Testing the claims made of Thermo-Auricular

Therapy(Ear Candling)

Presented byGraeme Hanigan

Scientician19th April 2012

There are various explanations of how ear candles work.

Here are just a few; ‘The candles work on a chimney principle,

drawing any impurities to the surface where they can be gently removed. They equalise the pressure in the head and ears, making them suitable for most conditions. The secretion flow is gently stimulated and the vapour collects and removes impurities or deposits. Most of these are carried away through the candle "chimney", although some of them can be found in the condensed candle wax residue after removal from the ear,’

http://www.fillyourface.co.uk

or ‘The burning candle creates a vacuum,

and the smoke enters the ear canal, softening the wax and loosening debris caught in the ear. Ear Candling says the smoke seeps through the eardrum and dissolves mucus and other impurities in the sinus passages, turning the debris into a gaseous substance that is then drawn through the eardrum by the negative pressure created by the burning candle. The earwax and impurities collect in the unburned portion of the tube.’

http://www.livestrong.com/article/96684-earwax-candles-work/

What can ear candles treat?

Excessive or compacted wax in the ears

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

http://www.aqnt.com.au/naturopathy_earcandle.html

Evidence that ear candling was used by the Mayans does not stand up to

scrutiny. “Proof of Ear Candling in Antiquity: K’inich Janaab Pacal also named Pacal the

Great, King of Palenque, ruled the Mayan empire from July 29th, 615 to March 3rd 683. His sarcophagus was found by Mexican archaeologist, Alberto Ruz in 1952 and when he opened it he found the skeletal remains of Lord Pacal. Covering the remains of the Great King was the Famous Death Mask of Pacal that shows evidence that ear candling was practiced in antiquity. “ EarCandling.com

Are these ear candles as claimed?

Or simply elaborate ear rings?

I’ll let you decide.

Fact or Fiction? A Google search for the words ear candle,

vacuum and chimney produced 116,000 hits, (although I have noticed a great deal of plagiarism by quack web sites).

As it appears to be the dominant explanation, we will test the claim that ear candles work via the chimney effect, creating a vacuum that sucks wax from the ear canal.

This claim sounds genuine as we have all sat around an open fire and observed the smoke going up the chimney, however lets see what science says on the matter………………

The Chimney Effect A chimney produces draft

by the more dense cold air pushing the less dense hot air up the chimney.

See for yourself; try holding a balloon under water. The balloon isn’t sucked up; it’s the denser water that pushes it up, the same principle is used in a hot air balloon.

Doubts raised! So already we have a reason for

doubt about the claims made for ear candles.

Chimneys don’t produce a vacuum.

It should be noted that to achieve the chimney effect, the source of heat needs to be at the bottom rather than the top, as in an ear candle, adding further doubt to the claims made for ear candles.

So lets do a real test!

The test consisted of a 2.5 metre long ear candle, the base sealed and a clear plastic tube from the base immersed into a glass of colored water.

Despite our best efforts we could not detect any vacuum.