Can an ear candle cure swimmer's ear?

Answer 1

Yes. You should give them a try. They will remove lots of wax from your ears, and make you feel better afterward. Their ability to make a suction inside the ear is quite impressive, for something so simple.

from my experience, no. much better to use a few drops of olive oil for a few days before going to the doctor and having your ears flushed with water.

Answer 2

Though some might recommend burning wicks and ear candles for problems associated with the ear, these treatments have not been definitively proved to be medically effective. Additionally, they have some serious down sides, and should be generally avoided. A physician or competent medical practitioner should be consulted for anything more than "routine" illness or injury.

Answer 3

No. Earcandlingis marketed on the premise that the negative pressure created in the ear canal by burning oxygen generates enough force to suction cerumen (earwax) out of the ear. However, experimental trials conducted in a cavity that simulates an ear canal proves no such negative pressure is created, therefore this suction cannot occur.(Seely, Quigley, Langman, 1996; Kaushall and Kaushall, 2000).

At the end of the day, ear candling is dangerous to the health of the ear and hearing, it does not help managing ear wax and serves no legitimate medical purpose. In fact, the sale of ear candles for theraputic purposes has been banned in Canada, and the FDA has made numerous efforts to restrict the use of ear candles in the US (FDA, 2010). Please see the references below.

FDA., & (2010, 03 04).

Ear candles: Risk of serious injuries

. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm201108.htm

Seely DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW. (1996) Ear candles – Efficacy and safety.Laryngoscope106: 1226–1229.

Smith, C., & Adams, C. (1995, 03 25).

A straight dope classic from cecil

. Retrieved from http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1103/how-do-ear-candles-work