Ear candling, also called ear coning or thermal-auricular therapy, is an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal. Medical research has shown that the practice is both dangerous and ineffective and does not help remove earwax or alleged toxins. The claim by one manufacturer that ear candles originated with the Hopi tribe also has been disproven. 

Ear Coning is a folk medicine practice intended to remove earwax (cerumen) and "toxins" from a person's ear by means of a hollow candle placed in the ear. It involves placing one end of a hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting it. Ear candling has been shown to be ineffective at creating a vacuum and removing impurities from the ear, and has resulted in injuries. 

Ear candling is used primarily for cleaning the ears and to promote a healthy atmosphere in the ears, sinus cavities and throat. There are, however, several