have you heard of ear candling?

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it is sticking a hollow candle in your ear while the other end burns. great for ear cleaning. Being a wellness enthusiast, I would try anything that would make me feel better, given the chance. Then I heard about ear candling. When I inquired about it, I was only told that a candle is used to cleanse the ears, but the lady did not elaborate as to how it’s done. So my idea was that candle wax was melted into the ear and when its dry, the tallow is pulled out and out comes whatever it needs to take out. Scary, even for me. But when I was told that it feels good, I thought, what the heck? I should try this one. But before that, I had the manager explain how it is done. Ear candling was used during ancient Egyptian times to clean the ears. It is not exactly explained how it works, but surprisingly, it works. Primarily, the purpose is to deep cleanse the ears, to reach the inner recesses that cotton buds can’t probe into and to remove the dirt that was pushed back (instead of being removed) using conventional cleaning. As four of our five senses are found on our heads, it is very crucial that everything is working properly for a healthy, balanced body. If something is clogged, then the other senses are also affected. Thus, keeping our ears clean is vital for being well. This particular process of cleaning the ears has gone a long way from Egyptian times and of course, innovations have been made for convenience. At present, they use a special candle that’s made from cotton laced with paraffin and coiled to form a candle. Beeswax candles are also available. The candle is hollow inside and has holes on either end. Whereas in regular candles that we light up the top part, in ear candling the bottom is burned first and the smaller end goes through a paper plate and inserted into the ear. Before the candling began, a fire-retardant cloth was placed over my head as a precaution. When the first candle was placed on my left ear, I felt a cool sensation. Rhen I heard a gentle, crackling sound, like something was frying. The enthusiastic attendant assured me that the crackling sound signifies that my ears and my hearing are normal. The fire works like a vacuum cleaner, melting the earwax and then sucking it up gently and storing it at the tip of the candle. I felt no pain at all. Rather, it was ticklish. But for people with ear problems, such is not the case. The attendant explained that they would feel their ears getting hot as soon as the candle is inserted. When this happens, the treatment is immediately discontinued and the client is advised to see an ear specialist. As the candle continues to burn, the attendant trims the charred end so that the soot won’t fall on my hair. The candle is snuffed when it’s about 2-3 inches to the end. The remaining portion was then cut open to reveal what the candle took out from my ear. I was shocked to find out how much load I was carrying in just one ear, but also amazed at what the candle can do. I’ll just leave you to imagine what I saw, though. Then, I excitedly turned aside for my other ear to be cleaned. However, my right ear didn’t turn out as much wax as did my left ear. I was told that what comes out of the ears differ between persons, the environment they are exposed to, and their activities. Sometimes it comes out like yellow dust, which they say is just newly accumulated dirt. When you get the dark brown stuff, that’s the wax that has been embedded there for probably years. The waste matter may also contain fungus, especially if a patient has suffered from a yeast infection. That’s why it is imperative for attendants to wash and disinfect their hands after a servicing a client. After candling, I was given some cotton buds dipped in oxygenated water to disinfect my ears and to remove what was left on the opening. And boy, did I take out a lot! The entire process takes about an hour for two ears, and includes a back, lymphatic, and facial massage to expel toxins and to make the entire experience a more relaxing one. The burning process takes about 10-12 minutes for every ear. Ear candling may be maintained once or twice a year, depending on the need. If the ears expelled water or have other problems, then a follow up procedure the next week would be recommended. Some of the additional benefits of ear candling are improved hearing, relief of ear discomforts, even motion sickness. Surely after the procedure, I felt clean, relaxed, and my hearing improved a bit. But surprisingly, despite my keen hearing, I’ve noticed that I’m not as sensitive in reacting to very loud sounds, like too many people talking at the same time, which used to give me headaches before. It’s a little inexplicable, but ear candling has worked wonderfully for me.