ear candling

[I'll_buy_that]

hmmm. someone can get their ears candled for $55, in a process that may or may not do anything?

for the $20 co-pay, I was able to go to my physician and get earwax removed by him. and i know it actually did something.

I saved myself $35 without knowing it.:p

[Lisa Simpson]

$55...what a ripoff. GNC (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2134280&cp&change_search=products&keywords=ear&y=0&searchId=5630599444&x=0&parentPage=search) sells ear candles for only $9/pair. That store is a one-stop woo shop.

[Hellbound]

$55...what a ripoff. GNC (http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2134280&cp&change_search=products&keywords=ear&y=0&searchId=5630599444&x=0&parentPage=search) sells ear candles for only $9/pair. That store is a one-stop woo shop.

Hmmm. buy for $9, sell for $55...

I am in the WRONG freakin line of work!

[Tricky]

Hmmm. buy for $9, sell for $55...

I am in the WRONG freakin line of work!
And they're just freakin beeswax. They probably cost the store a nickle each.

[Hellbound]

And they're just freakin beeswax. They probably cost the store a nickle each.

CURSE MY ETHICS!!!!!!!!!

[Amraann]

What is ear candling??

[bluess]

Even in my woo-friendly days, the idea that sticking a piece of waxed paper in my ear WHILE IT WAS ON FIRE!!! sounded really frickin' idiotic to me.

[Hellbound]

What is ear candling??
The practice of burning 5 cent candles in people's ear and charging fifty-five dollars for it, thus creating an immediate $54.95 profit out of thin air.

[Amraann]

OK..... Thank you for explaining but it only creates another question.....

WHY?? I mean I understand the profit margin angle ... However, the reason someone would have this done to themselves eludes my understanding..

[Lisa Simpson]

http://skepdic.com/coning.html

It's amazing what people will fall for.

ETA: http://buttcandle.com/

[Amraann]

OMG are those people for real??


Thank you for the links... Absolute insanity is the only thing that comes to mind!

[Flange Desire]

I've just reported a local quack shop to the appropriate authorities down here, for false advertising.

I rang the quack first to discuss the details of their service and their advert but they just suggested that as ear candling 'was not suitable' to me, then there was no more to discuss.

They advertise in the local rag that their ear candling service is
Relaxing And Therapeutic
and then go on to list some ear problems that will benefit from it
(though they use careful advert-speak to not actually claim cures).

I personally doubt that having a stranger stick lit candles in ones orifices would relax one, but that may just be a personal preference.

However, to call it theraputic is outright fraud.

[rustytunes]

I've just reported a local quack shop to the appropriate authorities down here, for false advertising.

Very good job Flange. I have a good mind to do the same for a few shams I have come across in Brisbane lately. Was that the Office of Fair Trading?

[Flange Desire]

Very good job Flange. I have a good mind to do the same for a few shams I have come across in Brisbane lately. Was that the Office of Fair Trading?

No.
A surprisingly long series of run-arounds finally resulted in some success at
Theraputic Goods Administration on 02 62328757

Good luck Rusty.

PS, Does rust never sleep?

[rustytunes]

No.
A surprisingly long series of run-arounds finally resulted in some success at
Theraputic Goods Administration on 02 62328757

Good luck Rusty.

PS, Does rust never sleep?

I've had some communications already with the TGA, trying to find out their position with regards to homeopathy. Actually found them very helpful, in their own way.

This is my current beef: http://www.pathwaystopotential.net/Arbah%20Consultation.htm

Apparently rust never sleeps, but I'm seeking empirical evidence of this. I think however I may have found it in "Year of the Horse":D

[Silly Green Monkey]

The fun part is when the candle leaks and liquid hot wax pours into your ear.

[Flange Desire]

I've had some communications already with the TGA, trying to find out their position with regards to homeopathy. Actually found them very helpful, in their own way.

This is my current beef: http://www.pathwaystopotential.net/Arbah%20Consultation.htm

Apparently rust never sleeps, but I'm seeking empirical evidence of this. I think however I may have found it in "Year of the Horse":D

I spoke with Dawn Philpot at the TGA and found her quite helpful, etc.
She explained how they measure the volume of complaints for a particular area/theme, and then work on the biggests hits, ie, the squeeky wheel gets the grease.

Thanks for that link - it reeks of quackery.
Hope you can get some action on them.

[rustytunes]

Thanks for that link - it reeks of quackery.
Hope you can get some action on them.

It sure does. They are claiming "good results" with cancer etc. I have asked them several questions, including an explanation of what is this plasma current, and how is the code imprinted into it, but they are avoiding me like the plague. I can't imagine why...

[Suew0]

They are claiming "good results" with cancer etc.

Actually it said they had good results with cancer *patients*, which could mean anything. Most likely the "good result" is that the patients felt happier. And kept paying them. :-D

[ImaginalDisc]

And they're just freakin beeswax. They probably cost the store a nickle each.

They use beeswax for that? Beeswax melts at a much higher temperature than paraphin. It's more dangerous to use beeswax. Why do they?

[Jon.]

They use beeswax for that? Beeswax melts at a much higher temperature than paraphin. It's more dangerous to use beeswax. Why do they?

Presumably because it's "natural.":rolleyes:

[jon]

They use beeswax for that? Beeswax melts at a much higher temperature than paraphin. It's more dangerous to use beeswax. Why do they?

But it's natural, so (even bloody hot) beeswax must be good for you :D I mean, if beesting therapy can be beneficial, then why not burning-bees-wax-on-the-ear-drum therapy...

ETA: damn, was beat to it...

[aggle-rithm]

They use beeswax for that? Beeswax melts at a much higher temperature than paraphin. It's more dangerous to use beeswax. Why do they?

Maybe it looks more like earwax.

My sister-in-law insists that ear-candling is beneficial because you can see all the gunk that it's pulled out of your ear. There's an easy way to test this: Just burn an ear candle without putting it in your ear, and you will get the same results.

[Silly Green Monkey]

I found pictures online where someone stuck an ear candle into a glass of water and got the same waxy gunk.

[rjh01]

Where are the links to this site, Silly Green Monkey?

[Silly Green Monkey]

I can't seem to find it on google, but they also made ballistics gel and tried to find out how many condoms would fit on a dildo.

[Dark Jaguar]

Many years ago my mother got involved in this. Unfortunatly, this was when I was still gullible, and I had a really nasty ear infection going on at the time... So, embarresing as it is to admit, I was "ear candled". The whole experience was surreal actually. I lay on a mat and I get a lit funnel stuck in my ear. At first I had no real interest in it. I just couldn't understand what was supposed to make it work. My mom said that it creates a vacuum that sucks the blockage out of the ear. I can safely say my ear WAS blocked by something, so I figuered "eh, worth a shot" (I apparently didn't consider the possibility that some wax could drip into my ear during this, fortunatly that didn't happen). Well, I felt some warmth but not a bit of suction, and said as much, but just let it happen. My mom showed me the results pointing to the discoloration of the thing and I said "but that's not what color my infection is, it's BLACK, I've seen bits of it fall out of my ear, and also I can still feel it in there". Only, more politely and trying to come up with reasons why it didn't work THAT time. I just said "I guess my infection was just too much for it, I couldn't even feel any suction". Yeah, pretty pathetic. At any rate, the infection lasted for some time after that and the process didn't help a bit. Now that I'm of a more critical mindset, I'm not about to have someone stick a candle in my ear again, at least not without some substantial evidence to back up any claims about it.

[Spektator]

You know, if suckers--ah, patients, I mean--fall for this, there's a whole new area that we could get into and make billions of dollars on before anyone could catch wise.

We could offer simple and not provably ineffective treatments at, oh, a hundred bucks a pop.

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to alert you to the hitherto unexpected therapeutic, hydrodynamic, soical, and psychological benefits of rectal candling....

[Lisa Simpson]

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to alert you to the hitherto unexpected therapeutic, hydrodynamic, soical, and psychological benefits of rectal candling....

Dude...did you miss the buttcandles link I posted above?

[Spektator]

Dudette, deed I did.

[Hellbound]

Dudette, deed I did.

Don't feel bad, it's Lisa's fault.

[Spektator]

Me, I blame it on Meg.

[rjh01]

It is just the wrong hole. Put the candles in your mouth and draw out all the garbage. So in future you will speak only wise words.
Warning

[princesspoppy]

That ear candling twaddle looks like one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen..... use a cotton bud:rolleyes:

[AK-Dave]

A nurse in Bethel (on the west coast of Alaska) died in a fire that was caused by her ear candle about 2 years ago. Someone from the state fire marshal's office was interviewed in the news and actually endorsed ear candling. It should be noted that in the US, ear candles are regulated by the FDA as a medical device. An unapproved medical device. I saw them for sale on Amazon.com, and I was going to protest the fact that they were illegally selling unapproved medical devices, but I didn't have the time to follow through. Maybe this winter when things slow down...

Here is a link to something on the FDA website regarding ear candles:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia7701.html
A warning letter sent to an ear candle manufacturer:
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/m2202n.pdf

-David

[jon]

That ear candling twaddle looks like one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen..... use a cotton bud:rolleyes:

The cotton bud also isn't a good idea - can cause irritation or even damage, and push wax further in (for example http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16250286&dopt=Abstract) If you've got wax building up in your ear, the best bet's to use one of the OTC ear drops you can buy to soften the wax (or just add clean olive oil, and leave for a few minutes) or see a doctor...

That said, compared to hot wax on the ear drum, a cotton bud doesn't seem so bad :D