Controversial ear candling touted to heal myriad maladies

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000 | 8:21 a.m.

Some people swear by an alternative medical process making the news recently, called "ear candling" or "ear coning."

Others swear at it.

Among some mainstream medical practitioners, opinions on candling -- which involves placing a lit, hollow candle in one's ear to clean out wax -- range from intense opposition to tempered approval.

Alternative medicine supporters of the procedure say the home remedy not only rids the ear of excessive wax (which may affect hearing) but it also helps with earaches, fluid in the ear, sinus congestion, headaches, dizziness and a long list of other maladies.

It would be incorrect to call candling a fad, since the practice has been around for thousands of years. It dates back to many ancient civilizations, but only recently gained public attention in Las Vegas and other parts of the country.

According to practitioners, the spiral inside the burning candle causes the warm smoke to be pulled down into the ear canal, which warms and loosens the earwax. The flame creates a vacuum which draws the wax from the ear and into the candle, where it is burned.

Ear candles come in various shapes and sizes and are made of different materials -- some are paraffin, others beeswax or a combination. Some contain scented oils and herbs.

"There's been a big demand in the last couple of weeks, since it was talked about on the radio," massage therapist Paul Pappalardo said. Ear candling was discussed recently on the "Mark and Mercedes" morning show on KMXB 94.1-FM.

Pappalardo, who works at Angel's Touch spa, 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd., has only been candling professionally for a few months -- but the procedure is one that has been a tradition in his family for many generations.

"My grandfather brought it from Sicily when he immigrated to America in the '20s," Pappalardo said. "I've been witnessing it since I was a young kid and I've had it done on myself since I was about 8 years old."

As a matter of routine, he said, he has his ears candled twice a year. Others do it more frequently.

Pappalardo knows that many medical doctors are opposed to candling, and he said he can't say candling is a cure for every ailment that some people say it cures. But, he said, it is a pleasant experience that cleans out the ears and relieves the build up of pressure in sinuses.

It is also good to do before going on an airplane, Pappalardo said.

"Some people just feel relaxed and comfortable after having it done. Others walk out asking if they're yelling because they can hear again," he said.

Ear candling is on the spa's menu of "feel-good" services, which includes massages, body wraps, facials and other forms of pampering. It is the warm, nurturing feeling that attracts many people to ear candling.

Ivy Champion, Pappalardo's co-worker, learned candling after she became a massage therapist.

"I don't really believe in conventional medicines, except for certain things," she said. "I'm more on the alternative side, so I was very open to this kind of holistic health treatment."

Champion said some customers come in just for the candling, which costs $25 and takes about 40 minutes, while others include it with a massage and other services.

When giving a candle treatment, Champion has the customer lie down on his or her side and drapes the customer's head with a towel to prevent falling wax or ashes from burning the person. She inserts the narrow end of a hollow, cone-shaped candle into the ear, places cotton around the outside of the ear and then lights the candle, which is about 10 inches long.

Nearby is a bowl of water, which is there in case of an emergency and as a place to deposit the burning end of the candle.

She holds the candle in place until the process is completed. "Some people will fall asleep," she said. "They take a nice little half-hour nap."

Deiter Gould, of Redondo Beach, Calif., owns King Cone, a company that has been producing ear candles for seven years.

The former aerospace engineer said he had been around loud noises all his adult life, either in the military or on the job. The noises eventually caused a constant ringing in his ears.

When an economic downturn in the defense industry threw thousands of people out of work, Gould became a massage therapist and a co-worker taught him about ear candling.

"The first time I had it done to me, it was like putting a seashell up to my ear ... it was very relaxing," Gould said. "When I was done one thing I noticed was that the ringing sensation had subsided immensely.

"There was still a ringing; it was not a cure. But what transpired, after three or four sessions, I noticed all five senses -- sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing -- seemed to be enhanced."

Gould said because of his engineering background he felt compelled to design his own cone candle and to market it. He said he knows of 25 other manufacturers in the United States.

Another view

Dr. Stephen Seldon, an ear, nose and throat specialist in Las Vegas, said he has patients who use candles, and he once tried it himself.

"It kind of feels good," he said, "the warmth and vacuuming effect.

"I'm not absolutely sure how much wax it clears out and I'm skeptical about any of the other claims (about curing ailments). But your ear feels warm and fuzzy and good. That's part of the appeal."

There are certain inherent hazards when candling.

Seldon said this year he has seen one patient who set her hair on fire and another whose ear canal was burned when hot wax dripped into it.

Dr. Vincent Nalbone, also an ear, throat and nose specialist in Las Vegas, has treated three patients this year who have been injured by hot wax dripping into their ear and from reactions to candle wax left in the ear, which can cause severe itching.

"(Candling) could cause some illness and infection," Nalbone said. "I can't speak to the effectiveness (of the practice) because I have only seen those who had a problem."

Nalbone explained that earwax, which accumulates around the eardrum and outer ear, serves a major function. "It is a compound made by the skin in the ear that has a lot of oils in it," he said. "Its function is to collect dirt, and also to act as an insect repellent."

Both Nalbone and Seldon say they first recommend non-prescription ear drops if it is necessary for a patient to clean out his or her ears. The liquid is cheaper and safer than candling.

Irrigation kits also are available and, if all else fails, a visit to the doctor's office may be in order.

"I, personally, can't understand why (candling) would work," Nalbone said.

Generally, there is no need to do anything to one's ears, he said. "Our ears are self-cleaning. Wax (in the ear) dries up and flakes out for most or all of us. When you do start to feel plugged, then the over-the-counter medicines are good."

Dr. Steven Becker may be the most outspoken critic of ear candling.

"It's a fraud," he stated bluntly. "It's a dangerous fraud. It is performed by people who are not trained in the art of examining ears and if there is a serious problem with the ear, how are they to know?"

Becker is chief of the Division of Ear, Nose and Throat at Sunrise and Valley hospitals and past chief of the division at Desert Springs Hospital.

"I would be more than happy to debate this issue with anyone in a public forum, and if I'm wrong I'll be the first one to admit it," Becker said.

He said there is no scientific proof to the claims made by those who perform ear candling.

Becker said the procedure makes no sense. "It is impossible to draw any material through the eardrum, and that includes fluid," he said.

"I welcome the opportunity of learning something new. However, I feel strongly that ear candling is a dangerous practice without basis in fact and should be avoided."

Becker said he has treated several patients who burned their external ear canal while candling.

"I had a patient who had hot wax that went into the ear canal and lodged against the ear drum," he said. "It required multiple visits to the office to remove."

Becker said he is not aware of any permanent damage caused by candling, "but the potential is there."

Another potential danger, he said, is that the patient may treat a symptom by candling when the symptom is an indication of something more severe that needs to be treated by a physician.

"It's a dangerous practice," he said. "In fact, statements have been published by my peers in peer review journals stating that this is dangerous, it is not based in fact, it has potential to injure people and ear candling should not be done."

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