So, this ear candling experience was over a year ago and I’m choosing not to say where I got it done because I think this practitioner is amazing in so many other ways. BUT, ear candling is not for me.
You may be wondering “wtf is ear candling”, so let me start there: this is a process where a “candle”, which is a rolled paper coated in wax, is lit and the heat from the candle basically creates a suction that pulls wax and debris out of the ear canal while also softening the wax so that it is easier to remove.
I sought out this modality because one of my ears was plugged and I wanted to try natural approaches before venturing to the Ear/Nose/Throat doctor (ENT) and I had waited way too long for the issue to resolve on it’s own (I think this is pretty standard for wellness practitioners). The procedure was painless and interesting and she did three candles on my plugged ear and two on the other to keep things a bit balanced. I was super optimistic, but left with my ear still plugged. But, hey, I love trying new things so that was still a win in my book.
Unfortunately, a week or so later my ears became insanely itchy. Then they started to become red, then started to kind of ooze a liquid wax and do other unpleasant things. I again did my standard flow of ‘ignore it it will go away” (it didn’t), “try as many natural approaches as you can find online and via friend groups” (lots of weird things, none that worked) and then finally I wound up in the ENTs office.
After a few appointments, a separate appointment to my dermatologist and lots of annoying (and painful) trial and error therapies - I found out it was most likely a fungal infection. This most likely happened because the ear candling had done it’s job and stripped away the protective waxy lining of the ear canal (except it left the hard wax plug which I later had removed and lied and said I would stop using q-tips). Unfortunately, this meant that when I put in my gym ear buds straight from my not-so-clean gym bag - it introduced all sorts of things my poor little ears could no longer defend against.
Learn from my mistakes: don’t wait to get help if something in your body is off, IF you decide to try ear candling - go to a professional and be sure to get aftercare tips (like DON’T put anything that isn’t super duper clean in your ear for a long time after the treatment)., and be sure to balance the complementary medicine with the biomedical stuff because both have a time and place. And, NO ONE has time for yucky ear stuff.
Ear candling? Don’t go there for self care.
xo,
Jenna