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Ever had your ears candled?
- Thread starter oddmyth
- Start date
I'm not sure I would ever have the inclination to get this done. On occasion, I will clean out my ears with warm water and a bit of oil (I used to get BAD earaches as a kid), but I wouldn't want my ears cleaned by the candle method because a) as deep mentioned, some wax in your ears is good for you and b) these people doing the procedure are not doctors. 
Interchange
TRIBE Promoter
yeah... i get my ears rinsed about once a year by my doctor, i have a lot of scare tissue in my ears, i had tubes when i was a kid.
my doctor gets a syringe and fills it up with luke warm water and squezes it into my ear and all the wax poors out, but he has to make sure the temperture of the water is rihgt, if it is to hot or cold and he does it it can make me pass out.. i forget the reason why but so far it has not happend only a few dizzy spells
my doctor gets a syringe and fills it up with luke warm water and squezes it into my ear and all the wax poors out, but he has to make sure the temperture of the water is rihgt, if it is to hot or cold and he does it it can make me pass out.. i forget the reason why but so far it has not happend only a few dizzy spells
i just figured that with all the clubs and dirty places i've been, it might be a good idea to get my ears cleaned out really well; i rely on my ears for my work.
i guess talking to my Dr. about it would be best? I currently don't have long lasting problems, i just want an edge/more ease.
BigBadBaldy
TRIBE Member
They used to think that applying leeches was the height of medicine at one point.
BBB*.
..and general bloodletting as well.
*Barber/Surgeon
BBB*.
..and general bloodletting as well.
*Barber/Surgeon
It's a home remedy kit and if you follow the instructions it will not remove an unhealthy amount of wax from your ears.
Deep -> yes you have to be careful for a few days afterward, it does make your ears more sensitive, but since it doesn't remove all the wax from your ears, it does not promote hearing loss, in fact people with tintinitus (sp?) may benefit from a candling or two.
I have several friends who do this 4-5 times a year with no detrimental effect, JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO A TEE, and you'll be able to hear those nice crisp highs again.
odbx
odbx
Buddy Holly
TRIBE Member
I have tinitus in my left ear. This happened at a rave back in November (18th, 1997) to be exact. My ear has been ringing ever since. It's rather annoying and if I focus on it, it gets really loud. But I have learned how to cope with it and can almost forget its even there sometimes. I went to the doctor when It first happened and he did the tests with the warm water syringe. It was discovered that I had hearing loss in my left ear. Certain frequencies (high end) can almost be rather painful. Sometimes the frequency the T.V. is on can irritate my ear. My doctor told me that the ear wax deep in your ear, protects your little ear bones from damage. I think a simple q-tip every morning should suffice. I would be very sceptical on removing any more than the surface ear wax that on can see if they were to look into your ear drum. Any more would be risky. (Coming from a slightly hearing impared individual)...Mind you, my hearing is also hightened in a sense. I can hear conversations and kids swearing at school from great distances away. But if someone was to come up and yell into my ear, it's all distorted. TURN DOWN the volume!:0
L-T
Sometimes the frequency the T.V. is on can irritate my ear. My doctor told me that the ear wax deep in your ear, protects your little ear bones from damage. I think a simple q-tip every morning should suffice. I would be very sceptical on removing any more than the surface ear wax that on can see if they were to look into your ear drum. Any more would be risky. (Coming from a slightly hearing impared individual)...Mind you, my hearing is also hightened in a sense. I can hear conversations and kids swearing at school from great distances away. But if someone was to come up and yell into my ear, it's all distorted. TURN DOWN the volume!:0L-T
BH -> I hear ya, Gaetano destroyed hearing in my left ear at a show in Kitchener, he never stepped foot on the dance floor and kept cranking the midrange .. as if Prime didn't press their records with loud enough high end already!
Again I reiterate, if candling is done properly it doesn't remove an unhealthy amount of wax from your ear. You would have to do it four or five times in a week to remove an unhealthy amount. I've had my ears rinsed out before, and about the same amount of wax comes out (yes I'm gross enough to make the doctor show me).
When you get tintinitus (sp? still), your ear produces more wax to help your eardrum cope. However science has proven that with practice you can regain hearing (ie. your eardrum will heal)! Taking a healthy amount of wax out of your ear is the first step to regaining the former predatory hearing that I used to have. Now I just have to sit on the bus and picture where all the voices around me are coming from.
odbx
Again I reiterate, if candling is done properly it doesn't remove an unhealthy amount of wax from your ear. You would have to do it four or five times in a week to remove an unhealthy amount. I've had my ears rinsed out before, and about the same amount of wax comes out (yes I'm gross enough to make the doctor show me).
When you get tintinitus (sp? still), your ear produces more wax to help your eardrum cope. However science has proven that with practice you can regain hearing (ie. your eardrum will heal)! Taking a healthy amount of wax out of your ear is the first step to regaining the former predatory hearing that I used to have. Now I just have to sit on the bus and picture where all the voices around me are coming from.
odbx
You can learn in about a minute all you have to do is read the instructions that come with the candles. You don't need a degree or anything to do this, just follow the instructions.
Perhaps my comp sci background makes this easier for me than others (no offense I know some people can't even look at instructions).
ITS ALL ABOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS PEOPLE!
odbx
Perhaps my comp sci background makes this easier for me than others (no offense I know some people can't even look at instructions).
ITS ALL ABOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS PEOPLE!
odbx
deep
TRIBE Member
rtfm?
at any rate, I wouldn't do it. I like my hearing as protected as possible since I plan on using my ears for a while. I'm not really seeing how just maintaining personal hygiene isn't sufficient in keeping your ears clean.
real tinnitus is not something you recover from ... it has to do with neurological changes (read : damage) in how signals are processed from the cilia in the ear
incidentally the us military has a pill in the works to try and revert this neurological damage, and initial results have shown good success
at any rate, I wouldn't do it. I like my hearing as protected as possible since I plan on using my ears for a while. I'm not really seeing how just maintaining personal hygiene isn't sufficient in keeping your ears clean.
real tinnitus is not something you recover from ... it has to do with neurological changes (read : damage) in how signals are processed from the cilia in the ear
incidentally the us military has a pill in the works to try and revert this neurological damage, and initial results have shown good success
deep
TRIBE Member
Some info on ear cleaning in general.
from http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/library/consumer/cleanEars.htm
Ear, nose and throat specialists at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say cotton swabs actually cause trauma to the ear canal. They can shove ear wax, old skin and other debris toward the ear drum. If cotton swabs are out, that definitely means sharper objects like hair-pins, pencils and ballpoint pens are off-limits for ear cleaning.
For the most part this is very true, I gave up swabbing years ago and while my self-cleaning mechanism is very good (ie. my earwax falls out regularly), there is nothing wrong with a good candling. Hell the process is older than dirt, and I've yet to come across a site wherein there is a good reason not to candle your ears.
odbx
from http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/library/consumer/cleanEars.htm
Ear, nose and throat specialists at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say cotton swabs actually cause trauma to the ear canal. They can shove ear wax, old skin and other debris toward the ear drum. If cotton swabs are out, that definitely means sharper objects like hair-pins, pencils and ballpoint pens are off-limits for ear cleaning.
For the most part this is very true, I gave up swabbing years ago and while my self-cleaning mechanism is very good (ie. my earwax falls out regularly), there is nothing wrong with a good candling. Hell the process is older than dirt, and I've yet to come across a site wherein there is a good reason not to candle your ears.
odbx
naw naw naw.... you have it all wrong Deep. LT tried to smuggle a green sock in. He became closer and closer to security - thought , "hey i'll ram it in my ear" left ear to be exact. Proceeded to fill his ear with this green sock, he got all warm and fuzzy and started to enjoy this!! LT kept given her and given her and drove the green sock in there!!!! Till this day i still can't believe the story .... i guess "it happens", like shit i suppose.
ahhhhhh LT just kiddn of course
i still love yah man Sorry to hear bout that bro, i didnt know bout your tinitus left ear
I get my ears flushed bout once a year - cause i ram, yes not green socks but earplugs in at work everyday and needs to be done. I tend to blame HEIDELBERG.
easy,
s
d
Maybe you weren't looking hard enough? Here are some precautionary articles regarding the practice:
http://www.rcsullivan.com/www/forum/harris/candle.htm
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/medical/candling.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/02-09-2001.html
http://www.canoe.ca/HealthAlternativeColumns/000719.html
There's lots more where the above came from. I'm quite skeptical about the science behind candling...and, as deep mentioned, keeping a bit of wax in the ears is a Good Thing; wax is there for a reason kids.
And lastly, if you have permanent hearing loss, it means you've killed the little cilia that sit in your inner ear, thereby reducing the amount of electrical stimulation that reaches your nervous system...which means, naturally, that removing wax from your ears will never restore the damaged nerves.