Lots of people might have an issue with cleaning their ears properly. Some are lazy, some are scared and some people do not even want to try the simple methods that can clean your ears neatly. You should always keep your body clean and healthy to avoid lots of diseases and infections. There are many ways to clean your ears. If you go to a doctor, they might use a tool to clean your ear within seconds. But why go to a doctor when you can clean your ears at home suing simple methods. One of the most common home remedy to clean to your ears are with help of ear candles. From many centuries, this method has been used by people that do not have any side effects. People can easily clean their ears using this method with the help of a partner. This method cannot be used if your ears are injured or any other serious issues. The usage of ear candle properly is a safe and effective method for removing dirt from your ears.
Wax accumulation is found commonly in most people. Sometimes there is a sense of fullness of the ear or when one finds difficulty in hearing and there is pain in the ear, it becomes essential to remove the wax from the ears. There are several methods to remove the wax and ear candling is one of them. There are many controversies over this method’s safety some doctors believe that this method of removing wax causes burns, blockage of the ear canal, perforation of the ear drum and infection of the ears. But most alternative medical practitioners find ear candling safe and effective to maintain the overall health of the ear.
What is ear candling?
Ear candling is the process of removing wax from the ear by placing a hollow candle that is made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax in the ear canal. The candle is lit and burned for about 15 minutes. A brown waxy substance which is believed to be a mixture of ear wax, debris, and bacteria, is deposited on the candle stub at the end of the procedure. Ear candling is usually performed by beauticians, alternative therapists or by some people at home with the help of a companion. This method is sometimes used to give relief from sinus pain, cure ear infections and give relief from vertigo.
Using a candle to remove wax
Ear candling cannot be done alone. It is advisable to have an assistant to help in the process. This will help in reducing the risk of getting burnt and causing other problems to the ear. The candle must be tampered with a pair of scissors to the size of the contours of the ear. The opening must be large enough to fill the opening of the ear canal. Wash the hands and ear before starting the process of ear candling to minimise the risks of infection. Keep the head covered with a moist towel to prevent the heat and flames reaching there.
Sitting straight
Sit straight on the chair and massage the area behind the jawbone, temple, scalp and ear to stimulate the circulation of the blood. Place a paper plate with a hole over the ear. The hole should be the same size as the ear candle. Place the tapered end of the candle in the ear canal with the other end in the hole of the paper plate. Light the large end of the candle. The heat will slowly pass into the ear. Adjust the position of the candle carefully.
Candle must burn
The candle must burn for at least 15 minutes, but keep trimming the candle after every two inches to keep the ashes or flames falling. The candle can be immersed in a bowl of water to trim and then replaced back in the canal. Pull out the candle and see the wax deposit on the candle stub. Now clean the ear canal with a cotton swab carefully to remove the deposited wax. The ear candling can be repeated on the other ear if there is wax in both the ears.
Steps to follow to remove ear wax with ear candles
1) Shape the small end of the candle with a pair of scissors to perfectly fit your ear and fix it in your ear. You should make the opening a little larger and passable to give a clear pathway from one end to the other. You can take the help of a sharp object to remove any obstacle.
2) Now sit straight and slowly tilt your head to one side o you can even lay on your side to place the candle in the ear. Take a small damp cloth and cover your hair and head, as fire is involved in this method. Take a tin foil or tin can and make a hole in the middle to insert the candle through the hole to avoid burns.
3) Insert the small end of the candle safely in your ear facing upwards and ask your assistant to light up the larger end of the candle. Check for any smoke coming in between your ear and the candle, if there is a leakage of smoke then it shows that the candle is not placed properly. Readjust it accordingly and if this takes a lot of time then, try with a new candle.
4) Ask your assistant to check the smaller end for any obstruction and let the candle burn to reach 3-4 inches. If there is any obstruction for the smoke to pass through, use a toothpick to remove it. When there is only 3 inches of the candle left, as your assistant to put out the candle in a cup of water. Now clean the visible area of the ear canal if required. Never push in the wax to your ear canal and you can repeat this ear candle method for the other ear too.
Always try this ear candle method with the help of an assistant and if you have item that have been surgically implanted, then never try this ear candle method.
Benefits
Non-invasive therapies are opted very often nowadays by many people. Ear-candling is one of the very popular methods. The process involves inserting a lighted, hollow candle which is made from fabric coated with beeswax into the ear. The excessive ear wax and any minor impurities present in the ear are drawn out as a vacuum is created in ear canal.
The reason due to which ear candling is considered to be better than ear syringing is because wax is drawn out while in case of syringing water is shoot into the ear due to which particles of wax gets lodged further into the ear canal and also infection is caused when the water remains lodged.
A long, cylindrical candle being inserted into the ear and then is lightened on the other end this is known as ear candling. Excess ear wax and other debris which is present inside the ear canal can be drawn out with the help of the heat which the candle produced. Advantages of ear candling are tinnitus (ringing inside the ears), relieving sinus pain and pressure, removal of excess build up wax, assistance in relieving the ears of the swimmers’, assistance for headaches, relieving itchiness in the ears (mostly caused by yeast, mould or dairy allergies), help in unplugging the ears (mostly due to illness).
Some potential advantages include improvement in the flow of lymphatic fluid throughout the body, improvement in perception of color, better balanced state of emotion and clear thinking.
Improvement in sense of taste along with decrease in pressure which must have been present in the ears because of any infection or wax build up will be experienced by those who take part in ear candling. Claims are made that it may also help in blood purification. Many have also said that after a session of ear candling they experienced a relaxing and soothing effect on their mind and body.
Practitioners of ear candling believe the openings in the head to be connected in a system which is maze-like, which allows the vacuum made by ear candling to drain the body through the ear membrane by osmosis. It is believed that this creates all-over well-being type of sense in the body.
There risks which is involved in ear candling such as minor burns, due to which it is recommended to not to do ear candling on your own. Have someone who will be able to supervise you when they burn or go to a practitioner of ear candling who can perform this task professionally. Do not go for ear candling in case just had a surgery of the ear or have eardrum which is ruptured, ears’ cysts, cochlear implants, mastoiditis (mastoid bone infection behind the ear) or inserting of tubes (grommets) inside the ears.
FDA claims to have no advantage of ear candling and mostly being hazardous to the health. This is the reason it is not promoted to be advantageous for one’s health or for any process of healing. The U.S. has declared ear candling to be deemed for purposes which are medical by making it illegal.
