DOES EAR CANDLING PULL SUBSTANCES FROM THE EAR?

JANUARY 7, 2006

 

ABSTRACT

We sought to test whether ear candles pull wax or other substances from the ear. We performed an experiment to compare the contents of ear candles burned in a human subject and in a control vial. No difference between the contents of the candles from the human subject and the control vial was observed. We conclude that ear candling does not act to pull substances from the ear. We further analyse the contents of burned candles, demonstrating that the powdery beige substance often collected (and claimed to be fungus or the remains of a yeast infection) is transmuted into the ear-wax-colored solid by the application of heat.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

As described in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_candling, ear candling is holistic or folk medicine intended to remove excess ear wax and toxins from the ear. Proponents claim a wide variety of restorative effects, as detailed in http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html.

 

Ear candles are available widely in health and natural foods stores in the US. The cost per candle is 2-4 US dollars, and manufacturers often recommend that two candles be used per ear per treatment.

 

The candles are composed of cloth soaked in wax (beeswax or paraffin). The soaked cloth is rolled to form a hollow cone, tapered at one end, with length of approximately 20 cm.

 

To use the candles, the patient lies down on one side. The tapered end of a candle is inserted into the ear and lit. The candle is allowed to burn down until the flame is approximately 7 cm from the ear, at which point it is extinguished.

 

After the candle has been removed, it is cut open lengthwise, revealing pieces of dark orange (ear wax-colored) wax and a lighter powdery substance. Proponents of ear candling claim that the dark wax is ear wax that been pulled from the ear, and often claim further that the lighter powder is fungus or the remnants of yeast infections of the ear canal.

 

Proponent of candling often claim that "The idea is that as the flame burns, a vacuum is created, with a warm draft that draws wax from the ear. You can feel the warm draft while the candle is burning -- it's pleasant -- and it really does remove wax from most ears -- you can see it in the end of the cone when the flame goes out." (Andrew Weil, M.D, http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA3323/)

 

 

PREVIOUS RESULTS

Several experiments have been performed to debunk the idea that ear candling pulls ear wax and other substances from the ear, (e.g., http://www.abundanthealth.com/art-ec.html#exp,
http://altmed.creighton.edu/ear/experiment.htm) by comparison of candle stubs burned in ears and in a control vial, with the conclusion that nothing is extracted from the ear in the process of candling.

 

Despite these results, it is often reported that, "As the ear candling session progresses, extracted ear wax and fungus will be burned off, but a majority will be collected in the bottom part of the candle. After the candle has burned down and been extinguished, the therapist may cut open the remnant and show you any remaining unburnt contents of your ear canal. Most people cannot believe what has been collected... Expect to be amazed!" (Cheryl Ashby, C.C.T., http://colonhealth.net/ear_candling/candling.htm).

 

 

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS

An ear candle was burned in each ear of a human subject and twice in a control vial, and the substances collected in the unburned portion of the candles were subsequently compared. All candles were found to contain a mixture of a beige powder and pea-sized chunks of an ear-wax-colored solid. In one of the control candles, there was very little wax and primarily powder.

 

In order to examine the relationship between the beige powder and the darker compacted solid, the powder was collected in an aluminum repository and heated by a flame from below. It melted and formed pools of the ear-wax-colored compacted solid.

 

 

RESULTS

The ear-wax colored substance and powder appeared in the burned candles that were never inserted in the ear. We conclude that the substance collected at the base of burned candles is not ear-wax. We further conclude that the powdery substance is not fungus, nor the remains of past yeast infections of the ear, as it too appeared in the burned control candles.

 

The powdery substance found in the burned candles is transformed into the ear-wax-colored substance by melting. We surmise that that both substances are collected by at the base of the candle as heat draws the beeswax/paraffin candle wax from the fabric strips used in candle construction. The control candle that contained less compacted wax and more powder was most likely inserted in the control vial in such a way as to allow air to ciculate through the bottom of the candle, reducing the interior temperature so that the powder was not melted. Future work should include further analysis of the separation of the wax from the fabric of the candle.