Ear Candling

[this charming man]

Here (Hear?) is a story on ear candling:

http://doesitwork.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/17/585352.aspx

I'm just happy with the conclusion. At least they spoke to a real physician.

The aesthetician (funny how they try to make themselves sound clinical) said the residue was fungus. :rolleyes:

My spa experience felt relaxing, but the ear candling didn’t seem to make any kind of difference. Three days later, the popping in my ears is the same as before the procedure. And, after learning more about the dangers of candling, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone. Next time I’m in the mood for the soothing sounds of Enya, I’ll book a massage.


btw read some of the comments...

[avocado]

Ive had ear candling done and the amount of wax removed was frightening. I had enough to make a candle! I had it done because the amount of the substance in my ear made it difficult to hear. I have a friend who majors in sound editing and his proffesor recommended they have it done before their semester started. Also, as a general rule you are supposed to stay indoors for twentyfour hours after the proceedure so that your ear can build up a safe amount of wax in the ear, because it does serve a purpose. However for people where to much wax is a problem, this does seem to work. The vacume created DOES remove a substantial amount of wax from the ear.

Also, if done properly, there is no danger involved. Even if wax does manage to enter the candy and pass the acumilated ear wax inside, it will cool before it enters the ear. That is why you remove the candle before it reaches
a certain length. I am not sure if removing wax is a good thing however this process does remove wax from the ear. That aspect is science.

[ImaginalDisc]

Ive had ear candling done and the amount of wax removed was frightening. I had enough to make a candle! I had it done because the amount of the substance in my ear made it difficult to hear. I have a friend who majors in sound editing and his proffesor recommended they have it done before their semester started. Also, as a general rule you are supposed to stay indoors for twentyfour hours after the proceedure so that your ear can build up a safe amount of wax in the ear, because it does serve a purpose. However for people where to much wax is a problem, this does seem to work. The vacume created DOES remove a substantial amount of wax from the ear.

Ear candling does no such thing. If you burn one of the candlles on a plate and look inside it when it is done, you'll see just as much residue as you would see if you stuck it in your ear to burn. The candle does not produce a vacuum. If it did, you would be deafened as your eardrum burst.

[this charming man]

Ive had ear candling done and the amount of wax removed was frightening. I had enough to make a candle! I had it done because the amount of the substance in my ear made it difficult to hear. I have a friend who majors in sound editing and his proffesor recommended they have it done before their semester started. Also, as a general rule you are supposed to stay indoors for twentyfour hours after the proceedure so that your ear can build up a safe amount of wax in the ear, because it does serve a purpose. However for people where to much wax is a problem, this does seem to work. The vacume created DOES remove a substantial amount of wax from the ear.

Also, if done properly, there is no danger involved. Even if wax does manage to enter the candy and pass the acumilated ear wax inside, it will cool before it enters the ear. That is why you remove the candle before it reaches
a certain length. I am not sure if removing wax is a good thing however this process does remove wax from the ear. That aspect is science.

No, you are mistaken... Any "result" is due to the placebo effect.

eta...as ID stated a vacuum would be very bad for your ear.

[alfaniner]

I think the author should have stated IT DOES NOT WORK clearly up front, instead of at the very end of the article.

Many of those comments make me feel very sad for humanity.

[avocado]

Why is it my ear wax was gone, and the candle was full of a different wax than the candle, which was a pale bees wax, was a dark orange, a different density and weight, and smelt like ear wax? I am willing to have it done again, with unbiased skepticism, recording the process and results, then posting them in the forums to put this mystery to rest. I suppose there are more than one likely exlanations. So I will ignore my personal bias. I think thais fair.

[ImaginalDisc]

Why is it my ear wax was gone, and the candle was full of a different wax than the candle, which was a pale bees wax, was a dark orange, a different density and weight, and smelt like ear wax? I am willing to have it done again, with unbiased skepticism, recording the process and results, then posting them in the forums to put this mystery to rest. I suppose there are more than one likely exlanations. So I will ignore my personal bias. I think thais fair.

Just burn the thing on a plate. The consistency and color of melted wax from a candle with as thick a wick as is used for ear candling should be different from the wax in the unburned candle. Just burn an ear candling candle upright on a plate and you'll see the alleged "earwax."

[Sefarst]

Why is it my ear wax was gone, and the candle was full of a different wax than the candle, which was a pale bees wax, was a dark orange, a different density and weight, and smelt like ear wax? I am willing to have it done again, with unbiased skepticism, recording the process and results, then posting them in the forums to put this mystery to rest. I suppose there are more than one likely exlanations. So I will ignore my personal bias. I think thais fair.
According to the article, plenty of unbiased scientific tests have all ready been done. All show that there is no wax being taken out of the ear.

Besides, how would it work? I'm pretty sure putting a stick in your ear isn't going to create an airtight vacuum and, if it did, you'd seriously injure yourself (the inner ear is pretty delicate). And how would ear wax make it all the way up the stick?

[avocado]

That sounds reasonable. To be safe, I will do both in the ear and on a plate. I might have time this weekend, so stay tuned. This is exiting! :D

[avocado]

To make things clear, it is not a stick, it is a hollow cadle with a burning top. The heat supposidle warms and draws out the wax.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

The entry for Ear Candling in my brain reads, "Useless, physically nonsense and dangerous". I've told my brain not to change a word of this based on what I have read here.

If you want to try self medication, try a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. It makes a nice bubbling and crackling noise as it works.

Note -- I am not a Doctor and would never pretend to be, even for money.

At least my government has got it right:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/med/ear-oreille_e.html

[fsol]

Ive had ear candling done and the amount of wax removed was frightening. I had enough to make a candle!...

Oh, and I thought this was going to be a funny story. :D

[Ashles]

That sounds reasonable. To be safe, I will do both in the ear and on a plate. I might have time this weekend, so stay tuned. This is exiting! :D

It's good to have hobbies.

[this charming man]

Why is it my ear wax was gone, and the candle was full of a different wax than the candle, which was a pale bees wax, was a dark orange, a different density and weight, and smelt like ear wax? I am willing to have it done again, with unbiased skepticism, recording the process and results, then posting them in the forums to put this mystery to rest. I suppose there are more than one likely exlanations. So I will ignore my personal bias. I think thais fair.

The issue has already been put to rest; Science and Medicine have shown that. I am not aware of any double-blind study that shows that ear candling "works"

http://www.randi.org/jr/02-02-2001.html

http://www.bcm.edu/oto/grand/04_27_06.htm

http://altmed.creighton.edu/ear/experiment.htm

[avocado]

Being a guinea pig is a fine hobby by my standards, although that article makes it seam dangerous.

[this charming man]

To make things clear, it is not a stick, it is a hollow cadle with a burning top. The heat supposidle warms and draws out the wax.

First you said it was a vacuum, now the candle draws ear wax out by heat...

Ear candling does neither.

[alfaniner]

That sounds reasonable. To be safe, I will do both in the ear and on a plate. I might have time this weekend, so stay tuned. This is exiting! :D

Yes! Ignoring the snarky replies, this is exactly the kind of experiment you (and those other proponents) should be doing. Make sure both of them are done at the same angle. I'm not sure what other kinds of controls should be in place.

[avocado]

Charming man, You misinterpreted what I said. You know how to get an egg into a bottle? Pickle it, stick it onto the entrance, heat the bottom and the egg will get sucked in. In theory this is how ear canceling works. I am not claiming it is the truth, that is why I am going to experiment. It is no problem for me because I can get them for free.

[avocado]

ok, alfaniner. Anyone have anymore ideas to make this experiment more acurate, or scientific?

[this charming man]

Charming man, You misinterpreted what I said. You know how to get an egg into a bottle? Pickle it, stick it onto the entrance, heat the bottom and the egg will get sucked in. In theory this is how ear canceling works. I am not claiming it is the truth, that is why I am going to experiment. It is no problem for me because I can get them for free.
eta:
ok, alfaniner. Anyone have anymore ideas to make this experiment more acurate, or scientific?

Perhaps I have misinterpreted; for that I apologize; however, please read the links I have provided. Please do use care when you do your experiment. If you can find someone who has no idea what ear candling is and what it is "supposed" to do, that person may be a better test subject. You could do the candling and record what he or she experienced. It would be important for this person not to have any knowledge of the supposed effects of the candling.

[Spektator]

ok, alfaniner. Anyone have anymore ideas to make this experiment more acurate, or scientific?

1. Get a sensitive scale.
2. Procure an otoscope (you can get a usable one for about a hundred bucks).
3. Get a friend to peer into your ear using the otoscope. Preferably get one who won't claim he can see all the way through to the other side of your head. Get one who has a good visual memory so he can judge the scenic contours and stalactites of your earwax.
4. Carefully mark both candles to the point where you will extinguish them. Make sure both are burning to the same length.
5. Burn both candles, one in your ear. I'd recommend placing the other candle so its neck is within the neck of an upright empty bottle, so they'd burn in relatively the same position.
6. Weigh both candle stubs.
7. Cut open both candle stubs. Compare the material inside them.
8. Have your friend gaze into your ear again with the otoscope. Any visible changes?

[FramerDave]

Ive had ear candling done and the amount of wax removed was frightening. I had enough to make a candle!

I would bet that is was exactly enough wax to make a...wait for it....ear candle.

[Madalch]

If you want to try self medication, try a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. It makes a nice bubbling and crackling noise as it works.

Make sure you use the 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide from the drug store. Pure hydrogen peroxide would not be pleasant.

[Sefarst]

To make things clear, it is not a stick, it is a hollow cadle with a burning top. The heat supposidle warms and draws out the wax.
So are you saying sticking the candle stick in your ear creates a vacuum or just that the heat somehow circulates and brings the ear wax up? If the latter, I still don't understand.

Look at the picture of ear candling being performed next to the article. Is that an accurate representation of it? The woman is laying on her side with the candle sticking up out of her ear. What I don't understand is that the heat could not warm the wax in your ear. The heat rises, it doesn't go down into the hollow candle. The only way to heat the wax in your ear would be to hold the candle beneath your ear and let the flame burn up the candle

[this charming man]

The entry for Ear Candling in my brain reads, "Useless, physically nonsense and dangerous". I've told my brain not to change a word of this based on what I have read here.

If you want to try self medication, try a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. It makes a nice bubbling and crackling noise as it works.

Note -- I am not a Doctor and would never pretend to be, even for money.

At least my government has got it right:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/med/ear-oreille_e.html

Make sure you use the 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide from the drug store. Pure hydrogen peroxide would not be pleasant.

Yes this is what the Dr. or Nurse will use in his or her office. As a matter of fact, if you ask nicely, he or she will do it for you on your next visit or check up.

[avocado]

Ok skeptator, I can do all of those besides the otoscope. Starving student. Is there a cheaper way to glance inside the ear? Although, I would probably consider the contents to be a fair indicator of its validity. The problem is replicating the human ear, because a candle burning by itself could burn differeently than one burning in the ear. I suppose that is what the bottle is for? Makes sense, I will try to get one as close to the demensions of an ear canal, perhaps cover it in a mayor of latex tomimic the human skin.

[avocado]

Sorry about the double post and bad spelling/grammar. Typing on iPod is a pain!

[this charming man]

Ok skeptator, I can do all of those besides the otoscope. Starving student. Is there a cheaper way to glance inside the ear? Although, I would probably consider the contents to be a fair indicator of its validity. The problem is replicating the human ear, because a candle burning by itself could burn differeently than one burning in the ear. I suppose that is what the bottle is for? Makes sense, I will try to get one as close to the demensions of an ear canal, perhaps cover it in a mayor of latex tomimic the human skin.

I really dont think that is necessary. Anyone else think so?

re: the otoscope

Perhaps if you are at an institution that has med students, you could use one of them to help.

Also, see if the school nurse will participate. He or she may be receptive to such an experiment.

[Madalch]

Charming man, You misinterpreted what I said. You know how to get an egg into a bottle? Pickle it, stick it onto the entrance, heat the bottom and the egg will get sucked in. In theory this is how ear canceling works. I am not claiming it is the truth, that is why I am going to experiment. It is no problem for me because I can get them for free.

Okay- if we assume that the candle is heating the air inside your ear, and then vacuuming it out (and taking the earwax with it), consider this as a thought-experiment.

Take a bottle. Smear vaseline on the inside to represent earwax.

Try to remove the vaseline with a vacuum cleaner.

[fishbait]

That sounds reasonable. To be safe, I will do both in the ear and on a plate. You are foolish and uninformed. If you have ear problems go to a qualified physician.

[avocado]

Madalch, Suction from a vacume functioned differently than the suction caused by heat. Also, Vaseline is not a good subsitude for ear wax. That experiment will not validate, nor invalidate ear candling. I think the experiment is already fair, unless you have something to add.

[Blackwell]

So are you saying sticking the candle stick in your ear creates a vacuum or just that the heat somehow circulates and brings the ear wax up? If the latter, I still don't understand.

Look at the picture of ear candling being performed next to the article. Is that an accurate representation of it? The woman is laying on her side with the candle sticking up out of her ear. What I don't understand is that the heat could not warm the wax in your ear. The heat rises, it doesn't go down into the hollow candle. The only way to heat the wax in your ear would be to hold the candle beneath your ear and let the flame burn up the candle

Good points. And another thing to think about, avocado -- if you believe that the wax build-up in the bottom of the candle comes from your ear, don't you think there'd also be an appreciable amount of build-up in the outer areas of your ear? The toxins and wax wouldn't be magically jumping from your ear into the candle (at least, I haven't heard that claim.) If this "wax" and "debris" were being drawn from deep inside your ear, you'd expect to see an equal amount of deposits along its entire route.

[avocado]

Good point Blackwell, I suppose right now it looks like I may have been wrong. We will see conclusively after experiment. I hope. Fish bate, that was a little innapropriate, I was a small child when I was made to have it done, and now I am attempting a skeptical test to measure the processes validity. If you don't have anything construcive to say, other than pointing out my ignorance and stupidity as a child, don't say anything at all.

Guys I will ask the school nurse if she can help today.

[avocado]

After reading those links, I will try to find bee wax candles, because randy suggests in that link that the ear wax is actually heated bees wax.

[Madalch]

Madalch, Suction from a vacume functioned differently than the suction caused by heat. Also, Vaseline is not a good subsitude for ear wax. That experiment will not validate, nor invalidate ear candling. I think the experiment is already fair, unless you have something to add.
My point is that you cannot suck things out of a bottle by creating a vacuum in it. Your ear, like the bottle, has only one opening for air to enter or leave. If you create a partial vacuum in your ear (either by warming up the air, letting it escape, then cooling down what's left, or by applying a vacuum cleaner), the only thing that will leave the ear is air. The wax which is sitting on the sides of the ear canal will not be affected by the lowering of the pressure- unless you have a hole in your head and get a good draft going.

You can vacuum out a tube, but you cannot vacuum out a bottle (assuming the vacuum nozzle doesn't fit inside the bottle....).

[avocado]

well, refering back to the egg in a bottle analogy, in theory, the vacume is in the candle and the wax is the egg. Although,I don't see how that would work, because the heat is on the wrong end, or the top of the candle would have to be sealed. You might be right.

[this charming man]

perhaps this may be beneficial:

Hold the tip of a candle to a piece of paper and ignite the other end. If, when you lift the candle, it does not keep the piece of paper attached to the unlit end, one could assume there is not enough vacuum to clean the wax out of an ear.

[fishbait]

Fish bate, that was a little innapropriate, I was a small child when I was made to have it done, and now I am attempting a skeptical test to measure the processes validity. If you don't have anything construcive to say, other than pointing out my ignorance and stupidity as a child, don't say anything at all.
How could I point out your ignorance and stupidity as a child when you never mentioned that you were made to do this as a child?
Advising you to see a qualified physician if you have ear problems is not constuctive?

This is a public forum and I will post anything I please as long as it does not violate the rules. If you have ear issues, go see a doctor and stop being an ass.

[Madalch]

well, refering back to the egg in a bottle analogy, in theory, the vacume is in the candle and the wax is the egg. Although,I don't see how that would work, because the heat is on the wrong end, or the top of the candle would have to be sealed. You might be right.

The difference being that the egg has air behind it to push it into the bottle. The ear wax is on the surface of your skin, and is not going to be pushed out unless your inner ear completely collapses.

[blutoski]

The protocol we used to convince my friend was we did eight ear candlings: two in a row in each ear, then a complete cleaning with isopropanol and Q-tips, and then the third candling in each wax-free ear. Two more were burned on a plate out of curiousity.

FWIW: candlewax will often burn incompletely and leave residue that does not resemble the original wax in colour or composition. There can be foreign materials mixed into any wax, and there's no reason to expect the manufacturer would itemize them on the product packaging.

We labelled them under code, then my friend was allowed to open and examine them and guess which were the first, second, third, and plate burnings. They pretty much all looked the same, which convinced her that the residue is just crap from burning an overpriced candle.

[Tricky]

I remember an old Swift issue that covered ear candling. Ah! Here it is. (http://www.randi.org/jr/02-09-2001.html)

There is a lot of info there not only on how ineffective it is, but also how dangerous. Putting burning things in your ears is beyond merely stupid.

But the experiments also showed it didn't work. In a rare burst of honesty, followed by an example of Xtreme Rationalization, one woo had the following comment:
Sandra Yemm now admits that ear candling doesn't remove the wax from one's ears, but not willing to admit that she’s selling quackery, she adds, that's not the point. "It doesn't matter whether [ear wax is] being removed or not because you're going to get some harmony through the changing of the energies and perhaps that's all that's needed" she says.

[Jackalgirl]

Those of you folks who are being snarky -- please leave avacado alone. He/she is actually trying to experiment, which is a good thing.

Although I probably would not do the ear candling part, because it's dangerous. It's not a truly scientific experiment to NOT do it, but I would simply set up the candle in a similar situation (bottle, as suggested, or maybe try to get a fake model ear) and see if the character of the candle changes without being in an actual human ear.

I'd be very interested in seeing the results of your experiment, avacado. Please do post it here when you're done!

[fishbait]

Those of you folks who are being snarky -- please leave avacado alone. He/she is actually trying to experiment, which is a good thing.Doing an experiment is a good thing. Nobody has a problem with that. What we are commenting on is the foolishness of sticking a burning candle in the ear as an experiment.

Although I probably would not do the ear candling part, because it's dangerous. Would you characetrize this as a foolish act?

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Make sure you use the 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide from the drug store. Pure hydrogen peroxide would not be pleasant.

Well I did say that I was not a doctor!

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Those of you folks who are being snarky -- please leave avacado alone. He/she is actually trying to experiment, which is a good thing.

Although I probably would not do the ear candling part, because it's dangerous. It's not a truly scientific experiment to NOT do it, but I would simply set up the candle in a similar situation (bottle, as suggested, or maybe try to get a fake model ear) and see if the character of the candle changes without being in an actual human ear.

I'd be very interested in seeing the results of your experiment, avacado. Please do post it here when you're done!

avacado, please don't try any experiments with ear candles. Other, more competent people have done so and you might burn yourself or your house down.

:mad:

[patchbunny]

Simply adding to the "ear candling doesn't work, period" side of thing, from the Straight Dope (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_098.html).

First we peered into Pat's ears with an otoscope, the familiar flashlight-type examining device. The poor guy had enough wax in there to make his own candles. We put him on the table, lit the candle, and stuck it in his ear in the prescribed manner. Then we watched, struggling to suppress the thought that we should also be chanting and maybe sacrificing small animals.

When the candle had burned down to two inches we snuffed it and examined the treated ear with the otoscope. No change, except that possibly the wax was dented where the candle had been stuck in. Upon slicing open the candle stub, however, we found a considerable quantity of brown wax and whitish powder. The manual had the audacity to intimate that the powder was candida yeast extracted from the ear, conceding that possibly "1% to 10%" was from the used candle. The disappointed MDs were more inclined to say it was 100 percent, but just to be sure we burned another candle in the open air. When we sliced it open we found wax and powder identical to that in the first. Conclusion: it's a hoax. Ain't it always the way? Maybe we're not doing enemas anymore, but we're winding up with the same old stuff.

[avocado]

I've got bad news. I've just found out that my grandmother passed away and my grandfather is on the brink. My family is taking it hard and I am going to have to leave the country as soon as I can organize things at work, school, and make passport arrangements. No emoticon can express how sad I am. I won't be able to try the experiment, perhaps all is for the best, you've convinced me it's woo and perhaps it may be too dangerous.

Sorry about the pretentious post Fish Bait.

[rjh01]

A related subject was discussed here before - Ear Candles in Pharmacies (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=94987)

[RSLancastr]

I've got bad news. I've just found out that my grandmother passed away and my grandfather is on the brink. My family is taking it hard and I am going to have to leave the country as soon as I can organize things at work, school, and make passport arrangements.I'm very sorry to hear of your loss, av.

[Jackalgirl]

Doing an experiment is a good thing. Nobody has a problem with that. What we are commenting on is the foolishness of sticking a burning candle in the ear as an experiment.

Would you characetrize this as a foolish act?

I would probably not characterize it that way, no. Because when I am trying to persuade someone, I try very hard not to use words that are going to shut off their brains. Calling someone stupid or foolish is likely to do that. In this situation, it is not how I feel or what I know about what's going on; it's about how the other person feels about it, and how I can get them to come to what I know about it (assuming I'm right, of course) on his or her own. Avacado wants to run an experiment. This is good, and it is precisely what we as skeptics should be encouraging him or her to do.

However, I still would advise against sticking a burning candle in the ear, because it's not safe. It lessens the effectiveness of the experiment; still, there would be some value to simply burning a candle and observing that there's debris left over in the candle.

Avacado, do you still have any of the candles that you have previously used in your ears? If so, please consider using those for comparison to the candle(s) you burn independent of your ears. That way, you don't have to stick another burning thing in your ear and risk injury.

[Spektator]

Condolences, Av. Best wishes to your family.

[this charming man]

Take care Avocado, and take care of your family. Stay strong.

[Jackalgirl]

Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear about that, avacado -- take care!

[NeilC]

well, refering back to the egg in a bottle analogy, in theory, the vacume is in the candle and the wax is the egg. Although,I don't see how that would work, because the heat is on the wrong end, or the top of the candle would have to be sealed. You might be right.

The egg in the bottle trick works differently and has a perfectly valid explanation.

Burning a match in a bottle causes the expansion of the air whist the flame heats it which escapes past the egg. Then the air contracts on cooling causing a partial vacuum. Normal air pressure then pushes the egg into the bottle.

I don't see how this applies to a hollow paper and wax tube. Can you explain how it would?

[blutoski]

I've had time to digest this, and the best comparitive example I can come up with is that if the candle is creating lower pressure, this is identical to the situation we find ourselves in when travelling uphill: the air pressure on the outside of the eardrum is lowered. The difference is that in planes or hiking situations you can equalize it by yawning.

Two things:

1. you feel it to the point of discomfort. Does a person using ear candles feel this unrelieveable pressure?

2. does anything - like skin oil - fly out of your ears when you hike uphill or go up in a plane? Would you expect it to?

[this charming man]

The egg in the bottle trick works differently and has a perfectly valid explanation.

Burning a match in a bottle causes the expansion of the air whist the flame heats it which escapes past the egg. Then the air contracts on cooling causing a partial vacuum. Normal air pressure then pushes the egg into the bottle.

I don't see how this applies to a hollow paper and wax tube. Can you explain how it would?

I've had time to digest this, and the best comparitive example I can come up with is that if the candle is creating lower pressure, this is identical to the situation we find ourselves in when travelling uphill: the air pressure on the outside of the eardrum is lowered. The difference is that in planes or hiking situations you can equalize it by yawning.

Two things:

1. you feel it to the point of discomfort. Does a person using ear candles feel this unrelieveable pressure?

2. does anything - like skin oil - fly out of your ears when you hike uphill or go up in a plane? Would you expect it to?

Avocado has realized the ear candling is bunk; Avacodo has read and digested the information given, and has reversed his/her stance.

[blutoski]

Avocado has realized the ear candling is bunk; Avacodo has read and digested the information given, and has reversed his/her stance.

I'm sure that's true. We're still allowed to have a discussion anyway, right? We all benefit from reading a variety of ideas.

[tonyguitargoat]

Apart from the danger of dripping hot wax INTO your ear, I'm sure I read of someone ear-candling themselves alone at home, and catching the curtains alight. House caught fire.......!!

[krelnik]

Apart from the danger of dripping hot wax INTO your ear, I'm sure I read of someone ear-candling themselves alone at home, and catching the curtains alight. House caught fire.......!!

Yes, I have a case like that listed here:

http://whatstheharm.net/earcandling.html

Not only did she die from smoke inhalation caused by the ensuing fire, but five other people in her apartment complex were left homeless.

If you know of other cases than the ones I have listed, be sure to send them to submit "at" whatstheharm "dot" net.

--Tim Farley