Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T01:05:37.646Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

E. Ernst
E. Ernst
Affiliation:
Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter & Plymouth, Exeter,UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Ear candles are hollow tubes coated in wax which are inserted into patients’ ears and then lit at the far end. The procedure is used as a complementary therapy for a wide range of conditions. A critical assessment of the evidence shows that its mode of action is implausible and demonstrably wrong. There are no data to suggest that it is effective for any condition. Furthermore, ear candles havebeen associated with ear injuries. The inescapable conclusion is that ear candles do more harm than good. Their use should be discouraged.

Keywords

CerumenTherapy
Type
Review Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 118 , Issue 1 , January 2004 , pp. 1 - 2
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)