Anyone had Hopi ear candling?

shegirl

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

In the canada.com page linked from Wikipedia,

The US FDA has issued a Patient Alert:

So rather than setting fire to your ears why not ask the practice nurse to give them a syringing out?

Because I don't have any problems with my ears or ear wax :rotfl: It's purely to do with my sinuses and ear candling is meant to be good for assisting in keeping them clear.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

A friend who has early stage tinnitus from working in the music business for twenty odd years says it is absolutely great. But that could be because it helped him with stress, as he's had a rough few months recently.



I use a neti pot for the sinuses. It's a bit ick at first, but once you realise the amount of crud that was lodged inside your face (after a couple of rinses), it's something you will do at the first sign of feeling stuffy.

Edinburghlass_2

Glad I read this thread as I thought about this just a couple of weeks ago due to my ears being blocked and tinnitus getting worse that I can hardly hear. I had asked at the doc's about getting my ears syringed to be told they no longer do it.

Fortunately I mentioned it to someone who uses my doc and she said she had, had her ears syringed a couple of months ago, same problems as me with very narrow ear canal. Phone the docs again and have an appointment for tomorrow, can't wait, the tinnitus will still be there but at least I won't be hearing my voice as if I'm shouting.

and the best bit is its free!

lilac_lady

Pick a few dandelions, add balsamic vinegar and red crushed up smarties. Mix together and apply to earlobes. Voila - the same result as using hopi candles! (ie: useless)

Owain_Moneysaver

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

I use a neti pot for the sinuses. It's a bit ick at first, but once you realise the amount of crud that was lodged inside your face (after a couple of rinses), it's something you will do at the first sign of feeling stuffy.

I hope you boil the water first.

Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds

shegirl

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

I hope you boil the water first.

Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds

I read that earlier and it freaked me right out!!

all_change

shegirl wrote: »

Because I don't have any problems with my ears or ear wax :rotfl: It's purely to do with my sinuses and ear candling is meant to be good for assisting in keeping them clear.

It is certainly marketed that way, but it is not physically possible for the ear candles to work in the way that is claimed.

I suspect that the sinus clearing effects that are claimed by some people are because of the facial/sinus massage that often accompanies the ear candling.

Please do not try ear candling. It is potentially very dangerous and does not do the things that are claimed, and does not originate from a "Hopi" tradition as often claimed - plenty of information can be found with a bit of searching.

One location for finding out more is here:
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Ear_candling
and you can search independently for others if you'd prefer. Ben Goldacre has also highlighted this in a really accessible way in his book "Bad Science", which is a good read.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

I hope you boil the water first.

Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds

Yep. Cooled, boiled water as per the instructions.

brook2jack

For any alternative therapy a good first port of call is the quackwatch website who keep up with the scientific and legal arguments.

It deconstructs ear candling nicely here, mainly on anatomical and simple physics rationales.http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html

Quackers1

I found it very relaxing - it's worth a try!