Way of Life's January 2012 Newsletter

          

Way of Life Health Educator www.coreawareness.com

The Healing Benefits of Ear Candling

By Charlotte Carreira

History – What it is           

Although centuries old, the ancient technique of Ear Candling or Ear Coning has seen increased interest in the past decade in the holistic community. Thought to have originated with the Egyptians around 2500 BC, candling was used for spiritual cleansing as well as physical stimulation of the pores for drainage and clearing.

Ear Candling is a procedure that is practiced all over the world and continues to be practiced in Egypt, China, and Native American Indian cultures. All of these cultures used Ear Candling for healing and spiritual purification prior to initiation rites.

Background

The ear contains approximately four thousand pores along with several thousand-nerve endings, which attach themselves to acupuncture points associated with organs, bones, muscles, and skin, which carry subtle energy flows that carry our life force. These pores run long and deep into our system connecting to our sinuses, skeleton, lymph nodes, eyes, and other parts of our body. The pores also connect to the cerumen gland, which produces earwax 24 hours a day. When there is an overabundance of earwax, the wax puts pressure on the nerve endings. The nerve ending then puts pressure on the organ and deters it from potentially producing the essential nutrients necessary for our immune system to function optimally.

Candling today and its benefits

Ear Candling works similar to a subtle vacuum and allows the body to naturally cleanse the ear of wax and debris in an effortless, non-invasive way. This procedure can be used, as a method for cleansing the ear canal and sinuses, which is far less invasive than standard medical irrigation techniques.

Ear Candling may contribute toward alleviating conditions ranging from tinnitus to allergies, swollen lymph nodes, candida, and ear-related symptoms that cause discomfort in the head, neck and shoulder regions. In addition, Ear Candling may also detoxify the lymphatic system and thus clears the sinuses of congestion and discomfort associated with eye, ear, nose, and throat ailments.  It may improve the clarity of hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste. Even more importantly, the practice can be relaxing and uplifting, leading to a sense of well- being and contentment.

Ear Candling is a complementary modality to assist in the body's own ability to drain and eliminate toxins.  It is used as a complementary modality to enhance the focus on wellness.

Why candle?

The purpose of candling is to stimulate opening of the pores for drainage and to remove wax buildup, especially the heavy impacted wax that normal cleaning cannot remove. Candling is a comfortable alternative to the traditional cleaning method of forcing water into the ear canal.
Candling is also believed to remove candida, yeasts, fungus, and remnants of past infections. The Ear, Nose and Throat Journal of U of U Medical lab reported that the types of bacteria we currently fight in our ears include Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Anaerobic bacteria, and Influenza A and B.

Candling can be done on person of any age. Because of all the intricate crevices in the ear, debris can accumulate. This buildup creates a breeding ground that can interfere with correct hearing. Impacted wax can build up against ear ducts and can also block reception of incoming sound waves. This lifetime accumulation may explain some of the hearing problems we develop as we age. It is reported that 20% of adults between 65-74 have hearing problems.

How candles work / procedure

Original style coning by the Egyptians utilized hollow reeds. In addition, many South American cultures use rolled paper wrapped with herbs as a candle.  Today, coning/candling uses a hollow candle, much like a large straw. Although they differ, most candles are made of 100% unbleached cotton (muslin) fabric coated with purified paraffin and/or beeswax. There are also some specialty candles, which contain herbs and oils.

Candling applies simple laws of science. The burning candle creates a gentle, soft flow of warmth and smoke that flows into the ear drying it out and helping to soften old earwax as well as to soothe the ear. Its spiral shape draws the smoke downward and then it spirals into the ear canal creating just enough warmth to open the pores for drainage and melt wax and other debris (candida) onto the smoke. The wax and debris-laden smoke then circles back out of the ear and up through the small opening of the candle where it deposits the wax and debris. The process gathers toxins from the lymphatic and sinus systems.
The process is very soothing, relaxing, and non-invasive. The procedure assists the body's natural excretion process over a period of time with the stimulation of the pores.

Generally, a session includes two candles (one for each ear) and takes approximately 30 -45 minutes. Depending on individual circumstances, it is usually recommended that one wait a few days between candlings as it takes the ears about 24 hours to replace their protective coating of wax if it has been removed.

NOTE: It is important to discuss candling with your health practitioner and always use common sense. Candling is not a replacement for proper health care, but can be an effective home remedy. Candling should not be done on a person who has a perforated eardrum or similar problems. In addition, ear Candling should not be done alone as close observation of the burning flame is critical to one's safety.

CAUTION: Ear candles are a home remedy and should not take the place of medical treatment. They make no medical claims. They are not a medical device or take the place of any medical device. The ear candles and information herewith are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, disorder, pain, injury, deformity or physician or mental condition. Results are not typical. Individual results may vary.

Charlotte Carreira is a Wellness Coach with a broad range of education, including advanced degrees from University of Santa Clara in physiological psychology, research, marketing & business administration. Certified in Medical Intuition, Reiki, Pre-Cognitive Re-education, Nutrition, and Marathon Training, Ear Candling & Fire walk facilitation. Charlotte has worked for large domestic & international corporations as well as small start-up & home-based businesses. She is a top ranking SimplexityHealth Coach and the mother of two.