What is inside the candle after treatment?

RE: What is inside the candle after treatment?

Hi Daisy31

When I did my training in Hopi Ear Candling we were informed that it was not professional to start looking inside the candle/cut them open in front of the client you are treating. However, when I use them myself or treat my partner I sometimes take a peek! Basically depending on the person and whats in their ear it just looks like orange type wax, again there is a lot more in some than others.
Hope this helps!
Ellie x

RE: What is inside the candle after treatment?

You'll find residue inside. Officially it's not wax, cause you're not allowed to say that, but it looks very much like wax to me. Some clients want to see what has happened, others aren't bothered. I respect their wishes either way, it is their treatment and they have a right to know what has come out, or privacy if they do not wish to look.

RE: What is inside the candle after treatment?

Thanks for replies. I was told that it was not wax, but that the moisture coming out of the ear canal affects the powder inside the candles which then comes away from the inside of the candle. The amount of residue left denotes how much moisture comes out, BUT is this still the case with the hopi candles with filters? It is the case with the canadian candles.[&:]

RE: What is inside the candle after treatment?

When I was trained I was told that the residue is beeswax and powder from the candle, this is due to the fact that it is always found above the filter and therefore cannot have come from the ear.
If you burn down a candle without inserting it in the ear you will find there is still some residue.

Certain therapists believe that the amount of residue found in the candle can indicate the severity of the client's condition. Personally I ask the client which ear causes the most problems and have found that there is always alot more residue in the candle from the problem ear so there may be something in this.

This is with biosun candles and I cannot speak for others.

If you read ear candling in essence by Mary Dalgliesh there are a couple of pages on post-treatment residue which may help you.

Personally I do look at the residue out of interest but at the end of the day the advice I give to the client is that if they enjoy the treatment/feel a benefit from it then it is worth continuing. I wouldn't get too hung up about the contents of the candle or you may lose sight of the fact that this is a relaxing holistic treatment which may benefit the client and not a medical cure.

RE: What is inside the candle after treatment?

I agree. It's the clients who get hung up and find it all exciting!!!!! Thanks.

When I was trained I was told that the residue is beeswax and powder from the candle, this is due to the fact that it is always found above the filter and therefore cannot have come from the ear.
If you burn down a candle without inserting it in the ear you will find there is still some residue.

Certain therapists believe that the amount of residue found in the candle can indicate the severity of the client's condition. Personally I ask the client which ear causes the most problems and have found that there is always alot more residue in the candle from the problem ear so there may be something in this.

This is with biosun candles and I cannot speak for others.

If you read ear candling in essence by Mary Dalgliesh there are a couple of pages on post-treatment residue which may help you.

Personally I do look at the residue out of interest but at the end of the day the advice I give to the client is that if they enjoy the treatment/feel a benefit from it then it is worth continuing. I wouldn't get too hung up about the contents of the candle or you may lose sight of the fact that this is a relaxing holistic treatment which may benefit the client and not a medical cure.

Agree that it is candle residue and not ear wax...though that is hotly debated by some.

I suggest people read Edzard Ernst paper..."Ear candling, a triumph of ignorance over science" which took used ear candles and analysed them in a laboratory and found no human cerumen whatsoever.

Still a nice relaxing tretament tho'

When I was trained I was told that the residue is beeswax and powder from the candle, this is due to the fact that it is always found above the filter and therefore cannot have come from the ear.
If you burn down a candle without inserting it in the ear you will find there is still some residue.

Certain therapists believe that the amount of residue found in the candle can indicate the severity of the client's condition. Personally I ask the client which ear causes the most problems and have found that there is always alot more residue in the candle from the problem ear so there may be something in this.

This is with biosun candles and I cannot speak for others.

If you read ear candling in essence by Mary Dalgliesh there are a couple of pages on post-treatment residue which may help you.

I'm very new to this (I was trained by Mary Dalgliesh just yesterday!), but this makes the most sense to me. It can't possibly be from inside the ear because it's the other side of the filter. The wax residue is going to be the bees wax from the candle. It's definately not ear wax.

Also, the amount of "suction" an ear candle would have to produce to pull ear wax into it tube would be such as would probably cause the ear drum to become damaged.

Think about it, ear wax is sticky. If you wanted to you could put some ear wax on a plate and try suck it up in to a straw (yuk) but I could be quite certain that it would stay where it was.

Hi All,

The test is - Light an ear candle without putting it in an actual ear and then cut it open. You will be amazed at all the ear wax in there (not)!! Aparently its not how much is inthere at the end of a session but the colour of it.

So I have been told.

purplepeach

Hi,

the tutor on the course I did burnt a candle to show what happens when it is not inserted in the ear and from what I remember there was less in it than when she demonstrated on a student.

If anyone does this experiment again, let's hear what happens.

Luv Binah

x

if you don't put the candle in properly or not at all, when you open it and look at the powder, its very yellow with no lumps in it whatsoever.

so what makes the lumps then?

My 2p,

I'm now a little less interested in the comparison between burning in the ear and just free burning the candle, as I think Daisychain brings up an interesting aspect.

I'd be interested to see what is inside the candle when it burnt with one end "sealed" (as it is when it is placed in the ear), but say, placing it against a hard surface (it's very early & I'm not sure I'm making myself 100% clear!).

If I've got a spare candle I might try that, but not today - doing battle with authority at the moment:(

LOL

FBx

I tried it on my daughter and she absolutely loved the ear candling. She gets problems with her ears from time to time so we thought we would try it. It didn't help her hearing but one candle was full of residue and the other one wasn't, and it just so happened the full candle was her 'bad ear'. However, I remain highly sceptical as to whether anything could possibly filter out of the ear into the candle in this manner.
What I will say is that if the patient enjoys the treatment as much as my little one did, then it is therapeutic in its' own right!

Emma

I've just finished reading your views on what is candle residue and ear wax and I have an experience I'd like to share.

I do this therapy for clients who want it and have found varying degrees of wax and candle residue.

With one client of mine I went to take the candle from his ear at the appropriate time and from the bottom of the candle 'dripped' dark brown liquid. When the liquid cooled on the surface it fell on it became hard again! Ear wax!. On opening the candle I found ALOT of dark brown blobs of wax. Candle residue is the yellowy powdery substance (and I explain that to my client when I open the candle) and in my experience the dark brown blob substance is ear wax.
Now if I am wrong then I am extremely concerned if this liquid is from the actual candle and is dripping into my clients ear!!!

So... I believe that the soothing smoke and sage etc from the candle goes into the ear and softens the wax inside - turns it to liquid. Then the chimney effect of the candle very gently draws what it can from the ear. And yes because it is liquid it passes through the filter, on cooling the wax hardens and is unable then to come back through.

Any thoughts?

Heather

Hello from the other side of the pond,

We offer ear coning in our herb shop in the U.S. and I find that people who love it swear by it no matter what you tell them.

Here is my experience with ear cones. I have burned them in a makeshift ear (a sealed glass jar with a membrane stretched over the top to simulate an ear) and found that the powdery residue and 'wax' still occurs.

But I do have to say that just this last week I had it done twice due to otis media in my left ear due to overactive sinues (which has not ruptured or become inflamed, by the way, or I wouldn't have done it.) it is ragweed season in here. I know the candle isn't actually pulling ear wax since my boss looked in them prior to the session and I had no wax. But what was interesting is that each candle was a completely different color and shape of 'wax' at the end. Both days this was done, both ears produced the same variations in 'wax' color. I don't know what it means but it was an interesting difference.

I am not a doctor or nurse but I was a combat medic in the U.S. Army for six years and I like to think I have a tiny bit of medical knowledge. Patchulli was right, the amount of suction it would take to literally suck ear wax out of an ear and up the cone would be incredibly damaging to the ear. In addition it would be quite difficult to impossible to create a vacuum with a simple ear candle and the irregular shape of the ear opening.

As posted in other threads, an otoscope is necessary to see the state of the ear canal (wether you are a doctor or not). You would be surprised at how many people insist they have impacted ear wax when in fact they have little to none. The problem is usual in the middle ear, unless of course the patient has ear fungus, which is another story...and actually, the warm air of the candle might help a little.

In addition, most of the time we see fluid behind the ear drum or find the difficulty lies in inflamed or infected eustatian tubes. The eustatian tube is only the size of a pencil lead, therefore it can esily become inflamed and infected as the sinuses drain and infected nasal mucous is drawn up into the tubes via sniffing.

On top of all of that, the ear drum is not a permeable membrane so to think that fluid from the inner ear can be drawn out or 'dried' by an ear candle is a little far fetched.

Ear wax itself is produced in the ear canal, not the inner ear so even if the entire ear canal was packed to the brim with wax you probably wouldn't see as much of that brown waxy stuff that appears in the cone. You'd probably get less than a quarter of a teaspoon. And again, it couldn't be 'sucked' out, it would more likely become soft from the warm air and drain.

Don't get me wrong. I like ear coning. I do it on occasion. I am currently suffering from otis media in my left ear and I have tried a few cones to help things along. After all I am an herbalist and will try just about anything once.

I find the treatment relaxing and feel that at the very least the warm air, purifying smoke, and a 45 minute lie down does help a little.

So in my humble opinion, I think there are good points and unrealistic points about ear coning. But as long as people find the treatment enjoyable and practitioners are responsible and knowledgeable about proper treatments then everyone should be happy. After all, it's been done for centuries, it can't be all that bad.

But please be careful, a few years ago I did a few cones in a row over a few days. Finally I had to go to the ear doctor because the infection wasn't clearing up. He said there was so much of that cone powder in there he couldn't see my ear drum and sent me away. I have not seen cones with filters here in the U.S. but I'll look into them. They sound like a good idea but seeing as how my boss likes to open the cones and show the debris to her clients I think our die hard ear cone customers would be disappointed if they found out all that junk wasn't actually coming from inside their ears.

Oh and one more thing....to anyone out there who is thinking of doing this for others, please, please, please buy an otoscope and at the very least educate yourself via the internet as to what a healthy ear looks like. Simply google otis media, images, ear infections, etc. It's not hard to figure out what a healthy ear looks like. I personally, would not have an ear coning done by anyone who didn't check inside my ears first to at least see if there is any debris in there. Things do get in your ears even if you are unaware of it. You wouldn't want to stick an ear cone in someone's ear just to find that some foreign matter was in there and just punctured someone's ear drum. I once checked in my daughter's ear and found a piece of straw from the barn.

Enjoy your ear coning, take it for what it's worth and don't stress about it. As I said, people who love it will come back for more, and those who don't won't.

Blessings.

Opening the candle at the end of a session is THE BEST part!!!! Its like Christmas Day, and is quite literally like opening a present, just one your not gonna want to keep beyond the initial joy of it! Lol!

But everyone loves to see what theyve got - like a bit of a lucky dip in a way.

The problem with it, I find, is there is not much theory to back it up. Not that im doubting it, its just how do you know what it all means? I dont do many of them to really build up a good foundation of experience but I think it is quite clear when wax has been drawn out of the ear - when there is any dark brown toxic looking nuggets, hidden, lurking in the powdey residue of the candle.

There is an interesting theory I read once - that the candle does not act so much as a chimney or hoover, but rather works with the principle of the elements - that most ear conditions are rooted in an excess of water - sticky, mucus, moisture - and that the candle, or more specifically the flame introduces the element of fire to dry up all the wet stickiness. That may not sit well with everyone, some considering how the effect could penetrate the physical ear drum, but them when things work energetically, physical structures dont really figure! I like the idea anyhows!

Traditionally I have read that it was used more metaphysically to clear out the mental debris in ones head, all those heavy negative thoughts. Cool idea eh!!

There was a time I had a few treatments myself, and didnt have any problems as such, until after the treatment. It was like a fire had raged in my ear and burnt out my ear canal!!! I wonder if anyone has had a similar experience???

Theres no doubt it is mega relaxing!

Beeswax does not stain the fingers - earwax does.
Rub the contents of the tube following use between your fingers - yes the muck from your clients ear - If it stains earwax. If not beeswax & herbal condensate.
If as previous people have said there are Brown lumps - tell me where are they from? - they can be flattened out and are multi coloured in shades of browns.
The herbal dust is all one colour. I have been using this therapy since before it was in this country being used.

We were taught (by Salon Systems) that the hard brown substance inside the candle is a combination of beeswax and powder, the harder and more of it the worse the problem is.

I always find my bad ear (right) always produces more of this "brown" stuff than my left ear x

Beeswax does not stain the fingers - earwax does.
Rub the contents of the tube following use between your fingers - yes the muck from your clients ear - If it stains earwax. If not beeswax & herbal condensate.

Earwax stains the fingers?????, first I have heard of that. Take my word, Edzard Ernst tested 100 pairs of used ear candle residue and not one had "earwax". You would need the suction power of a jumbo jet. Think about it.

If as previous people have said there are Brown lumps - tell me where are they from? - they can be flattened out and are multi coloured in shades of browns.

The brown lumps are melted beeswax....simple.:rolleyes:

The herbal dust is all one colour. I have been using this therapy since before it was in this country being used.

Not quite sure what your point is here. :confused:

Patchouli

I'm amazed that some don't open the candles, for me the residue is the 'feedback'.
Last week my client had tinnitus in her left ear. The left candle was a quarter full of brown 'wax' and she had lump of this wax just inside her ear (the candles did have filters). The right candle only contained yellow power and three small grains of wax.

If this treatment only provides psychological benefits and not physical benefits how does the residue differ and why is always more from the client's effected ear?

I'm amazed that some don't open the candles, for me the residue is the 'feedback'.

But what do you mean by feedback?

Last week my client had tinnitus in her left ear. The left candle was a quarter full of brown 'wax' and she had lump of this wax just inside her ear (the candles did have filters). The right candle only contained yellow power and three small grains of wax.

If this treatment only provides psychological benefits and not physical benefits how does the residue differ and why is always more from the client's effected ear?

Your comment here is interesting, no-one has said it is only a psychological treatment on this thread....my argument is that the candle contents are NOT human cerumen but ARE in fact the product of the candle content mixed with condensation from the ear.

The fact that one ear may have more "wax" only proves that one ear is more congested than the other hence the more congested ear will give up more moisture which then mixes with the candle content.

It is absolutely impossible for the candle content to be human cerumen. Anyone who thinks otherwise has a poor grasp of anatomy, basic physics and chemistry imo.

Patchouli

I agree with Patchouli on this and that is exactly what I was taught on my course with the Thermo-Auricular Therapy Association. We were specifically told not to open the candles in front of the clients. A lot of clients believe that the residue is from the ear and so if you open the candle and their is no "wax" they think the treatment hasn't worked - they get hung up on what is inside the candle. The treatment will have still worked. For that amount of "wax" to appear in the candle it would have to be sucking a hell of a lot and the candles do not do that and especially to get it past a filter - there's no way.

Owch, put your handbag away Patchouli... I'm sure you know what I mean by 'feedback'... as in evidence.

Maybe my comment was a reflection on the poor training I had, but thanks for the insult.
For the same wax to be inside the ear and in the candle means something had passed through the filter.