Avoid Ear Candle False Treatments

A lit “candle” that can drip hot wax into your ear, usually as you lie on your side.

Sound dangerous? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thinks so, and is warning consumers to steer clear of products being sold as ear candles.

These “candles”—hollow cones that are about 10 inches long and made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax, paraffin, or a mixture of the two—are being marketed as treatments for a variety of conditions. These conditions include ear wax buildup,

The illustration above, from the side of an ear candles package, demonstrates how to insert the product into your ear while sitting in an upright position. Photos show a 10.75-inch long ear candle. Although ear candles may come with safety instructions, FDA is warning consumers that there are risks of serious injury—including burns to the face, ear, and ear canal—associated with these products.

The illustration above, from the side of an ear candles package, demonstrates how to insert the product into your ear while sitting in an upright position. Photos show a 10.75-inch long ear candle. Although ear candles may come with safety instructions, FDA is warning consumers that there are risks of serious injury—including burns to the face, ear, and ear canal—associated with these products.

sinus infections, hearing loss, headaches, colds, flu, and sore throats.

Marketers of ear candles claim that warmth created by the lit device produces suction that draws wax and other impurities out of the ear canal.

“Some ear candles are offered as products that purify the blood, strengthen the brain, or even ‘cure’ cancer,” says Eric Mann, M.D., Ph.D., clinical deputy director of FDA’s Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological, and Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices.

He adds that some firms claim the candles are appropriate for use on children.

But FDA warns that ear candles can cause serious injuries, even when used in accordance to manufacturers’ directions. “Also,” says Mann, “FDA believes that there is no valid scientific evidence for any medical benefit from their use.”

via Avoid Ear Candle Scammers – Open Access Healthcare.

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Posted by Resident on Feb 19 2010. Filed under Health News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.