'Hopi' Ear Candles

The claims made for ‘Hopi’ ear candles are as varied, if not more so than the names for the treatment itself. It is often somewhat oddly described as Thermo-Auricular Therapy (TAT), which implies an application of heat to the ear, strangely this is one of the few mechanisms of action that is seldom if ever claimed. ‘Ear Candling’ and ‘Ear Coning’ are two other commonly used terms for this intervention. The candles themselves are usually made of muslin cloth or linen soaked in a mixture of paraffin and beeswax, often with a mixture of herbs and aromatic oils.


Link to the Hopi Indians

Despite their name there is no evidence that the Hopi Indians ever used Ear Candles. Indeed there is a quote cited by several sources including Wikipedia and a more detailed quote on Quackometer which suggests that representatives of the tribe have respectfully requested that manufacturers of ear candles stop using their name to sell these items.

Proposed Mechanism of Action

Here is a suggested mechanism of action from one of the main manufacturers, Biosun:

‘Earcandles have a purely physical function. A light suction action (chimney effect) and the movement of the flame create a vibration of air in the Earcandle, generating a massage-like effect on the eardrum. This induces a pleasant feeling of warmth and a balance of pressure in the ears, forehead and sinuses.’

Suggested Ailments Treatable by Ear Candling

Here is a list presented on this site (1):


Excessive or compacted wax in the ears

Pressure regulation in cases of headache/migraine

Irritations in the ears or sinuses

Sinusitis, "glue ear" and Rhinitis

Noises in the ear e.g. Tinnitus

Energetic revitalisation in cases of hearing impairment

Relaxation and stress relief

Local activation of the lymph and metabolic process

And a further list of possible benefits from this site (2):


Excessive or compacted wax in the ears (see patients comments)

Irritation in ears and sinuses

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

Stimulation of local and reflex energy flow

Energetic revitalisation in cases of hearing impairment

Relaxing and calming effect in cases of stress

Noises in the ears, ringing, tinnitus



Available Peer-Reviewed Papers

The first paper to review the claims made for ear candling was Seely et al in 1996, abstract available here

Professor Edzard Ernst then wrote a critical paper called ‘Ear Candles - A Triumph of Ignorance over Science’, abstract available here

Rafferty J. et al wrote a review of the evidence for the Canadian Family Physician, whole paper available here

There is also a case study paper by Kutz J et al which sites Seely et al, whole paper available here

Conclusions

The overwhelming evidence appears to suggest that the mechanism of action for ear candling is totally implausible. Should there be sufficient vacuum to draw sticky or hard wax from the ear canal the ear drum would likely rupture before any wax is removed. Seely clearly shows that there is no such vacuum. Edzard Ernst concludes very firmly that the sale and use of ear candles should be banned, and Refferty et al suggest that they demonstrate more harm than good and therefore GP’s should discourage their use.

Part of the candling ‘ceremony’ is to demonstrate to the client the wax that has been drawn from the canal and into the candle or cone by slicing it open. It has been shown conclusively that this is not human wax, rather it is the burned wax that has fallen down inside the cone. For this very reason some manufacturers insert a wax barrier within the cone itself to prevent molten wax falling into the ear canal, or burning a hole in the ear drum. Many do not have this safety device.

Further Reading

http://www.randi.org/jr/02-02-2001.html

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2008/03/hopi-ear-candling-removing-grey-goo.html

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_candling

http://skepticzone.wordpress.com/?s=Ear+Candling

Why BadTinnitus.net?

I am an NHS Chief Audiologist and Hearing Therapist who has a special interest in Tinnitus as a condition, and how to best manage it with and for my patients. I have been working in the NHS from January 1993 as an Audiologist and dual qualified as a Hearing Therapist in 2004. A few months ago I was asked to speak at this years British Tinnitus Association Conference. I couldn't think of anything I wished to discuss more than the degree to which people with Tinnitus are persuaded to part with significant amounts of their time and money by people offering unlikely, implausible and miracle 'secret cures'. I feel it's very important that interventions ought to have a plausible mechanism supported by a strong and developing evidence base, and that people who feel they are suffering from Tinnitus should not have that suffering unnecessarily prolonged by ill-evidenced and exploitative 'cures'.


The purpose then of this blog is to lay out clearly the available evidence base for each and every putative treatment for Tinnitus. My intention is not to over-editorialise, but to simply present the evidence in peer reviewed journals and allow you the reader to arrive at your own informed conclusions. If you then choose to engage in a treatment with no proof, or with evidence of active harm such as 'Hopi' ear candles then best of luck to you. If along the way we get into discussions about the positive effects of the 'Placebo Effect' and how this is used, consciously or otherwise by 'Complementary and Alternative Medicine' practitioners then that's great, I'd love to hear your views.

For the purpose of both self-interest and full disclosure let me say that alongside my NHS practice I have a private practice based in Sheffield at http://www.hearingtherapy.net, and more information can be found about me at http://www.timhusband.info.

As a warm up at a truly fat and feeble target I shall be placing my sites firmly on 'Hopi' and other ear candles,

I hope you come along for the ride and enjoy,

Tim