NOW HEAR THIS EAR CANDLING GAINS POPULARITY, DESPITE WARNINGS FROM MEDICAL EXPERTS.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

The reemergence of an ancient holistic hygiene technique has some medical professionals repeating common motherly advice: Don't stick anything in your ears.

To practice ``ear candling'' or ``coning,'' someone inserts into an ear canal a hollow wax cone set afire on the opposite end to vacuum out ear wax. Ear candles, selling for less than $10 per pair and typically made of woven cotton gauze hardened in aromatic beeswax, are readily available on the Internet and in stores selling health food, holistic goods, and natural beauty and hygiene products.

Proponents of the practice see it as the next big thing in personal hygiene, home remedies and self-help relaxation, to relieve everything from itching ears, joint pain and headaches, to sinusitis, depression and general malaise.

But medical professionals are dismissing the emerging practice, saying it has no health benefits and is potentially risky - regardless of why people do it.

``Something like ear candling or coning, in my mind, has failed to meet the criteria for an alternative treatment,'' said Dr. Michael Hirt, who hails from both Harvard Medical School and UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. He now practices both medical disciplines at the Integrative Center for Medicine in Tarzana.

``When I look at an alternative medicine, I look at its availability, its effectiveness and whether it's natural, safe and cost-effective,'' explained Hirt. ``I think a lot of people may be trying (ear candling) on their own because it's inexpensive. But they should be aware of the risks.''

Many of today's manufacturers claim that ancient peoples of Egypt or India used ear candles to tap into surrounding streams of energy. Those cultures believed ear candles removed wax and negative feelings to make people better energy receptors. Burning the wide end was thought to have created a vacuum powerful enough to draw wax from the ear canal.

It takes about three one-hour treatments over 2 to 3 weeks to give both ears a good vacuuming, according to manufacturers.

``It's relaxing, I guess. You feel purged afterward,'' explained Judy Choi of Woodland Hills, who just thinks of ear candles as a unique hygiene product. ``It's surprising to see all that ear wax come out. And it's painless. There's no other product I know of that does that.''

Medical experts say there's good reason why no other products try: Wax serves as a natural cleansing agent for ear canals.

Few studies have been done on candling, but one laboratory analysis published in a journal called Laryngoscope several years ago found candling created no vacuum suction whatsoever. An unrelated survey later reported that 17 of 177 doctors had treated patients with some candling injury or irritation, Hirt said.

Drips of hot wax could burn and block ears - even perforate ear drums, say medical experts.

Hirt has treated one patient with such injuries.

If candlers do feel some effect, he said it's psychological - they expect an effect so they are convinced one occurs. In fact, the ear canal has no anatomic connections with the sinuses or brain, he noted.

And some who have tested ear candles speculate the sound of the burning end - amplified through the cone - convinces the user that suction occurs.

``If you think of the body like a car, you can clean out the tail pipe, but it doesn't make the engine work better,'' added Hirt.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve of ear candles for medicinal or health purposes.

And most modern-day ear candle packages have disclaimers warning consumers the product is not meant for medical treatment, but meditation, relaxation or amusement.

Other manufacturers even instruct users to place ear candles against the outside surface of ears to avoid injury - not inside canals - and list precautions to avoid burns, such as sitting upright, using a disposable aluminum pan to keep the burning end away from the head, and wearing a wet towel around the head.

Still, Hirt is skeptical.

``We used to do lots of things in ancient times. We used to take elephant dung and rub it on the umbilical stump of newborns. We used to use mercury and arsenic for arthritis - which we now know are toxic,'' he said. ``We have learned from some of our mistakes in medicine and have come a long way. Not every ancient tradition needs to be brought back into the 21st century.''

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Photo: In this demonstration of ear candling, the fire remains far enough away from the patient's head to ensure safety during the procedure.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer