The Romance of Ear Candles
There is talk (and more) of the romance of ear candles.
Some doctors fail to see the romance. This report seems to be an example:
“Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science,” Edzard Ernst, Journal of Laryngology and Otology, vol. 118, no. 1, January 2004, pp. 1-2. The author, who is at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter, UK, explains that:
“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 have been associated with ear injuries. The inescapable conclusion is that ear candles do more harm than good. Their use should be discouraged.”