DIY is all the rage nowadays and everybody likes a quick easy fix. Sink Leaking? You can learn about how to fix that from a YouTube video. It might take you a little bit longer than it would take a plumber, but there’s no substitute for the gratification you feel, right?
But that feeling only continues until your sink begins leaking again. That’s because sometimes the skill and experience of a professional can’t be effectively substituted for a quick fix.
It isn’t always easy to acknowledge that this is the case. Ear candling or earwax candling is a perfect example of a DIY fix that individuals keep going back to. It doesn’t really sound very appealing, does it? Let’s dive into just what earwax candling is and its dangers.
Ear candling – what is it?
Have you ever had a stuffy-ear sort of feeling? Occasionally, it occurs when you’re sick and your ear fills with mucus. Too much earwax can also trigger this feeling and that can happen for various reasons. This can sometimes be very uncomfortable. Your hearing might even temporarily go. It kind of stinks!
Some people, as a result, think that ear candling is just the cheap and novel fix they need. The idea is to put the non-burning end of a special, hollow candle inside of your ear. Somehow, the combination of heat and the hollow style of the candle changes the air pressure within your ear canal, pulling the earwax or mucus out.
It should be immediately recognized that ear candling isn’t advocated by healthcare professionals. Do ear candles actually draw wax out? No. There’s absolutely no evidence that ear candling is effective (particularly not in the way that it’s claimed to work). Nearly every single hearing healthcare professional, as a result, will strongly recommend against utilizing this practice ever. Ear candling also doesn’t help with sinus pressure.
The FDA also strongly advises against this approach.
The drawbacks of ear candling
Ear candling might feel safe, at first. It’s a really small flame. And the “equipment” is specialized. And individuals on the internet claimed it was safe! So how could it be possible for ear candling to be dangerous?
Ear candling can, unfortunately, be very hazardous and there’s no way to get around that! What negative impacts can ear candling have? Here are just a few of the (possibly painful) ways that ear candling can impact your health:
- You might accidentally puncture your eardrum: There’s a danger that comes with inserting anything in your ears! You may accidentally puncture your eardrum, creating considerable discomfort and harm to your hearing. If this occurs it’s very likely that you will have to get professional assistance.
- Your ear can have residual candle wax left behind: The candle wax can get into your ears even if you don’t get burned. Your hearing can become impacted from this, not to mention the uncomfortableness.
- You can severely burn your ear: The fire and the melting ear candle wax are extremely hot. Your ear is really sensitive and considerable burning can occur if the flame or the hot wax gets someplace it shouldn’t.
- The earwax can be pushed even further into your ear: In much the same way that pushing a Q-tip in your ear can smoosh the earwax into an ever-more-dense blockage, so too can pushing a specialized candle into your ear. In other words, ear candling can make your earwax issue worse! This can cause all sorts of other complications from hearing loss to severe infections.
- You could severely burn your face: Look, any time you’re holding candles that close to your face, there’s a good possibility you’ll get a burn. Everybody has accidents now and then. It’s all too easy for candle wax to drip into your eyes or for your hair to catch on fire or for your face to become seriously burned.
So, do hearing healthcare professionals advocate ear candling? Not at all! Not only is ear candling not practical, it’s actually very dangerous!
A better way to handle earwax
Ear wax is normally pretty healthy. It’s helpful for your ears in normal quantities. It’s only when there’s an excessive amount of earwax (or it isn’t draining well) that you start to have issues. So what should you do if making use of a candle is a bad strategy?
If you have an earwax obstruction, the best thing to do may be talking to a hearing specialist. They may suggest some at-home alternatives (such as using saline or mineral oil to soften the wax, allowing it to sort of run out by itself). But in some instances, they will do a cleaning for you.
We can clean out the wax safely with specialized tools and training.
It’s best to avoid things like ear candles and cotton swabs. Unless your hearing specialist says differently, it’s a good plan to never put anything smaller than your finger in your ear.
Give your ears some relief
Schedule an appointment with us if you have accumulated earwax that’s causing you some discomfort. We will be able to help you clean any stubborn earwax out of your ears and get you back to feeling normal.
References
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams/ear-candling-ineffective-and-risky
