Ear Candling: Update

Ok so I got it done…just kidding; I chickened out. However, my Mom did go to a local salon to get the ear candling procedure done. Forty five minutes and fifty bones later….nothing. My Mom often experiences pressure in her right ear and was hoping to alleviate this pressure through ear candling.
For 45 minutes you lie on your side (on a bed/comfortable chair) and wait as a lit candle (placed close to your ear) burns. The idea behind this procedure is that the candle is supposed to loosen the wax buildup in your ear so it flows out into a cone. At the end of the procedure, a lot of wax had come out into the cone. However, whether it was my mom’s wax or the candle’s wax, one will never know. The procedure is safe and harmless, however, whether there is any real need for it, remains to be seen.
The ancient art of ear candling has been around for centuries and some people swear by it. A simple Q tip every day in the ear will not eliminate years of debris and wax buildup that our ears (being open organs) are prone to. Apparently the procedure needs to be done a couple months apart for a year, and then once a year from then on, to get the full benefit. At $50 a pop, I don’t think it’s likely to be apart of my Mom’s regimen.