Frequently asked questions – ear candling

Ear candling is a very popular alternative medicine procedure, the purpose of which is to remove impurities from the ear and also to cure some diseases. Ear candling was already known in ancient Egypt, China, India, Tibet, as well as in the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Currently, this method of ear cleaning is used by the American Indians – Hopi and Cherokce – and the Indians of Mexico.

The same as in the case of ear candling, but the procedure is performed with larger candles, which means that the “chimney effect” – removing impurities and earwax is greater.

Candling or conching treatments take about 8-12 minutes for one ear for both, so a total of about 24 minutes for both ears. So you need to spend about 30 minutes for the entire procedure, including the preparation time of the patient.

No. It is a very safe and pleasant service. The patient has to lie on one side for about 12 minutes and then change and another 12 minutes on the other ear.

As a rule, one treatment is enough, but in the case of heavy contamination of the ears, it will be possible to repeat the candling procedure after a few days of break.

Yes. In the case of children, smaller, specially adapted conchs are used.

Yes, yes. Conching requires more practice, so we recommend that you rely on the therapist and his experience.

Ear candling or ear conching can help in the case of excess earwax in the ears, in various diseases of the ears, throat, nose and sinuses. It is especially recommended for colds, tinnitus of various origins, hearing problems, headaches and dizziness, migraines or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Especially there is no need to prepare. The person on the day of the procedure should be healthy.

Patients struggling with frequent ear infections and inflammation in the area of the head should refrain from the procedure. Another contraindication is a broken eardrum (the doctor will check it before the procedure) and oozing secretions from the ear. Candling can also not be performed on people with hearing aids or implants.

Yes. We recommend that you protect your ears with a special cotton wool plug for about 30 minutes after the procedure. This is to prevent your ears from turning around after candling.

There are special candles that allow such treatments. In our office, we use handmade candles, not mass-produced ones. In these procedures, the help of a second person is required.

Yes. At the end of the candle or conch we have a living fire. Therefore, it is important to get the help of another person.

No. Currently, candles and conchs used in our office have special protection in the form of a micro filter, which prevents contamination of the ears during the procedure.

If you want to gently cleanse the ear, soak it with the appropriate essential oils and get rid of the remaining earwax, then candling or conching is most advisable. If, on the other hand, you are thinking about getting rid of earwax completely, a mechanical treatment will be indicated. So it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better because each of these methods works on completely different ailments and in different intensities. After mechanical cleaning, the ear needs to be covered for several hours against changing diapers, and in the case of shining 30-60 minutes is more than enough.

Despite the fact that the candling treatment is very safe, you can make a few mistakes in it. Here are the most common of them:

• using expired candles, not soaked with, for example, royal jelly or oils, so that the fire on the candles can become quite large.
• using candles of unknown origin, often present at numerous online auctions
• performing the procedure with too high a flame
• improper positioning of the patient for the procedure
• no examination of the ears for the presence of contraindications to the candling or ear conching procedure
• place the funnel of the candle too deep in the ear
• improper removal of the candle after the procedure
• no removal of any visible earwax residues from the ear
• performing the treatment on both ears at the same time to save time

This white plate is probably an ear protection against the falling burnt parts of a candle or a conch. The current products are made by hand from cotton and linen, and in the firing process they do not fall down like “typical candles”. The tip of the burnt candle does not need to be removed with these models. If we have the help of another person during the procedure, they can systematically remove the excess candles using tweezers, clamps, flat scissors or other tools for this function – but it is not required.

If your ailments are not caused by a mechanical accident, we conclude from the description that the problem may be more serious. Candling helps only in light cases or those related to slow weakening of the hearing organ. Before the procedure, the doctor should check your ears for any mechanical damage to the eardrum and the condition of the auricle. If he finds no contraindications, he can perform candling or conching treatment. However, as I wrote from the description, I conclude that the problem may lie elsewhere. A visit to the otolaryngologist would be required because it is possible that it is just some inflammation or a bacterial condition. The primary care physician should also diagnose it without any problems. However, if such treatment is ordered, it will be carried out by an otolaryngologist. Please report to us after other contraindications have been eliminated.

No. Professional candles or conchs for these treatments are designed in such a way that damage to the ear is in no way possible. The chimney effect, which cleans the ears from the ear canal, is not mechanically strong enough to damage the inside of the ear, but effective enough to remove excess earwax. The purpose of ear candling is to relieve the ears caused by the release of essential oils during the burning of the candle and the aforementioned cleansing effect of accumulated impurities. A candle may not completely clean the canal, but it certainly will not cause additional dirt. Most of the currently produced ear candling candles have built-in special filters that prevent pollutants from the environment, which increases the safety of the procedure. It is worth providing yourself with the help of a third party in candling or conching, because it is an open fire treatment.

Yes. It is an extremely safe method. Children like these treatments. When lighting for children, special smaller candles are used. The condition for the procedure to be performed is the presence of a parent or guardian during the entire procedure. The recommended amount for small patients is 3-5 treatments with a 1-day break or day after day. Each time after the procedure, we must protect the ear canals with cotton wool or a special plug for about 30 minutes. to equalize the temperature between the warm ear and the surroundings. Hearing improvement is often a symptom reported by older patients after ear candling or conching treatments.

There is no upper age limit for ear candling or conching. It all depends on the patient’s health condition, which the therapist states during the first visit. Before candling, it is obligatory to check the ear canals and if there is a perforation of the tympanic membrane, which is an obvious contraindication to this type of procedure. Elderly people find candling treatment as a very pleasant treatment which additionally gives relief and relaxation to the ears and regulates the pressure in the inner ear.