My Ear Pain:
I am 36 years old and have never experienced any trouble with my ears until now. Three months ago, I began to suffer from on and off pain in my right ear. The pain only ever lasted a few minutes before it disappeared again.
Two weeks ago, just before I went to the gym, I was again experiencing this pain in my right ear. Following a shower after the gym, my hearing became severely limited in my right ear.
I continued with limited hearing in my right ear for the next few days. Before I bought a spray for my ear from the local pharmacy, which told me to use that for the next 7-10 days.
The quality of my hearing did improve but only fractionally. I then found a massage and therapy establishment online that offered ear candling therapy near my home in Lisbon, Portugal. Following a brief look at their positive online reviews, I booked the treatment for April 10th.
What is Ear Candling Therapy?
Ear Candling Therapy is an alternative medicine practice, designed to alleviate ear pain in addition to the improvement of overall health.
Medical research on the effectiveness of the therapy is mixed, with many studies claiming the treatment is ineffective. Many companies and promoters of ear candling therapy promote its benefits online, including unfounded claims that it can cure cancer.
The procedure involves lying down on your side with a hollow candle placed in your ear. With the lighting of the other end of the candle. The treatment typically lasts around 20-30 minutes. The company I decided on going to was Terra Heal, based in Lisbon.
Once the procedure is ready to begin, a protective cloth is placed around the patient’s ear. To stop any lit falling debris from burning the patient. One end of the candle, surrounded by the cone of waxed cloth is lit with the other end placed in the patient’s ear.
As the ear candling begins, the flame is cut back at regular intervals and extinguished when around 3-5 inches from the patient, to avoid any potential injury. Supporters of ear candling therapy claim that the flame creates negative pressure, which helps bring wax and debris out of the ear canal.
The Treatment and the Results:
On my journey to Terra Heal, I was apprehensive but hopeful. I tried to stay away from reading too many reviews online, as I wanted to go into the treatment with a fresh mind and have no preconceived ideas.
I arrived just before my appointment at 12. After a short wait, I was greeted by Luis, who would be performing the ear candling treatment on me. He was very friendly and explained that all materials used are natural. He also explained I would not feel any pain apart from a warm feeling in my ear as the flame got nearer.
How Luis explained the procedure was exactly how it happened. I was very relaxed, only feeling a warm sensation as the flame got near my ear. The treatment was performed methodically, which made me feel at ease.
As the therapy came to a close, Luis explained it would be a couple of hours until I felt the difference. After leaving the premises and thanking Luis, I proceeded to head home. I could feel a difference in my ear once the first two hours passed. I began to feel a popping in my ear, which reminded me of a similar feeling when on an airplane.
As the days have progressed, I have noticed a positive difference in my ear. The pain has lessened, and as I write this one week later, ear candling therapy has undoubtedly helped the issue in my ear.
However, it has not completely fixed the problem, so I am left with mixed feelings regarding ear candling therapy. The therapy was professional and conducted appropriately, which made me feel at ease. However, maybe foolishly, my hope was it would fix the issue; it hasn’t.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”h0ves51ig1″ question=” Have you tried ear candling therapy? What were the results?” opened=”0″]From my personal experience, ear candling therapy is not something I would suggest doing at home. It’s a treatment that should and needs to be conducted by individuals who have experience performing ear candling therapy.
[/wpdiscuz-feedback] However, I am still not convinced about its long-term success rates. It’s difficult for me to turn people away from it as it undoubtedly helped me. Despite the partial success of the therapy, I am now booked in at my local doctor to take the next step in fixing the blockage in my ear.
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