E

ear-candling Sometimes also called ear-coning, a
home remedy dating back to 2500 B.C.for removing
ear wax, fungus, or impurities that supposedly cause
a blockage of the ear canal or discomfort in the ears
and sinuses. Made from paraffin- or beeswax-soaked
natural fibers such as linen or cotton and specifically
tapered into cone shapes and allowed to dry and
harden, an ear (or auricular) candle is a hollow wax
cylinder approximately 10 inches long. (Variations of
this include wax-soaked newspaper and pottery
cones through which herbal smoke is blown. Also,
various herbs, honey, or other substances may be
added to the wax.) After being fitted into a hole in a
protective plate, it is lit and the smaller (unlit) end
placed in the ear canal as the patient lies on his or her
side. A collecting plate catches melting wax from the
burning end of the candle. The rationale for this pro-
cedure is that the burning candle creates a convec-
tion or vacuum that sucks out undesirable material
from the ear, although there is no evidence that any
suction is created. The ear-candling session lasts
approximately 45 minutes, and practitioners, also
known as “earconologists,” claim that two to eight
sessions may required before complete relief is expe-
rienced. Ear-candlers do not recommend the proce-
dure for individuals who have perforated or artificial
eardrums or those who have ear tubes.
Ear candles are not approved by the Federal
Drug Administration (FDA) and are banned in
Canada. Despite anecdotal reports that ear-can-
dling relieves earache, sinus headache, swimmer’s
ear, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, auricu-
lar herpes zoster, Ménière’s disease, vertigo, stress-
related problems, allergies, tinnitus, hearing
problems, and other ailments, particularly those of
horn players and singers, who are said to have a
greater earwax buildup, the process is generally

considered dangerous—largely because of burns

and the potential for puncturing the eardrum—and

ineffective. Conventional medicine states that com-

pacted earwax or any other impairment or injury

of the ear should be attended to by a physician.

Eastern medicine Various disciplines of medical

practice derived from ancient lands including Egypt

and countries of the Middle and Near East, conti-

nental Asia, China, Japan, and other regions.

Ancient Indian medicine, or Ayurveda; traditional

Chinese and Japanese medicine; and a wide range

of additional practices, such as qigong, t’ai ch’i,

yoga, and massage, have now been introduced into

the United States as alternative/complementary

treatment modalities.

effleurage A technique of massage involving

slow, rhythmic strokes.

See alsoMASSAGE.

eight principal patterns Also known as the eight

guiding principles, the diagnostic method in tradi-

tional Chinese medicine that uses the principles of

yin-yang (both of these are composites of a per-

son’s illness), cold-hot (either lack of or excess of

body heat), interior- exterior (also called internal-

external, referring to afflictions of the inner organs,

blood vessels, bones, nerves, etc., or skin, muscles,

hair, joints, superficial muscles, etc.), and excess-

deficiency (either a surplus or lack of the basic

body constituents such as blood, qi (ch’i), and mois-

ture). Chinese practitioners believe a person’s ill-

ness is related to any or a combination of these

eight concepts. Treatment is determined by one or

more of the principles.

See also EMPTY HEAT; QI; YIN-YANG.

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