Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Ear Candling: Is it illegal?

I was alerted to a local site that advertises a whole bunch of woo-woo but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "Ear Candling" listed as a service they offered. 

I thought "isn't ear candling illegal?"  It was something I was almost certain I had researched before. 

Sure enough, it is illegal.

A quick search showed local businesses advertising the service:

Treat Yourself Wellness Centre
Sarnia Holistic Healing Centre
Acupuncture and Natural Healing Centre

Health Canada (for those that didn't click on the link) clearly states:
The practice of ear candling has recently become popular as an alternative therapy. Some promoters say it is an ancient treatment that can cure a number of medical problems. Don't listen: ear candling is dangerous, and has no proven medical benefits.

A little further down the page:
Health Canada's Medical Devices Regulations state that certain types of medical devices, including ear candles, require a licence from Health Canada before anyone can sell them for therapeutic purposes.

Health Canada has not issued any licences for ear candles. Therefore, the sale of this product for therapeutic purposes in Canada is illegal. As well, both Canada and the United States have issued directives that ban the importing of ear candles.

For more information on ear candling, see CBC Marketplace's report or check out Quackwatch.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

WOW !
Did you look at the other stuff they advertise?
And you pick on ear candling?
Woo Woo is right!