Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

[Guest guest]

" cleansing the inside of the ears and head " sounds

vaguely ghoulish.

 

At 11:39 AM -0800 1/20/09, fraggle wrote:

....For thousands of years, a form of hygiene known as Ear

Candling, was used as a way of naturally cleansing the inside of the

ears and head....

[Guest guest]



Our shops do not make great claims for them, and the paperwork contained with the candles does not state anything that would seem to be outrageous.

 

Jo

 

 

-

Blake Wilson

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:28 PM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

 

Jo, quacks in the UK make the same claim about ear candles as quacks in the US. Here's a couple samples:http://www.lynnehancher.co.uk/aaahop.htmhttp://www.metta.org.uk/therap/ear_candles.htmhttp://www.revital.co.uk/Biosun_Hopi_Ear_CandlesFunny, that this "Hopi" ear candle nonsense seems prevalent in the UK. Ask the Hopi in the US about it, and they'll tell you this (particularly in regards to the "Biosun Hopi" product mentioned above):

Thank you for your letter dated March 2, 2004, in follow-up to your September 19, 2003, requesting clarification of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office's response.The Hopi Cultural Preservation Office is not aware of Hopi people ever practicing "Ear Candeling." Biosun and Revital Ltd. are misrepresenting the name "Hopi" with their products. This therapy should not be called "Hopi Ear Candeling." The history of Ear Candeling should not refer to being used by the Hopi Tribe. Use of this false information with reference to Hopi should be stopped.We appreciate your efforts to stop this false representation the United Kingdom, and we will inquire as to whether Martin Gashweseoma gave permission for the use of his image for the promotion of ear candles. Thank you for your interest in resolving this situation.If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Lee Wayne Lomayestewa at the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office. Thank you again for your consideration.

Respectfully,Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, DirectorHopi Cultural Preservation Officehttp://freespace.virgin.net/ahcare.qua/index5.htmlThe only time you should stick a candle in your ear is when you've forgetten your alarm clock:http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=8a765c307bf6c705 & q=ed%20wynn%20candle%20source:life & prev=/images%3Fq%3Ded%2Bwynn%2Bcandle%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den%26safe%3DoffBlake

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM, jo.heartwork <jo.heartwork > wrote:

 

 

 

 



Ah - I think I see the difference between our countries now. In the UK companies are not allowed to make false claims about their products. The descriptions on the candles, I believe, say they may help ease earache. I don't think they mention anything about sinues etc. So maybe the candles in the UK do exactly what they say on the packet - ease earache - and maybe that is due to some warmth or something (just guessing as I have never used them). Obviously if there are vast claims for them in America then it is unlikely that they would actually do what they say.

 

Jo

 

[Guest guest]



I was talking about our shops - and the ones I have been into have not tried to oversell the candles.

 

Jo

 

 

-

fraggle

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:39 PM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

 

 

one quick seaqch on google brought up this

 

Will this pounding/ringing in my ears ever stop?Everything sounds muffled… Am I loosing my hearing? What can I do?

There’s nothing worse than experiencing ear pain or sinus headaches where you can’t work, think or sleep.

For thousands of years, a form of hygiene known as Ear Candling, was used as a way of naturally cleansing the inside of the ears and head.

Today, more and more are seeking alternatives to digging in the ears with Q-tips or using a hydrogen peroxide flush to clear blockages in the ear canal.

Ear Candling is a natural, non-intrusive procedure that may help alleviate the painful effects of chronic headaches or sinus conditions, ear infections, allergies or vertigo, as well as minor hearing loss due to excessive earwax build up.

 

Looking for earcandling supplies? Check out: http://www.whiteegretearcandles.com

 

"jo.heartwork" Jan 20, 2009 10:47 AM Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

 

 

 Ah - I think I see the difference between our countries now. In the UK companies are not allowed to make false claims about their products. The descriptions on the candles, I believe, say they may help ease earache. I don't think they mention anything about sinues etc. So maybe the candles in the UK do exactly what they say on the packet - ease earache - and maybe that is due to some warmth or something (just guessing as I have never used them). Obviously if there are vast claims for them in America then it is unlikely that they would actually do what they say.

 

Jo

 

 

 

-

fraggle

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 4:01 PM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

 

 

sorry, gonna have to agree with Blake.

rebecca uses ear candles, and then she'll show me the "gunk".

looks like burnt wax and wick to me.

and, i look at it like this, if ear candles worked the way they are "supposed" to (creating a vacuum in your ear), you'd blow out your eardrum. and (since many claim to cleanse toxins from your sinuses and brain!) it would have to drill a hole from your ear canal over and into your sinuses.

now, the warmth from the candle may indeed loosen some blockage, and it may help some folks in nthat sense (warm smoke can help certain ppl in their ears), but as for pulling out all this stuff, nah......

but then again, i'm not a doctor..what do i know...

just looking at it logically...well, with my logic. i got it on sale at Target....

cheers

fraggle

Peter Kebbell Jan 20, 2009 6:38 AM Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

 

 

Hi BlakeOf course there is some validity to the placebo effect. I just find it odd that something which doesn't work would continue to be used for millennia. In the modern day and age, it's easy to explain that advertising and scams have some weight in promoting "false" products, but that's really only true with modern communication technology. If they hadn't worked in the first place, then they'd have simply disappeared when the original users found they did nothing.When it comes to ear candles, I found that they didn't do anything for me - but they were recommended to me by over a dozen people who all said that they had worked for them... and I'm pretty sure that none of them were on commission, so I have to accept that they were telling the truth!BBPeter

2009/1/20 Blake Wilson <mbw

 

science? you don't need a lab, microscope, and a billion dollars in funding to see through these scams. just try them for yourself. sure, you'll get results...the same results, every time, because nothing is leaving your body that the "cleanses" didn't put there. if you burn the candle outside your ear, it'll fill with wax. if you mix the liver/gallstone ingredients on the stovetop, you'll get stones. if you add some acid to benonite clay and psyllium husk, you'll get "mucoid plaque" wherever you'd like it: in your gut or in a bucket. if you'd like, add some science to this grammar school project, and you'll find some pretty convincing evidence that these phenomena really aren't that phenomenal. but add the religious fervor of people that unwaveringly believe in the two dogmas i listed in my post (distrust of conventional medicine and the "rapid cleanse") to the wax and "plaque" and you get something else entirely....usually just an empty bank account and possible severe damage to your body. and sure, when it comes to the operation and functioning of the human body, ants, automobiles, the atmosphere, and the computer i'm typing on, science tells us quite a bit, but i agree, it can't explain everything. i'm not religious about anything and realize that my beliefs about science aren't very different that someone else's disbelief, or yet another person's belief in their religion. at the same time, i agree with what jo said: if you stick a candle in your ear and you believe it sucked the wax and impurities out of your head and you hear better and feel better, then that's important too, regardless of the fact that ear candles can't really create that kind of vacuum. pragmatism and placebo go hand in hand in cases like this. but once you know the truth about things like ear candling, i think you'd be operating under some serious cognitive dissonance if you "hear better" after using one. that being said, i'm not relying on the good ol science for this topic, peter. you don't even need to go that far!blake

 

 

 

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:10 AM, Peter <metalscarab > wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Blake

 

Ah - the good old "science can't prove it so it must be untrue...."

 

BB

Peter

 

 

-

Blake Wilson

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 12:11 AM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

peter, try burning them without sticking them in your ear and you'll see the very same "wax" that you think came out of your ear. ear candling is a total and complete new age fraud. i hope you didn't pay much for your "treatment", and yes, the power of suggestion is indeed powerful, as you've learned. my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back. she did it to me, and opened it up and said "viola! that was in your ear canal" and i said "bullshit. lets burn one on its own" and of course there was the "wax" which is nothing more than the stuff from the candle burning down that could have fallen into your ear! ear candling and things like "liver cleansing" and "colon cleansing/mucoid plaque" are unqualified scams and should be avoided. the gallstones/liver cleanse scam is particularly amusing. each time you do the cleanse, you still get the "gallstones" in your bowel movements, which means you've got an endless supply of the things (and they do not pass out your rectum, btw). of course, the "cleanse" itself provides the "stones" or "rope" which pass out in your waste, much like the "wax" in ear candling:http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=18077749http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/flushes.htmlhttp://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2004/12/mucoid-plaque-dubious-idea.htmlthe proponents of these types of "remedies" prey upon two things: 1. our distrust of "straight" medicine. they argue that their methods are being surpressed, that licensed MDs don't want to lose their control over medicine, the FDA is out to get them, black helicopters are flying elvis around, etc., and that these "natural" methods, easily administered at home, can cure all types of maladies. maybe in some cases, but certainly not these. 2. the belief that toxins can be rapidly dispelled from the body likitysplit. what's funny is that the people that do these sorts of things, and i know a few, typically eat healthy, natural foods (some are vegan!) yet are convinced that their body is riddled with toxins and that their GI tract is lined with the bubblegum they swallowed when they were kids. "normal", fat americans, the people who really need a "cleanse" don't think this way, just the healthy new age ones that don't need it....bizarre. peter?blake

On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 10:48 AM, Peter VV <swpgh01 (AT) talk21 (DOT) com> wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eased my problem of compacted ear wax, after using you can open them up to see how much wax they have removed, its a bit gross!, but the evidence is there....

 

Peter vv

 

 

 

 

Blake Wilson <mbw Sent: Monday, 19 January, 2009 5:47:28 AMRe: Just a quick question...

 

 

yes i have. please describe what you mean by "worked". what happened?blake

 

On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 1:02 AM, Peter VV <swpgh01 (AT) talk21 (DOT) com> wrote:

 

 

 

 

I had ear candles and found that they worked for me? have you tried them?

"Will we ever get to the point that we realize that we will be more secure when the rest of the world isn't living in poverty just so we can have nice running shoes?"

 

 

 

"Will we ever get to the point that we realize that we will be more secure when the rest of the world isn't living in poverty just so we can have nice running shoes?"

[Guest guest]

Yes, I tried it about 10 years ago. Reread my initial post on the subject, which I'll partially repost here: " my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back. she

did it to me, and opened it up and said " viola! that was in your ear

canal " and i said " bullshit. lets burn one on its own " and of course

there was the " wax " which is nothing more than the stuff from the

candle burning down that could have fallen into your ear " I am not doubting whether you felt better or had a good sleep after your experience, just as I would not doubt you saying the same thing after say, eating a nice meal, seeing a pleasant landscape, or meditating about the meaning of life. I am saying, however, that an ear candle did not suck impurities out of your ear and brain and deposit them into a tube for you to see.

" Bring it on? " Well, Peter, it's pretty clear the candle sucked something out of your brain....like common sense!(you said " bring it on " ;^)Blake, donning flame-proof drawers.....

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM, Peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

So now its devolved to words like fraud, nonsense?, OK bring it on.

Have you tried ear candles? yes or no?

 

Peter vv

[Guest guest]

Blake

 

On our home page it states that discussions must be kept on a mature

level. You answered Peter VVs question and then strayed. Please do

not be rude to other members.

 

Jo

 

, Blake Wilson <mbw wrote:

>

> Yes, I tried it about 10 years ago.

>

> Reread my initial post on the subject, which I'll partially repost

here:

>

> " my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back.

she did it

> to me, and opened it up and said " viola! that was in your ear

canal " and i

> said " bullshit. lets burn one on its own " and of course there was

the " wax "

> which is nothing more than the stuff from the candle burning down

that could

> have fallen into your ear "

>

> I am not doubting whether you felt better or had a good sleep after

your

> experience, just as I would not doubt you saying the same thing

after say,

> eating a nice meal, seeing a pleasant landscape, or meditating

about the

> meaning of life. I am saying, however, that an ear candle did not

suck

> impurities out of your ear and brain and deposit them into a tube

for you to

> see.

>

> " Bring it on? " Well, Peter, it's pretty clear the candle sucked

something

> out of your brain....like common sense!

>

> (you said " bring it on " ;^)

>

> Blake, donning flame-proof drawers.....

>

>

> On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM, Peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

>

> > So now its devolved to words like fraud, nonsense?, OK bring

it on.

> > Have you tried ear candles? yes or no?

> >

> > <http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=user.viewprofile & friendid=123544694>

> > Peter vv

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Alright folks... I'm going to have to put on the moderators hat.

 

Since we seem unable to keep this conversation on a mature, polite level, I'm calling it to an end.

 

Blake - please try to remember our one rule here - don't be rude to each other. It won't be tolerated.

 

Peter

 

-

Blake Wilson

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 6:22 AM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

Yes, I tried it about 10 years ago. Reread my initial post on the subject, which I'll partially repost here:"my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back. she did it to me, and opened it up and said "viola! that was in your ear canal" and i said "bullshit. lets burn one on its own" and of course there was the "wax" which is nothing more than the stuff from the candle burning down that could have fallen into your ear"I am not doubting whether you felt better or had a good sleep after your experience, just as I would not doubt you saying the same thing after say, eating a nice meal, seeing a pleasant landscape, or meditating about the meaning of life. I am saying, however, that an ear candle did not suck impurities out of your ear and brain and deposit them into a tube for you to see. "Bring it on?" Well, Peter, it's pretty clear the candle sucked something out of your brain....like common sense!(you said "bring it on" ;^)Blake, donning flame-proof drawers.....

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM, Peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now its devolved to words like fraud, nonsense?, OK bring it on.

Have you tried ear candles? yes or no?

 

Peter vv

[Guest guest]

Ok!I very purposefully made a silly jab that I thought was completely in tune with the direction of the discussion (which went from a talk about content to a talk about the commentators) and put a smiley on it...nothing more than what you'd say " down the pub " after someone says " bring it on! " .

But I'm done, and thanks for steering me back on course. Blake On Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 1:08 AM, Peter <metalscarab wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright folks... I'm going to have to put on the moderators hat.

 

Since we seem unable to keep this conversation on a mature, polite level, I'm calling it to an end.

 

Blake - please try to remember our one rule here - don't be rude to each other. It won't be tolerated.

 

Peter

 

-

 

Blake Wilson

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 6:22 AM

Re: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

Yes, I tried it about 10 years ago. Reread my initial post on the subject, which I'll partially repost here: " my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back. she did it to me, and opened it up and said " viola! that was in your ear canal " and i said " bullshit. lets burn one on its own " and of course there was the " wax " which is nothing more than the stuff from the candle burning down that could have fallen into your ear " I am not doubting whether you felt better or had a good sleep after your experience, just as I would not doubt you saying the same thing after say, eating a nice meal, seeing a pleasant landscape, or meditating about the meaning of life. I am saying, however, that an ear candle did not suck impurities out of your ear and brain and deposit them into a tube for you to see. " Bring it on? " Well, Peter, it's pretty clear the candle sucked something out of your brain....like common sense!(you said " bring it on " ;^)Blake, donning flame-proof drawers.....

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM, Peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now its devolved to words like fraud, nonsense?, OK bring it on.

Have you tried ear candles? yes or no?

 

Peter vv

[Guest guest]

Aw Blake, cheap, cheap shot, and it missed.

 

 

Peter vv

 

 

 

 

Blake Wilson <mbw Sent: Wednesday, 21 January, 2009 6:22:49 AMRe: Just a quick question/ear candle fraud

 

Yes, I tried it about 10 years ago. Reread my initial post on the subject, which I'll partially repost here:"my ex girlfriend got into this ear candle nonsense a while back. she did it to me, and opened it up and said "viola! that was in your ear canal" and i said "bullshit. lets burn one on its own" and of course there was the "wax" which is nothing more than the stuff from the candle burning down that could have fallen into your ear"I am not doubting whether you felt better or had a good sleep after your experience, just as I would not doubt you saying the same thing after say, eating a nice meal, seeing a pleasant landscape, or meditating about the meaning of life. I am saying, however, that an ear candle did not suck impurities out of your ear and brain and deposit them into a tube for you to see. "Bring it on?" Well, Peter, it's pretty clear the candle sucked something out of your brain....like common

sense!(you said "bring it on" ;^)Blake, donning flame-proof drawers.....

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM, Peter VV <swpgh01 (AT) talk21 (DOT) com> wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now its devolved to words like fraud, nonsense?, OK bring it on.

Have you tried ear candles? yes or no?

 

Peter vv