Avoided the first question Inote, why is the plight of the Hopi Indians so important to you?

I was brought up being open minded is listening to others views, being open to accepting them, discussing them, asking questions and occasionally agreeing to differ, and if I was so open minded my brain had fell out I might believe everything written on this blog,

You have no personal earth breaking proof, only a link to one other ‘Mans’ opinion,

“There are no data to suggest that it is effective for any condition.”
There is also no data to prove it is not effective, there are an awful lot of people out there who do find it effective.

“Furthermore, ear candles have been associated with ear injuries.”
As with anything if you don’t follow the instructions carefully, accidents happen

Have read the time.com article, these candles they describe do not carry the CE mark, and are not the “Hopi Ear Candles” you are referring to

as Mrs Level headed said, the candles you use and we use are obviously two different things,

My sincere apologies ‘Anon’ for missing your questions “why is the plight of the Hopi Indians so important to you?”. The reason I did not answer it was because it just has to be one of the dumbest questions ever asked on this site.

You see, its no so much the ‘plight of the Hopi’ as the fact that the candle floggers are prepared to mislead their customers and ignore the wishes of the Indians. It speaks volumes about their business ethics. And your ethics for not getting it. Do you read the Daily Mail by any chance?

Now, Mrs Level Headed, you say the quote “only says that ear candles dont remove ear wax!”. Um. Actually is says that “There are no data to suggest that it is effective for any condition.” Then you go on to claim that there must be some different candles that do work? Fantastically inventive post hoc justification for evidence that counters you precious world view. I am impressed.

Both of you think it is up to me to prove that the candles do not work. A typical quack’s trick. If you wish to market a health product, especially an outlandish and potentially dangerous one, then the ethical onus is on you to provide substantial evidence that your product does what it says on the tin. Ear candlers have no evidence for any of the claims they make. Their anecdotes are stories that cannot address simple questions such as: does it work for all? Was it just placebo or regression to the mean? What harm can be done? Are people just kidding themselves? Nothing.

And then the ‘CE mark’ trick. The CE mark is no indicator of ” consumer safety, health or environmental requirements”. It merely usually asserts that a product meets european voltage requirements and other machinery and device rules that a candle does not come near. CE does not mean a candle ‘works’. Do some candles have special ‘magical’ ingredients?

And as for being open minded, quacks often accuse thinking people of being closed minded simply because they refuse to believe any old rubbish. Believing in the healing powers of magic candles stuck in your ears on the basis of a few testimonials is not the hallmark of being an open minded person but of someone who who has set their threshold of belief way too low – in non-technical terms, utterly gullible.

Im happy that you have an open mind Mr Canard Noir and im leaving it there as I am sticking to my last comment made. I have level headed life which really dosent include this blog. Happy moaning X

OOOOH sorry, I must have misunderstood your posts, I was curious as in your opening paragraph you say

“Their web site tells us about the Hopi tribe of native Americans and their ancient wisdom. Pictures on their web site show tribe members and ancient murals showing the Hopi sharing candles. The problem is that all this is just made up nonsense. All of it.”
On Thurs 21st august you say “Yes, ear candling might well be a minor issue on the world stage, but I am sure many people will find it fascinating how its supposed traditional heritage is a sham
And on Sunday 30th November you said” What is interesting, and why I may get a little annoyed, is that no one has really addresses the central theme of this post – that ear candling is not an ancient tradition, but a made up fad that inappropriately appropriates the name of the Hopi tribe in order sell candles.

I should have worded my question more specifically. What I should have said was you seem very passionate about the apparent misuse of the Hopi name on the candles, have you contacted Biosun and asked them why they have done this?

As for the rest of your response all irrelevant as this is not about the actual candles, and whether they do or do not help people but the apparent misuse of the Hopi name. So I guess what we need to find out is whether or not anyone was around 300 years ago to clarify whether ear candling is an ancient tradition or not.
Happy hunting and moaning, I also have a happy level headed life to enjoy. x

they aint candles! oh those are soooo blind to Pueblo epistemology…by the way those murals should have not been painted

Le Canard Noir – I came to your site to learn more, but find that your rudeness to people who disagree with you devalues what you say.

I use the Hopi ear candles in my arse, and it sucks all the shit out. Maybe Mr Black Duck should put them in his mouth…

Hmm disappointed to find out about the crazy claims these people make. I use the candles to remove wax from my ear and it works. I didn’t know they claimed other mystical healing properties. It is relaxing though (mostly because you lie down to use them so no magic there). I had previously bought ear drops from the pharmacy which left me bed ridden for 2 weeks with an inner ear infection. I would use candles over ear drops every time. I won’t buy Bioson though, thanks

The CE mark actually means:

A Medical Device is defined in Directive (93/42/EEC) as: Any instrument, apparatus, appliance, material or other article, whether used alone or in combination, including the software necessary for the proper application, intended by the manufacturer to be used for human beings for the purpose of :
diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of a disease, an injury or a handicap.
investigation, replacement or modification of the anatomy or of a physiological process.
control of conception

Nothing to do with voltage. Facts are important. So is a person’s right to believe

Dear Why not?. Perhaps you need to read the CE regs a little more closely. All you have quoted is the definition of the type of device covered.

You can read the 93/42/EEC directive here:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/standardization/harmstds/reflist/meddevic.html

Note that it covers a lot about the electrical nature of devices. Also, note that it does not cover whether claims made for the devices healing properties are true.

As you say, facts are important. I hope you are not trying to imply that the CE mark means that candles work, because that would be a big fib.

You also appear to be enamoured with a person’s right to believe. I am not so sure. If a person believed it was OK to cross the road without looking you might feel obliged to talk them out of this belief. Their ‘right’ to this belief is immaterial. A step further: a person might have a right to believe that killing people of a different race is OK. We would be in our rights to gaol them if they expressed this.

Rights tend to carry responsibilities. The ear candlers in telling people that the candles are detoxing them or curing things are ignoring their responsibilities to tell the truth. Their customers’ rights to believe their lies are rather meaningless. No other trade is allowed a right to trade falsely. Why should quacks?

I and another individual had both had a craniotomy (skull opening operation) we both suffered from ear blockage beneath site! She had hers two years before me and recommended HOPI EAR TREATMENT! – I HAD IT DONE AT A TREATMENT CENTRE NOT AND OUT OF THE EAR BELOW THE OPERATION SITE WAS REVEALED WHEN CANDEL OPENED BLACKISH RED OLD BLOOD! THE PERSON TREATING HAD NEVER WITNESSED SUCH BEFORE! BUT WHEN I TOLD MY FRIEND – SHE ADMITTED SHE HAD! AND SHE IS A CONSULTANT IN MEDICINE! I’VE USED IT ON MY SCEPTICAL FAMILY AND THEY ALL HAVE HAD AMAZING RESULTS – I BELIEVE THE MANY ABOVE SCEPTICS – DECRYING THIS ANCIENT TREATMENT ARE NOT USING THE CANDLES PROPERLY! I SAY TO THEM DO SO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! HOPI EAR CANDLES ARE MARVELLOUS – SCEPTICS ARE NEGATIVE INFLUCENCES ON THIS WORLD! AND BOY THEY ARE GROWING BY THE DAY I.E. LACK OF FAITH IN GOD!

Um, you appear to have something stuck under your CAPSLOCK key. Is it earwax?

i think the who ever wrote this is an ignorant pratt hopi ear candles do work and the quack who wrote it should try putting one in his gob to suck all the bull shit out

Hi, I think that if you want to disprove something because you feel that it is harming people and wasting their money, then you absolutely should do it for those reasons and it was interesting to learn that the hopi tribe did not come up with the idea for these candles, but you’re far too arrogant in the way you go about it. You have no right to call people stupid for trying alternative therapy. I am one of the people the candles have helped. There are also people out there that the candles have not helped. We are all individuals. What works for one person may not work for another. Keep on doing the research, but get the chip off your shoulder and stop being so condescending. No one human can know everything or be completely right. It’s just not possible.

Thank you Eve. It is indeed not possible for one human to know everything. It is, however, for humans to know pretty much next to nothing about stuff. That is why I encourage critical thinking. It would appear though, that such thoughts are a threat to some people.

I have just looked up the classification notes re 93/42/EEC referred to earlier. The ear candles talked about have been classified, according to Biosun, as 11a under the medical device directive, meaning they are ‘medium risk’. Products cannot be given any classification as far as I can tell until they also have their CE mark. On another issue, the advertising blurb for Biosun does not actually state that the Hopis brought knowledge of ear candles to Europe. It states that the Hopi brought great medicinal knowledge and a high degree of spirituality to Europe. The reader assumes the rest because of the juxtapositioning of other text relating to ear candles.

Under 93/42/EEC, referred to earlier, the ear candles, according to Biosun are classifies as 11a. Under the description in the directive, this makes them a ‘medium risk’ medical device. As far as I can tell, a device must have CE marking before it can be considered under the 93/42/EEC directive. Not sure where your ‘electrical’ comments stemmed from?
On a second matter Biosun state that the Hopi brought great medicinal knowledge and a high degree of spirituality to Europe, not ear candles! However, it is clear that Biosun hopes the reader assumes a connection between the Hopi and the ear candles, which is very misleadling.

The more you look, the more you see. Referring to the Biosun website, the beginning of THIS website states: “Pictures on their web site show tribe members and ancient murals showing the Hopi sharing candles.” I don’t think so…….the caption on the Biosun website actually says: “Coloured wall mural in the Hopi Tower, Grand Canyon”. It does not state it shows candles, you have stated that on this website. It does not say it is ancient, you yourself have stated that on this website in your introduction!
It is clear from various medical websites that there have been issues of damaged ears with ear candles. However, there are also problems reported with eardrops and syringing….. I wonder is those reporting on ear damage from hot wax from ear candles ever took note of the type of candle and whether self-administered.

Never use this procedure when alone for safety reasons. Yes – hair can catch on fire. Never use after swimming, unless using a flannel based candle which can absorb fluid better than plain candle material since hot fluid within ear channel can drop down with sudden pressure changes – especially if anyone changes the room pressure (like opening a door!) Also never use candle especially if going on a flight. During a candling workshop we were encouraged to ‘test’ the remains. Some os mere candle wax but some may be ear wax. Most of the ear wax seems to burn up. The intensity of the flame and the4 draw of the candle changes as does the scent of the burn when ear wax is being burned away – not inside the ear but in to candle. It did not smell like candle wax – some of it even tasted like ear wax… well ow else could you really know hat that stuff was??? Oh those brave ones who tried it! Well – my TMJ released and after years of pain – that was good : )

I took a holiday in Egypt last year and suffered a strange dizzy feeling from simply getting up off a sunbed. After that i would get real bad dizzy spells if i moved my head in certain directions.
On returning to england i went to the doctors, he said i was suffering from BENIGN POSITIONAL VERTIGO (BPV) Basically i had dislodged crystals that form in the inner ear and these were floating round, bumping into the receptors that give you your balance, hence, receptors moving in ways that they shouldnt.
The doc told me that this should settle by itself eventualy. Well it didnt, in fact it went on for months untill a friend recomended that i try the hopi candle.
Yes, i was a little sceptical, but what the hell.
So i gave them a go. Well they worked for me instantly and the problem has never returned.
Dont ask me how, they just did.
So for all you people out there suffering, give them a try, what have you got to lose.

Or, of course, the problem did indeed clear up on its own and the correlation with you sticking burning wax sticks in your ear was coincidental.

This is called an ‘anecdote’. How many people has this not worked for? We do not know. Undoubtedly, if a coincidence does happen, the person then feels ‘it worked for them’ and writes their heartfelt testimony on blogs like this.

I’m training to be a mental health nurse and recently spent time on a ward where such althernative therapies were practised on a regular basis. The trained practitioner was adamant of their efficacy despite any substantial scientific evidence. My opinion is that all such althernative therapies can be seen to be efficacious in some instances because of the attention a person receives and the atmosphere created. People need to feel human and human contact such as this is relaxing. This applies to people from all walks of life in all circumstances. It is much the same as going to the hairdressers!

Those are good points but I would argue that a hairdresser is an honest profession in that they do not lie to you about their abilities and are rarely deluded (you don’t rebook if they are).

Alternative medicine involves a deception. People may well feel better after the attention, but is it ethical for either a deluded practitioner or a liar to mislead them over health claims? If you can provide complementary therapies that do help people with their emotional health needs when in hospital without deception, then I am all for them.

Very interesting read indeed. For what it’s worth a close family member of mine went to a natural health clinic after seeking alternative treatment where conventional medicine had failed. She had bacterial meningitis the following weekend… Perhaps fate intended her to have earwax!

Well Mr ANONYMOUS with the Caps Lock Key sticking problem.

and Mr Black Duck….

Having read through this marvellous and highly entertaining exchange I have come to the following conclusions…

Hopi Ear Candles do not relate to an ancient practice or tribe.

They do not draw wax from the ear, an attribute that the sellers and practicioners claim.

They can actually harm your ears.

I am a professional musician and was considering trying them to clear my ears and keep them in top condition. I am regularly performing with in ear monitoring systems and loud fold back on stage.

I have had them syringed once and the results (and indeed sensation of the warm water) were frankly superb.

It would appear from Mr ANONYMOUS's posts that not only is his/hers? grammar shocking but that he/she likes to champion the candles with vitriolic disregard for the Black Duck's measured and rational stance.

Mr Black Duck… if it was me then I wouldn't even bother replying to such an ignorant and misguided set of observations given by someone who offers not a shred of evidence either way with his very frequent posts.

I shall not be trying the candles after all and hope that Mr ANONYMOUS finds something else to peddle with his obvious quacktastic stances.

ha ha ha ha ha ha people please stop this now, respect to all of you with your beliefs. Love them or hate them its a bloody candle. If someone wants to stick it in their ears, then let them try ,if it works then good ,if not try something else. As for the people who dont care or believe if it works or where it came from or whatever else is in this debate then thats fine,. I was searching for hopi candles out of curiosity and read all comments constructivly and realised something, A WAR OVER A CANDLE. THERE ARE TOO MANY WARS, DEBATES AND PEOPLE FIGHTING AMONGST THEMSELVES. And NO this caps lock has no ear wax under it , although I admire the sense of humour. If you all directed your powerful intelligent minds into not giving a crap what anyone else thinks then I wouldnt be sitting here reading it all . Im so happy in my life, ALIVE and people like some, not all of you just enjoy destroying someones elses happiness and experiences . Thats sad . People who dont like them are scared too try and maybe having one would put a spark back in their lives . Hopi peace and love and respect to you all . Im neither a lover or hater

Im a little confused Monsieur Noir. Firstly you have made claims that these candles do not work, then you claim they can be harmful! Well they cant do nothing but then do something, whether that something is positive or negative! If you believe that the candles do harm surely its quite feasible to believe that they may actually do some good, as clearly stated by numerous people here. I doubt they are lying and yet you seem unable to believe them or indeed accept their opinion and in fact ridicule them for such which I have to say I find a rather narrow minded (if not childish) approach. For every 'scientist' you find that claims that this product does not work (scientist: "yes this product is a farce and does not work so do not waste your money, but here buy these eardrops me and my counterparts have been busy developing, these are just fabulous and will heal you quick as a flash, muahhahahahaha") you will probably find a 'scientist' or physician, particularly within Eastern medicine, who will agree this product DOES work. So I guess in alot of respects it all comes down to personal CHOICE. There is a serious fear here that you, Mr. Noir, could quite possibly be turning into the mind police lol

If its the supposed false marketing of this product that angers you let me ask you this: do you or have you ever consumed Coca Cola, eaten at MacDonalds, re-fuelled at Shell, brushed your teeth with Colgate, consumed tap water?? Do you not think that these products are falsely marketed (and on a mass scale!) and require far more attention and petitioning than a pair of candles that you stick in your lugholes! For example, diet coke contains aspartame a side effect of which, if consumed, is blindness! Why pick a fight with a lesser known and used product when there are, quite frankly bigger, more important and more dangerous fish to fry! You could be saving millions of disillusioned souls from themselves on a global scale! ;-P We are bombarded by false marketing campaigns 24/7, surely it is the responsibility of the individual to read between the lines and find the eyes to see!

My opinion of the candles: they work for me and thats all I need to know 🙂

Dear Anonymous – yes you are right. You are confused. Rather horribly.

It is quite possible for candles to harm without giving any benefit. Some people appear to have been harmed by scalding wax in the eardrum. There is no evidence that they can help with any health condition.

You also are confused about a false dichotomy of quackery – either people or good and truthful or liars. I would suggest that most people are simply wrong – they hold false beliefs. It is a false belief to suppose that sticking a candle in your ear can cure you of things.

So, find me any scientist who can show me evidence that ear candling has health benefits. Show me the evidence – not opinion.

As for the Coca Cola thing. Last weekend I went to a talk by Mark Thomas. Look him up. He has written a very good book about Coca Cola. This blog, however, is about alternative medicine. That is my choice. You would appear to thing that your choice of who I should be writing about is better.

I am splitting my response into two parts as it seems, even though my original post (not including this paragraph) was 4,094 characters long and a reply cannot exceed 4,096 characters, it just will not let me post it as one!

Just the response I expected. Not only have you disagreed with everything I have said (which you are perfectly entitled to do) you have also ridiculed my opinion. Are you really so lacking in self esteem that you have to put other people’s opinions and beliefs down to raise your own status and feed your own ego?? *shakes head*

I do not believe any of the people who have contributed to this debate are liars (whether they are in favour or against the candles) and I should hope that they are offended at you implying such! Shame on you Mr. Noir! Of course none of the scientists, whose opinions YOU choose to believe, could possibly work for a company who would much rather you wasted, sorry spent, your money on a product that they themselves have created and therefore line their own pockets! It happens every day; your local GP is no longer able to recommend any treatment for your ailments other than pharmaceutical for they are the sales rep for the drug companies they work for! So forgive me for being somewhat cynical about the supposed 'evidence' you claim to have!

You state “Some people appear to have been harmed by scalding wax in the eardrum.” The emphasis being on ‘appear’! It seems you have no evidence of this other than what other people have told you! You also state “You also are confused about a false dichotomy of quackery – either people or good and truthful or liars.” Why is it you assume the people who claim they have been scalded by wax are good and truthful and not liars?? Is it possible that this is what you CHOOSE to believe?? If so, why are you persecuting those that also CHOOSE to follow what THEY believe?? Isn’t that completely hypocritical??

My point, which you seem to have missed so I shall spell it out more clearly, in raising Coca Cola etc is that if you have used these products, which are falsely marketed to us, then you yourself are a huge hypocrite, especially as you put down others’ opinions, so as far as I can see it has a valid place in this debate.

Please do not underestimate my intelligence. I know exactly who Mark Thomas is (and his sheer and utter intolerance for anything Coca Cola, amongst other things) and watched all 6 series of his programme on Channel 4 and read his book (As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela) discussing his undercover work and political activism. I continue to follow and support him in his demonstrations, protests and campaigns. Lesson number 1: do not make assumptions about people.

Part 2 LOL

I note you have also criticised people for their spelling and language skills with a sarcastic air of superiority, when you yourself may well want to take some spelling and grammar lessons, some of what you have said in reply to my comment makes no sense at all. Or maybe you were so incensed with MY opinion that you replied, with a belly full of anger as your steed and didn’t check your grammar before posting your reply!

If I thought it would be of any benefit to source the evidence that these candles work (which I'm sure exists somewhere, MY opinion, which I'm entitled to, last time I checked FREEDOM OF CHOICE still existed in this country) I would do so however I have neither the time nor the inclination as this subject is so very petty and minor by comparison to the issues that are a real threat to us and our civil liberties which are currently being played out on the worlds centre court!

I do not care what you think of me Mr. Noir nor do I care what you think of my opinion, belittle it all you want if it makes you feel better and gives you a reason for living (personally I think that there are better ways but hey knock yourself out, whatever floats your boat!). Like many people here I KNOW the candles work for me, for whatever reason that may be. I would rather make a decision based on MY OWN experience of something, not based on the 'opinions' of others. After all that’s all that science is, this is why so many scientists disagree with each other! If the facts are just that and are conclusive and definitive surely they would speak for themselves and all scientists would have the same 'opinion'? In many cases they clearly do not and argue the toss over their conclusions like children squabbling over a toy! So lets here it for the opinion of science, another bullet in the foot me thinks 😀

"Your vision will become clear
Only when you look into your heart….
Who looks outside, dreams.
Who looks inside, awakens." – Carl Gustav Jung.

It is a constant source of amazement how supporters of quackery fail to understand arguments and cannot accept anything else other than their own fallible 'experience'.

I do not call believers in ear candles frauds. I say that you are creating a false dichotomy and that actually I believe most people to be simply mistaken. I am quite clear – and yet anonymous still believes I am calling people liars. Would you like to apologise?

Secondly, I am amazed that you fail to seek out alternative evidence and opinion and rely solely on your own experience. There is significant evidence out there suggesting candles do harm. You could try:

1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=8849790&dopt=Abstract

or

2) http://whatstheharm.net/earcandling.html

When I hear people say something like "I would rather make a decision based on MY OWN experience of something, not based on the 'opinions' of others." I interpret this as:

"I am comfortable only with my direct experiences. I fail to take into account that I may be wrong, misleading myself or be an exception. I do not seek out alternative views. I do not appraise them if I come across them. I hold my own subjective experience higher than careful scientific analysis. I cannot see what might be wrong with this. I cannot understand science. I am uncomfortable with its counter-intuitiveness and that issues may not be black or white and actualy need careful debate and thought. So I would rather charicature scientists as squabbling school boys and retreat into my own self-centred little world."

It is just a thoroughly self-centred, arrogant and delusional attitude to take to life.

So very predictable Mr. Noir. You have picked on the points in my response that you feel you can argue with but steered very clear of the points you cannot! Science itself is far from infallible. It’s not always conclusive or definitive. This in itself is fact. Contrary to what many believe, neither sceptics nor science know the absolute truth on matters. They claim to hold provisional truths: answers that are the best explanation for things at the present time. There are many scientific theories that were thought to be true and have since been proven wrong. Examples of this are:

Humans evolved from tree dwelling apes, now thought to be ground dwelling apes (http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=online/news/knuckles)

There are 109 elements in the periodic table, since 1994 6 new elements have been discovered (http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/default.htm)

The first mammals evolved about 155 million years ago, new information “The shrew-like animal would have run under the feet of dinosaurs at the start of the Jurassic period, nearly 195 million years ago … Hadrocodium wui pushes back by another 40 million years its first appearance in the fossil record.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1349763.stm)

No scientist worth his/her salt is ever going to say, “This is a FACT” to be carved in stone forever. And yet you Mr. Noir are basing ALL your conclusions on this supposed scientific evidence!! And yet what is proven one day will often be "disproven" another. Science is never anything more than work in progress, a human beings opinion based on their current analysis. This is why some products are licensed in some countries, based on scientific evidence; whilst other countries will dispute the ‘science’ and therefore the product will remain unlicensed. So for you to draw all your conclusions based on science is actually somewhat naive in the first place! I do not dispute that some ‘scientists’ may have found ear candles to be dangerous, what I dispute, in part, is the nature of their evidence. Making any sense now??

What, however, I do not understand or appreciate is why you feel the need to make false and derogatory remarks about my character! How immature! Do you know me personally? NO you do not! I think you will find that you are superimposing your own beliefs and ideologies onto me! It is YOU that is comfortable only with your direct experiences (of science), it is YOU that fails to take into account that you may be wrong, misleading yourself or be an exception. It is YOU that does not seek out alternative views. It is YOU that cannot understand science. What you fail to accept is that other people have the right to an opinion, have the right to believe what they want to believe, have the right to choose what they want to choose. You, Mr. Noir, can only ever be RIGHT in your own eyes even when you’re quite clearly basing all your opinions on evidence that can never be categorical fact! Personally I would prefer to keep an open mind, experience things for myself, take on board any would be 'facts' and then make a decision on what I believe to be true or false. And at that point it is only MY truth that I discover. I am not claiming that what I think, feel or experience will be the same for the next person. As for providing you with ‘evidence’ that the candles work, just because the evidence cannot be located does not prove that it doesn’t exist! This in itself is one of the founding interests of science!! One thing that appears to be clear about you Mr. Noir is that you are far from the open minded person you claim to be but rather blinkered and closed off to any opinion, idea, theory or otherwise that is the opposite to what you WANT to believe!

Good grief. I am now taking a science lesson from someone who believes sticking burning candles in their ears is a legitimate and effective medical treatment.

Perhaps if you think I am overlooking important evidence then you would like to present it. Please reference the studies that support the use of ear candling as an effective treatment for anything. If the studies look sound I will apologise.

Until then, I guess I can expect lots more bluster.

I am presenting you with real evidence (I know your a sucker for it ;-p ) that science is not fact! As I stated before, just because the evidence cannot be presented to you in this instance does not mean it does not exist!! I do not want or expect an apology from you Mr. Noir. What I would like however is your admission that science is not definitive conclusive evidence and therefore an opinion based solely on this is not completely credible. I would just like you to understand that you could possibly have got it wrong. We all do, its no sign of weakness or lack of intelligence. It just shows you are human. I am not claiming one thing or another. As I quite clearly stated in my first comment, they work for me in my opinion, something I am entitled to think or believe. Just because they do not work for you or for others like you doesnt mean it is the same for all of us. May be I am the exception to the rule that you talked about earlier!!

You have a strange view of science Anonymous.

Science is a collection of provisional results. Those resuls may be overturned by nw evidence. If someone could show some good evidence that ear candles did something apart from empty the wallet then scientist would accept that.

You appear though to want science to change on the basis of nothing other than your assertions. Far from me to have to admit I might be wrong, I suggest that you should think about what it would take for you to think you are mistaken. Given that the claims that the candles are ancient in origin has no evidence and that the 'wax deposits' occur even when they are not burnt in ears, and that blocked ears do indeed clear themselves, what is so compellig about them that makes you feel so sure?

Mr Noir, when did you have you last mental health assessment, i think your next is long over due, as you are obviously the delusional one, you say "When I hear people say something like "I would rather make a decision based on MY OWN experience of something, not based on the 'opinions' of others." I interpret this as:

"I am comfortable only with my direct experiences. I fail to take into account that I may be wrong, misleading myself or be an exception. I do not seek out alternative views. I do not appraise them if I come across them. I hold my own subjective experience higher than careful scientific analysis. I cannot see what might be wrong with this. I cannot understand science. I am uncomfortable with its counter-intuitiveness and that issues may not be black or white and actualy need careful debate and thought. So I would rather charicature scientists as squabbling school boys and retreat into my own self-centred little world."

Practice what you preach, but then it is not only this sight you run is it, you also have a problem with several conventional forms of medicine, and looking at them all you can't work, or sleep, you need to get help.

It is just a thoroughly self-centred, arrogant and delusional attitude to take to life. Delusional people always turn issues that are not able to accept onto others, to avoid dealing with them. you should consider this.

Brave anonymous. What???

What other sites do I run? What fantasy are you holding in your head about me?

Mr. Noir in response to your post dated 13th July, which was a direct response to my post dated 6th July, I would like to state that I am taking a much wider view of this whole science versus experience debate or whatever you would like to call it. All I am saying is that science is NOT definitive fact! I don’t understand how you cannot accept that! No scientist would claim that they are absolutely 100% right about something for they know that they may only be "right" based on their analysis so far and would always be open to further suggestions and tests. This is why scientists argue about many different subjects!! How can you deny this when the evidence of this is everywhere! Did we not once believe that the world was flat? Did we not once believe that smoking was not bad for you? Did we not once believe that Mad Cows disease could not in any way affect humans? Did we find out we were wrong on all of these concepts? YES! And that’s just scratching the surface!

I have not claimed at any point that I am 100% definitively right; all I have said is that in MY OPINION they work for me! YOU are the one that is claiming to be 100% definitively right based on science which, as any scientist knows, is NOT 100% definitively right LOL its open to change, further evidence being discovered, new processes for analysing data being produced. Why do you find it so difficult to accept this?? You have some deep psychological issues to deal with me thinks and it would suggest that you are a control freak who works solely on the ego level, belittling others to make yourself feel better because underneath it all your actually quite insecure and probably felt as a child that you didn’t have a voice or a right to express yourself and was possibly ridiculed or even bullied by your peers.

I shall be expecting further attacks on my opinion and my character very soon 😉 although I must say I'm fast losing interest in this whole debate however, I'm sure it'll be something you'll be intent on debating with anyone who wants to listen until pink elephants start to fly!! The wonders of the internet eh, an ever present audience giving you the platform to "prove" how right you are!! LOL!

Anonymous – where do I claim that science is 'definate fact'? Scientific beliefs are always provisional – but that does not mean that all claims to scientific truth are equal. Evidence is what matters. Some might claim the moon is made from cheese – it is logically possible that the moon landings were on the few places with a rocky surface – but that does not mean we need take such claims seriously. Similarly, we need not take the claims that sticking a burning candle in your ear can 'detox' you and other stuff. It is an absurd claim and it is up to the candle sellers who make the claim to come up with some convinving evidence.

And there is none. There are a few people who claim to 'feel better' after their auricular candle insertion and ignition experience – but is that any better than any other form of indulgent spa treatment?

No. Come up with the evidence or leave and enjoy your rather strange hobby without worrying the real world.

just thought i would put my two pence woth in. i have been using the candles suggested by my g.p. as i suffer with wax build up.
they most diffenatly do work. the amount of wax removed is astonishing. with out them i would paying a fortune to have them syringed all the time (ireland ) no free g.p's

For these people who say ear candle have not worked for them, that is simply probably because you have used an inexpert practitioner not properly trained to oversee the the treatment by waving an ornamental stick, turning around 3 times, jumping in the air and spitting into the North wind. It is then guarunteed to work every time.

Or you could just hold a warm towel against the ear which does nothing for wax but can ease stress in the jaw muscles, the most common cause of earache. I can offer a suitable chanted over towel for a mere £250 each, heat not supplied.

So, are ear candles safe or not? 😉

Great debate, my wife just came back from so called Hopi candle session, and her candle technician certainly did suggest the wax produced had been drawn directly from the ear, the large quantity made me sceptic and i found this site, thanks very much for educating me that its not from the ear, but from the candle itself, makes more sense, finally a plecebo you can see………..

Got to admit that for many years I had a problem with wax in my ears and i always had problems of pain when flying on planes. Any way Last summer I decided to do something about it so I used a proprietry wax softner from the pharmacy and the ear candles in tandem. Well, the amount of wax that came out of my ears was ridiculous and it was ear wax because it was dark orange in colour and my ears that were blocked where clear after the treatment (4 candles per ear). I went on holiday about a month later and guess what, no pain for the first time in many years. I am definitely a fan.

Greg

So Greg, I see this a lot in quack circles. A person takes a remedy that has been shown to be effective with a quack remedy that does not work. And yet, when you get an improvement you attribute the success to the quack remedy. Odd isn't it?

Perhaps you have been misled by the orangey wax left in the candle after a session. How many times does it have to be explained that this residue is created all the time, even if you leave the candle out of you ear. It is a simple hoax.

Sorry Le Canard but you are wrong, the waxy residue left by the candle alone is white and is only there in small quantities 1-2 cm3 at most. Take a look at ear wax if you ever have your ear syringed it is dark orange plus the amount that was removed was by the candle was much greater, about 10 -15 cm3 than burning the candle alone which I have tried by the way. As I said for the first time in 25 odd years I have had no pain when flying and that is my opinion until I see eveidence to the contrary.

Greg

Greg

I am afraid it is not true that the candle does not deposit orange was on its own. It does. It is part of the con. You do not have 15cm3 of wax in your ears.

Why are you so desperate to preserve your belief in these candles when all the evidence points to the fact that they are useless?

My, My! I feel compelled to comment! Cultural appropriation is a very important issue anonymous. And using someone's state of mental health as an insult is disgusting. you obviously have no real argument so resort to petty insults. shame on you.

I recently became an ear candle convert. i was totally convinced that the wax was from my ear, i swear i could feel it being sucked out. now, i'm not so sure. before i go and spend my next $35 on a pack of eight, i will pay $11 for a pack of two and do a little experiment.

cheers Le Canard Noir.

I think it's fairly sound to summarise that the candles WILL work for some people. But how do you know if they will work for you? Luckily there is a reliable way to determine this. Gently insert the candle while sitting upright then tilt your head to the side, If it glides smoothly out through your other ear, it's a fairly good sign you're going to find it an effective treatment.

I think the problem arises from unscrupulous or even just plain ignorant therapists, who claim that the waxy balls left in the candle after treatment are earwax. Why else would they unravel afterwards and show you the contents? My suspicions were first aroused when i noticed that the waxy lumps were on the other side of the filter to the ear. I thought it strange that the lumps would travel so far up the candle and through the filter. I immediately got hold of some biosun candles and burned them in a small glass. I wasn't surprised to see exactly the same balls of wax and residue inside. The candles are made from a very waxy paper material so it makes sense that some wax will travel down the tube when burning. This must be why the manufacturers put a filter in the candle. i.e in order to stop it travelling down into the ear! Biosun themselves claim on their website that it is not earwax found inside the candle after burning, but the problem is the therapists who carry out the treatment don't always make this clear. I think the answer is found in how much they charge. £40 for lighting a candle in someone's ear, sitting back and throwing some Enya on the stereo. I'm in the wrong job.

Wow, the person running this debate you will run yourself to the ground getting so worried about things like this. The candles may work, or they may not, but surely none of it is worth falling out with countless people you've never met or never will and resorting in swearing. i'm doing a degree in medicine and personally I can take the candles or leave them.. it's a pleasant experience but not life changing. However, if you dislike the candles so much, just ignore them and let people make their own health care decisions. The world has too much stress.. don't get adgitated over hollowed tubes of herbs and wax.
Ps your claim that posting remarks as anonymous makes people idiots.., well I think people will make their own decision regarding who the idiot may be.

Dear Idiot Anonymous. I make it very clear why posting as Anonymous is idiotic because it makes the creation of any sort of dialogue impossible. To which idiotic anonymous might i be refering from all the idiots who post as anonymous.

As I make clear, I ask people to use a pseudonym as an identifier,so that we can all debate harmoniously.

PS I worry what they teach in medical schools these days. Are you in a real medical school, or are you a naturopath, osteopath or some such other creature?

Dear Mr Duck,
I am intrigued with this debate and I really am not wanting to get involved in a slanging match. The candles may or may not work and each person who wishes to try them will soon form an opinion as to whether they are worth the money or not. I think life needs a little quackery and if you have the time and money to spend on it, why not? Life's too short to sweat the small stuff. We do need to be informed and people like yourself and Mr Anonymous give us plenty to think about. I never try something without thinking of the possible consequences and if it seems like fun with no harm or detriment to myself or others then I say 'Go For It'. Should we not all be allowed a little Quackery in a world that takes itself too seriously. Mr Duck and Mr Anonymous I wish you both a happy funfilled existence with time for the stupid and inane.

Jacqui – I would quite agree with you. If people want to use candles as a 'treat' (whatever that means) I would have no problem. As long as they were aware there was no evidence they could 'detox' you or draw out ear wax, and that they were aware of the small but significant risk of ear damage, then, well, each to their own.

What I find fascinating is that some people obviously want to cling to the myths of their 'ancientness' and healing powers. Why do people find it hard to let such beliefs go?

Sometimes belief is all people have! I agree that putting an ancient and mystical stamp on anything appears to make more alluring and possibly sways more people to use it (I’ll admit I’ve been tempted to try stone therapy for a bad back apparently it dates back to the Aztecs or the Aboriginals or maybe its the Early Celts who is to know). Why this is I cannot possibly guess but it appears to provide some people with comfort, psychological or otherwise. When someone has been suffering or in pain they will try anything to feel ‘normal’ again and I like you believe some companies will use this to their advantage, however if these people find this comfort in these” Ancient Myths” why argue, leave them to their new found peace. I agree it is fascinating and delving into the human condition would take forever. So Mr Duck to conclude my moment on my soap box I hope you keep on delving and reporting what you find, regardless of your personal beliefs or others. Good luck to you Sir

Actually it was another manufacturer of ear candles that debunked the Hopi before your article was written. Sorry to steal your thunder. This same manufacturer has also debunked the lie that ear candles remove ear wax. Ear candles have their uses but they remove nothing from the ear.

I was just about to *click* buy on some hopi ear candles when i came across this site. Very interesting reading, dont think i will bother now. My beautician wants to charge £30 a go. A new hand bag me thinks ! cheers x

I am a therapist and have been using them for the last few years. They do work trust me. When my daughter had a bad throat I used them to boost her immune system. By the next day her throat had cleared and a visit to the doctor was no longer required. I have used them on clients with water behind the ear due to diving, tinnitus, blocked ears from build-up of wear wax, hayfever etc. I charge £20 per treatment which also includes a facial massage as well as the neck to drain the toxins away from the face and neck into the lymphatic system. The author does not know what he is talking about! I only use Biosum…..

“They do work trust me.”

No. Produce evidence.

How do you know your daughter’s throat would not have cleared after a good night’s sleep anyway? Works for me, almost every time. Why do people always attribute healing to some ritual, no matter how irrational, and not to their own magnificent immune system?

Daniel

Wow – years worth of ear candle debates!! Hopi-associations aside, has it occured to Canard that the deposits in the candle after treatment can and have been scientifically tested as being ear wax! Surely the bedrock of the whole arguement!!!

Excuse me Mr Duck but there seem to be quite a few people on here who have had successful interaction with the dear ‘ol Hopi candle. Placebo or not, if something works for you does it really matter?

You say they are being ripped off and ‘humoured’ by their therapist, but if it worked then why does it matter how? Science hasn’t learnt everything, there is still a lot to discover. No matter how much you want to be against this, with so many people declaring positive results, can you really be 100% sure that it’s a complete fraud? Of course, companies are out to make money, advertising is always subjective and portrayed to a specific audience (if they want to attract the hippies by making it seem all magical and wotnot then it’s not the ear candles’ fault is it?) Have you tested it yourself? I havent tried it yet, but I’ve been suffering from blocked sinuses for a long time and I think I will give it a go…just to see. Silly as this might seem to you, if it works then it’ll be worth it, and I’ll be suere to come back and let you know whatever happens.

Also I dont think it’s very fair to be so negative towards people just because you don’t agree with they are saying. People on here are letting you know their experiences with the ear candle and you just continue to do the equivolent of ‘la la la-ing’ with your fingers in your ears. You think they are wrong even though you’ve done no testing of your own?? Having opinions set in stone can be very constricting for your personality and scream insecurity.

Of course, you’re totally entitled to you own opinion. A person should have opinions, but those opinions should be capable of change if need be otherwise you’re just being stubborn. In future why not just say ‘thankyou for your comment but I still dont agree’ or something like that? There’s no need for an all out arguement…or do you just enjoy arguing? I have an ex who’s like that…your name’s not Phil is it?

I have spent an hour reading all these comments and have been thoroughly entertained the entire time.

I feel the majority of commenters(?) have a bright future in politics!!

Thank you all.

I think Le Canard Noir just enjoys an argument – probably lives alone & is often ignored for their obvious lack of intellect or ability to articulate their opinion like a reasonable person.

Tell me, Le Canard Noir – have you relished this continuing coversation, a little human contact, did it satify your need to be centre of attention?

Shame.

marvellous work – thoroughly enjoyed reading and glad to see no contest between solid sense vs delusional rants. But you have obviously really pissed off some people who were raking it in from sticking ear candles in ears (and those who have paid out a fortune and thus feel they need to justify why). And perhaps some people can’t bear to think others might view them as gullibe. I got the sense there had been an orchestrated drive to leave “I say it works!” testimonials (perhaps business-driven?). Strange, as your blog makes its stance clear and I think you are too patient with repetitive commentators! Entertaining to hear though!

I’ve had the procedure, something came out, wax?

Yes, wax. From the candle – not from your ear. That is the con.

Anyone who believes this works as its practitioners claim, might perhaps try aural flossing instead.

All they need to do is to take a length of knitting wool or – better – sisal twine, push it down one ear until it emerges from the other, then work it to and fro until all the wax has been removed.

[quote]i’m doing a degree in medicine[/quote]

This is by far and away the most terrifying comment in the whole discussion!

Hopi ear candles do work. great for hay-fever

Great supporting article on Audiology Online!

http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=1501

(If the link doesn’t come through, it is the first hit on searching ‘Ear candling” on the Audiology Site.

It lists some pretty good reference/data on the idiocy that IS Candling….

Another good article from the same source:

“Ear Candling: Conflicting Information, Confused Consumers
Heather Shenk, Au.D., & Jess Dancer, Ed.D.”

http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=1538

A message from an audiologist; please dont use ear candles.1 They are lit candles, that you are sticking in your ears. A stranger with most likely very little training is sticking burning candles in your ears.Does anyone see anything wrong with that? People have been burnt.People have lost their hearing because of ear candles.
2 The suction from the candle burning is not enough to suck up ear wax.It isnt ear wax 3You need your ear wax, it is good for your ears leave it alone (see a Dr for wax removal). The majority of Audiologists in Australia will not remove wax because it is possible to damage your middle ear by removing ear wax. That is why we say use drops or olive oil to soften the wax and just wipe it when it comes out or see the Dr.
We have a saying in audiology “Never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.”

I have been using hoppi candles quite a bit in the last year as I have a lot of trouble with a blocked left ear. I have just used 4 this morning (! probably not recommended in bulk but I am really deaf today after getting water in my ears last night in the bath). It really does work – and so far I have drawn about a teaspoon of hardened wax out of the one ear – I am quite sure it has come out of my ears and wasn’t ‘in there’ already. The principle of how it works is very simple and I can’t understand why there are so many sneering skeptics above (who haven’t even tried it by all accounts). The only thing I am now not sure about is exactly how efficacious it really is – I am still deaf after 4 candles: I shall probably have to go to the doctor for syringing anyway – but then maybe I have a particularly bad problem, as so much wax has cleared this morning but obviously still not enough. They aren’t cheap either, so 4 of them represents about £25 and it will be cheaper to go to the doctor. It is a very pleasant and relaxing sensation though and I can even do it by myself now.

This is just fantastic reading. Brilliant. You are such great writers – work out your differences, get together and turn this into a book. Wow – it’s just a candle. Love love love the passion you guys have and respect to all of you for sticking to your guns!! Keep it coming – I’m hooked!!!

this is hysterical this is the blog for me. All are entertaining and I found out the actual information I sought.
Thank you M. Noir to the anonomous family clan: &
as for myself I think a little too much of our wax is being cleaned out. If you can’t get under the bathtub water
without your hEad filling up with water.
soon you’ll need to swab Entire towels four times to floss through there and soak up buckets of ???
now lovely people stop trying to push mister noir buttonS

I have been troubled for some years with wax build up in my ears, necessitating going to see the practice nurse to have them syringed. When I get a lot of wax I actually go deaf. Last week I decided to try the ear candling method. Not only can I hear better but my sinuses (which were blocked because of hayfever) are clear and I asked the lasy to open the candle up to see inside and there were some large blobs of wax. I don’t really care how old the practice is. I don’t read the hype and have never been to a website. All I know is that I tried it because of a blocked ear, and it cleared the ear.

What you say about the Hopi and Biosun is perfectly correct. However, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Candles are not designed to draw anything out of the ear. If you are unable to understand energy medicine, which has a lot to do with quantum physics, then please don’t deride it. I have used and promoted candles for over 25 years and seen some amazing results from them. My new book ‘Candling for Optimal Health’ will be published in April 2014 and you will find plenty of information there. My Facebook page (Jili Hamilton – Ear and Body Candling) will also give you better information than you seem to have obtained at present. it is said that fools deride where philosophers investigate. do try and be one of the latter.

A colleague insists that he can tell the difference between the wax deposits from a blocked ear and a normal one (as a user of them, rather than a seller, so I don’t suspect any deliberate deception). Is this purely confirmation bias, or is there any plausible mechanism whereby the candles might burn differently in either case?

They’ll be making Anus Candles next. Then, when people get constipated they can light them and shove them up their arse!

Just reading all the comments here, I am a holistic therapist and I use ear candles, I do Reflexology and I do Reiki and all my clients feel better from it! So what if there is no scientific proof, if it stops people popping cancer killing medication the government are pumping in to everyone for population control… then I’m all for it oh sorry shouldn’t I have said that?

I was doing candles once after someone had just come out of a swimming pool and there was water in the candle after treatment from her ears… if that had of stayed in it would have led to infection.

There may not be scientific evidence but there is so many testimonials from clients who have had candles, reflexology, acupuncture, reiki and other alternative treatments and have felt much better than popping chemicals

I discovered this blog a few months ago, and have enjoyed reading various articles from it ever since. But this article definitely has the most entertaining comment threads.
The fact people believe in this is bizarre. I find the idea of sticking candles in your ears weird, but I suspect the allure comes from the idea that it is ‘ancient’ which would indicate myths, and stories. People find that stories can connect them to others, and that fiction makes them feel less alone sometimes. As someone who enjoys too many novels, I can say that this is why I enjoy a bit of fiction.
But fiction has its place, and that is not in science, or medicine. Science is based on evidence. Science is not something dreamed up for fun-and doesn’t con people.
would say: if you want to enjoy the emotional aspects of a good story, read a book or watch a movie, or something like that. For actual ailment, go to a doctor, who can prescribe an evidence based treatment. These candles should be no more than an interesting story.

I am a complementary therapist and offer hopi ear candling, over 14 years of practising and offering this service, it has helped people with severe balance problems return to normal life, helps to loosen wax, helped clear blocked and sinus problems, returned sense of smell and taste for people who haven’t had that for years helped alleviate hayfever symptoms, clear away left over head colds and this has been the facts and results of people trying a course of treatment, anyone out there suffering should try the treatment as long as they have no ear infections, no implants or grommets in the ears, no perforated ear drums and no inflamed ear canal, the results speak for its self, if I wasn’t safe I wouldn’t be practising it.