Ear Cone/Candle- tried it?

[~*~HAPPY*MAMA~*~]

nak-one handed

any seasoned ear-coners out there? dh wants me to learn and cone him! any tales to tell- good/bad/ugly? tia!

[liawbh]

Not sure how helpful I'll be, but my mom got a kit a couple years ago. It really seems to work. Not sure why she quit doing it. Probably b/c she's going to ND school and is just a *wee* but busy now (2nd year).

If I recall, it's pretty simple to learn. Also, pretty gross wht comes out of an ear

HTH

[sevenkids]

I love it! I always feel so much smarter after I had a treatment. Maybe cuz all the junk isn't congesting my head and I can hear/think better?

It's easy to do, too, and feels sooooooo nice!

[GruppieGirl]

Any suggestions on where to buy them? I checked with my local Whole Foods and they don't carry them.

[liawbh]

I'll check w/ mom and post here about where she got her kit. It may be later tonight, as she's got class and her clinic shift.

[chellemarie]

I've used the beeswax variety from my health food store and some made by a coworker who used used linens and dripless wax to make her own.

The homemade ones seemed to work much better than the beeswax. If you can find instructions for making your own, I think that's the way to go, really.

[umefey]

DH and i tried it. hahahaha
You definatley want to have a helper.. hahaha
I got singed :P

[Village Mama]

I have done many ears! My tip is to cut out a big circle of aluminum foil, puncturing a hole in the middle for the candle to go through. This saves the above situation of singeing! Its kind of fun... seems to work too. You can soften the earwax in the ear by putting in a couple of drops of warm olive oils , for a couple of days on a row prior to doing the candling.

[camotyka]

Originally Posted by liawbh

I'll check w/ mom and post here about where she got her kit. It may be later tonight, as she's got class and her clinic shift.

Able to find out where she got the kit?

[liawbh]

Not yet, sorry. Check back tomorrow. Her cell phone's FUBAR right now, so I can only catch her if she's actually home

[hubris]

I have a degree in audiology, and I have to say that hearing professionals consider ear candling to be a bit on the quackery side. At best, there isn't a good reason to do it and it isn't terribly effective at doing what it claims to do. At worst, it can be harmful. In general, the natural thing to do is to leave your ears alone!

[liawbh]

Sorry, she said she bought them at the local health food store.

[~*~HAPPY*MAMA~*~]

well- we did it! dh was having horrible ear pain for days and was ready to try anything to relieve it- even the *gasp* antibiotics! ferar not- we had no need to- the candling worked AWESOME! his ear pain was 60% better that night (his estimate) and 97% the next day. WAHOO! (i got step by step instructions via google search and got the candles $2.89/each at my local health food store.) We burnt one down first to see what it looked like inside- then compared with all the *goodies* inside the one from dh's ear- eeeeew! We'll def be doing again! I'm hitting up family fo chances to er- uh- *practice* on them.

[carlasher]

possible junk science

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

I dont agreee with everything on this webside, but this article is good.

I would like to know what you think.

[~*~HAPPY*MAMA~*~]

i've read many *scientific* refutes to how it can't possibly work... funnt thing too- i vaccinated my first 2 babes per *scientific* viewpoints as such too...i know, i know- another thread-right I actually read these pre trying it BUT after the urging from both dh and a well respected chiropracter- we decided to go for it. I saw the cyclone of s moke- and even saw it when the seal broke. as they saw, the proof is in the pudding! oh- we did burn a cone down reg to compare the ear crunchies- yikes! no brown whatsoever in the first/test cone. the 2nd one chock full of dark brown crunchies!

[carlasher]

I have studied vaccines and to me it is a logical decision NOT to vac.

I also looked in to candling and cannot find one reason why this would and should work. So I am with funshine on this. Just because its non-Western and “natural” sounding, does not mean its good for you or will have any health benefit.

To each his/her own.

[mystic~mama]

Ive done it once and dont fully understand what it is suppost to do either...it felt good, didnt use a plate or anything and didnt get singed..I think it has something to do with the smoke bieng theraputic or something...also wanted to add that from my understanding the cone doesnt pull wax out of your ear, the stuff inside the cone when you are done is from the cone itself melting

[Pattyla]

I did it for several years and was totally sold on it working. Then I read those sites and was disillusioned and didn't do it any more, I just put up with gunky uncomfortable ears.

Then I was talking to my midwife. She uses them all the time. Apparently she gets horrible wax build up from using the fetascope. Well her dh is a chemist and totally thought they were a scam so he took one into his lab and tested the wax in it. He says that it is ear wax in them when you are done. I'm a beleiver again! (I just can't afford to do them like I used to)

I have done it by myself (I was single and that was my only option.) I do it with a mirror laying down on the floor. I would just watch it and cut off the burnt up parts. Never got singed.

I would love to know how to make them myself since they can get quite pricey pretty quickly (esp since I like using multiple per ear to really get the gunk out)

[~*~HAPPY*MAMA~*~]

Originally Posted by carlasher

To each his/her own.

[sheilaames]

Helpful tip

You should definitely have someone assisting you. Cutting a hole in the middle of a paper plate and inserting the candle through it helps from singing (sp?) your hair. Also I keep a bowl of water near by and some scissors so the one who is assisting can cut off the burnt off part as it goes so it doesn't get too long and fall somewhere you don't want it to. I'm not sure where to purchase them, my local Co-op always has had them. After you're done you can open them up and check out all the gross crap that's been built up. :Puke Thought I'd add that extra little tid-bit.