ear candling
Hollow cone therapy
Ear candling is an alternative medicine practice where a hollow cone of fabric coated in wax is inserted into the ear canal and lit, supposedly to draw out earwax and impurities.
Despite persistent claims of health benefits, studies show it produces no suction effect and can cause burns, ear canal blockages, and perforated eardrums: My aunt swears by ear candling, but her doctor told her to stop.
Forming conical shapes
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- taperNarrow gradually toward point
- beeswaxHoneycomb building material
- insertionPlacing something within
flame · smoke · dripping · session · treatment · practitioner · spa · lying down
Exposed as fraudulent
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- placeboInactive therapeutic substitute
- quackeryFraudulent medical practice
- unprovenNot yet established
ineffective · misinformation · hoax · snake oil · charlatan · skepticism · disproven · false claims
Alternative healing using nature
- folk remedyTraditional unofficial medical treatment
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
- herbalismPlant-based healing tradition
traditional medicine · old wives tale · home remedy · ayurveda · pre-modern
Waxy ear discharge
- earwaxEar canal secretion
- impactionFirmly lodged condition
- eardrumInner auditory membrane
- audiologyStudy of hearing disorders
otoscope · ear canal · hearing · tinnitus · earache · otitis · audiologist · eustachian
Formal event marking occasions
- cleansingRemoving dirt or toxins
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- spiritualRelating to the soul
- shamanicOf spirit-world intermediaries
sacred · ancient · tradition · meditative · ceremonial · custom · indigenous · ancestral
coning
Forming conical shapes
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- taperNarrow gradually toward point
- beeswaxHoneycomb building material
insertion · flame · smoke · dripping · session · treatment · practitioner · spa · lying down · paper plate
debunked
Exposed as fraudulent
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- placeboInactive therapeutic substitute
- quackeryFraudulent medical practice
unproven · ineffective · misinformation · hoax · snake oil · charlatan · skepticism · disproven · false claims
naturopathy
Alternative healing using nature
- folk remedyTraditional unofficial medical treatment
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
herbalism · traditional medicine · old wives tale · home remedy · ayurveda · pre-modern
cerumen
Waxy ear discharge
audiology · otoscope · ear canal · hearing · tinnitus · earache · otitis · audiologist · eustachian · pinna
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- cleansingRemoving dirt or toxins
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- spiritualRelating to the soul
shamanic · sacred · ancient · tradition · meditative · ceremonial · custom · indigenous · ancestral · healing ritual