/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Ear candling, also called ear coning or thermal-auricular therapy, is an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal. According to medical researchers, it is both dangerous and ineffective.[31] Advocates say that the dark residue that shows after the procedure is extracted earwax, proving the efficacy of the procedure. Studies have shown that in fact the same residue is left whether or not the candle (which is made of cotton fabric and beeswax and leaves a residue after burning) is inserted into an ear. This means that the wax residue is derived from the candle itself and not the ear. The color of the candle wax deliberately matches the light brown-colored wax of the human ear, making the distinction between the two more difficult for a layperson. Because the candle itself is a hollow tube, some of the hot burnt wax can drop down inside the candle, into the ear canal, potentially rupturing the eardrum. The American Academy of Otolaryngology states that ear candles are not a safe option for removing ear wax, and that no controlled studies or scientific evidence support their use for ear wax removal.[32] The Food and Drug Administration has successfully taken several regulatory actions against the sale and distribution of ear candles since 1996, including seizing ear candle products and ordering injunctions.[32]