FDA Warns Consumers To Stay Away From Ear Candles
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has warned three large manufacturers to stop marketing ear candles and has posted a consumer warning on its web site. The warning page states that during the past decade, the FDA has received reports of burns, punctured eardrums, and blockage of the ear canal that required outpatient surgery.
An ear candle is a hollow cone about 10 inches long made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax, paraffin, or a mixture of the two. In ear candling, also called ear coning or thermal auricular therapy, a patient lies on his or her side while a candle is placed in the outer ear and lit. Marketers claim that warmth created by the device produces suction that draws wax and other impurities out of the ear canal. However, tests by Health Canada found that ear candles produce no measurable effect in the ear and have no therapeutic value.
“Some ear candles are offered as products that purify the blood, strengthen the brain, or even 'cure' cancer," says Eric Mann, M.D., Ph.D., clinical deputy director of the FDA's Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological, and Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices. But the FDA warns that ear candles can cause serious injuries, even when used in accordance to manufacturers' directions. "Also," says Mann, "FDA believes that there is no valid scientific evidence for any medical benefit from their use."
The FDA says that ear candling -- the procedure is also called "ear coning" and "thermal auricular therapy" -- exposes the recipient to risks such as:
- starting a fire;
- burns to the face, ear canal, eardrum, and middle ear;
- injury to the ear from dripping wax;
- ears plugged by candle wax;
- bleeding;
- puncture of the eardrum; and
- delay in seeking needed medical care for underlying conditions such as sinus and ear infections, hearing loss, cancer, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. (TMJ disorders often cause headache and painful sensations in the area of the ear, jaw, and face).
Over the past decade, FDA has received reports of burns, punctured eardrums, and blockage of the ear canal which required outpatient surgery from the use of ear candles. And in a survey published in 1996, the medical journal Laryngoscope reported 13 cases of burns of the ear, seven cases of ear canal blockage due to wax, and one case of a punctured eardrum.
If you or someone you know purchased and used ear candles and have been injured as a result, please contact us to discuss your legal options.
Over the past decade, FDA has received reports of burns, punctured eardrums, and blockage of the ear canal which required outpatient surgery from the use of ear candles. And in a survey published in 1996, the medical journal Laryngoscope reported 13 cases of burns of the ear, seven cases of ear canal blockage due to wax, and one case of a punctured eardrum.