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Perform a quick online search for “ear candling,” and you’ll be bombarded with over 600,000 results immediately. You’ll find claims ranging from “candling cures a wide number of diseases,” as well as removing ear wax, all the way to warnings about how dangerous and ineffective the process can be.
Ear candling, sometimes referred to as simply “candling” or “ear coning,” is a common therapeutic practice used in natural health centers all over the world. Practitioners will often recommend this procedure to clients with hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus, cold/flu symptoms and a long list of other symptoms.
However, the FDA in the United States, as well as similar organizations in other countries, have outlawed the use of ear candling to claim any sort of medical benefit and cautioned the public to “just say no.”
That sounds a little mind-boggling, don’t you think.
How Ear Candling Is Supposed to Work
An ear candle is a hollow cone created from unbleached fabric, usually linen, soaked in paraffin, beeswax or soy wax. They range in length, averaging about a foot long.
First, you’ll be instructed to lie on your side and make sure your face and outer ear are protected by something like a plate. It will have a hole cut in the middle around the candle to avoid burns from wax drippings. Your practitioner should gently insert the tapered end of the candle into your ear canal at a 90 degree angle from the ear.
For 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll enjoy the pleasant, crackling sound of the burning candle as the person burning it cuts off the end of the cloth every two inches or so. When about four inches remain, the candle is removed from the ear and then blown out.
Turn over. Repeat. Then, look at the disgusting gunk that came out of your ears. How could all of that stuff have been in my head, you ask?
Supposedly, ear candling creates a vacuum inside the ear in order to draw out ear wax. Because of the buildup in the ear canal seen on the burned candle, it’s easy to see why people prescribe ear candles for things such as:
Research and clinical experience show that insomnia is associated with reduced quality of life as well as depression. In turn, depression can lead to sleep problems. Insomnia can also lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, hopelessness, exhaustion, and an inability to concentrate.
The more we look for sleep, the less we find it. Let go of the pursuit and focus on doing what you can to improve the situation.
Calm Your Mind
You can take actions to improve the quality of your nighttime rest. In the moments of your sleeplessness and distress, you can work to calm your mind and body through the use of conscious relaxation, cognitive therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy techniques. I recommend that you first consult your therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor to ensure that you have no psychological issues, medical complications, or medication interactions that could be causing your difficulties with sleep.
When it comes to sleep hygiene, studies show that a bedtime routine that includes a period of time to unwind can be effective. A common practice is to turn off all electronics after 9:00 pm and then get dressed and washed up for the night. Once ready for bed, do a relaxation exercise and spend 30 minutes reading a book before finally closing your eyes. If you are still struggling to sleep, try to reduce the amount of time you toss and turn by getting out of bed and going to a quiet, comfortable spot in another room or area of the bedroom to read or do more relaxation exercises.
Focus on the Body
If you have consistent trouble calming your mind, it can be more effective to focus on the body first. You can use relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, and somatic therapy techniques. One example of these techniques is to focus on your breath and body rather than on negative thought patterns and frustration. To do so, you breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. This simple exercise will automatically slow down your breathing and help your body relax. Then, after a few breaths, breathe through your nose for both the inhalation and exhalation, and begin to follow your abdomen’s rise and fall. This is called “riding the wave” of your breathing. Even if you do not fall asleep, your body is at rest.
To work with the mind, cognitive therapy and DBT techniques can be effective in challenging negative thinking and inserting reaffirming statements. A challenging statement could be, “Even though I am struggling to fall asleep, I can work to calm my mind and body the best I can.” Or, “I am struggling with sleep, and it will not last forever. I can be patient.” You want to validate your feelings, state the facts, and reassure yourself that you are doing the best that you can. Keep a log of your sleep activity, helpful ways you cope with negative thinking, and your relaxation exercises — all helpful for you as well as your health care professionals.
Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. Produced in the endocrine glands, these powerful chemicals travel around your bloodstream telling tissues and organs what to do. They help control many of your body’s major processes, including metabolism and reproduction.
When you have a hormonal imbalance, you have too much or too little of a certain hormone. Even tiny changes can have serious effects throughout your whole body.
Think of hormones like a cake recipe. Too much or too little of any one ingredient affects the final product. While some hormone levels fluctuate throughout your lifetime and may just be the result of natural aging, other changes occur when your endocrine glands get the recipe wrong. Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance
Your hormones play an integral role in your overall health. Because of that, there’s a broad range of symptoms that could signal a hormonal imbalance. Your symptoms will depend on which hormones or glands aren’t working properly.
Common hormonal conditions affecting both men and women could cause any of the following symptoms:
These chilling photos of the Ku Klux Klan in their early 1920s heyday feature in a new book by a historian who fears a 'Klannish spirit' is enjoying a resurgence in Donald Trump America. In one of the photos a baby has been forced to wear a traditional Ku Klux Klan hood during a Klan 'christening'.
Another bizarre image shows a group of Klan members posing while stood on top of a plane.
Klan members can be seen taking part in elaborate secret rituals and mass 'naturalisations', or initiation ceremonies, held in front of fiery crosses. Other photos show prominent Klan figures including the initiator of the second Klan, Colonel William J Simmons, the man who ousted him as head of the movement, Imperial Wizard Hiram Evans, and the Pillar of Fire Church Bishop Alma White.
In the early 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan boasted six million members - many of them women and children - and spoke out against the number of immigrants entering the country.
Their attacks on Irish, Italian, Jewish and Oriental immigrants resonated with large swathes of the population.
The white supremacists also condemned alcohol, prostitution, movies and jazz music.
However, the Klan's popularity collapsed amid revelations of sordid sexual scandals and financial embezzlement. The final straw was Indiana Grand Dragon David Stephenson's conviction for kidnapping, raping and murdering his secretary in 1925.
Historian Linda Gordon has charted the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s in her new book.
She says she sees worrying parallels between the America of the 1920s and America today under the presidency of Donald Trump.
She said: 'Racism and bigotry has had a long tradition in the USA, sometimes it is subterranean and sometimes it is loud and shouty.
Findings reveal disfiguring lesions of the face, scalp, hands, and nails. Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is occasionally associated with oral thrush and vitiligo.
Oropharyngeal candidiasis
Individuals with oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) usually have a history of HIV infection, wear dentures, have diabetes mellitus, or have been exposed to broad-spectrum antibiotics or inhaled steroids. Although patients are frequently asymptomatic, when symptoms do occur, they can include the following:
Sore and painful mouth
Burning mouth or tongue
Dysphagia
Thick, whitish patches on the oral mucosa
Physical examination reveals a diffuse erythema and white patches that appear on the surfaces of the buccal mucosa, throat, tongue, and gums.
The following are the 5 types of OPC:
Membranous candidiasis - One of the most common types; characterized by creamy-white, curdlike patches on the mucosal surfaces
Chronic atrophic candidiasis (denture stomatitis) - Also thought to be one of the most common forms of the disease; presenting signs and symptoms include chronic erythema and edema of the portion of the palate that comes into contact with dentures
Erythematous candidiasis - Associated with an erythematous patch on the hard and soft palates
Angular cheilitis - Inflammatory reaction characterized by soreness, erythema, and fissuring at the corners of the mouth
Mixed - A combination of any of the above types is possible
Esophageal candidiasis
Patients with esophageal candidiasis may be asymptomatic or may have 1 or more of the following symptoms:
Normal oral mucosa (>50% of patients)
Dysphagia
Odynophagia
Retrosternal pain
Epigastric pain
Nausea and vomiting
Physical examination almost always reveals oral candidiasis.
Nonesophageal gastrointestinal candidiasis
The following symptoms may be present:
Epigastric pain
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain
Fever and chills
Abdominal mass (in some cases)
Genitourinary tract candidiasis
The types of genitourinary tract candidiasis are as follows:
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) - Erythematous vagina and labia; a thick, curdlike discharge; and a normal cervix upon speculum examination
Candida balanitis - Penile pruritus and whitish patches on the penis
Candida cystitis - Many patients are asymptomatic, but bladder invasion may result in frequency, urgency, dysuria, hematuria, and suprapubic pain
Asymptomatic candiduria - Most catheterized patients with persistent candiduria are asymptomatic
Molluscum contagiosum thrives under warm and damp conditions, so keep the skin clean and dry. Try and avoid sharing the affected person’s towels, clothing, facecloths, bed-linen and toys to avoid spreading the condition.
Those affected should be dissuaded from scratching the bumps and certainly from squeezing them as this can promote spread to other areas of skin not yet affected. In children with the condition, thorough hand-washing should be encouraged to remove the virus from the hands. Affected children do not need to stay away from school (or equally, adults, from work).
For adults, shaving on the affected areas should be avoided. Also, if the ano-genital area is affected, refrain from sexual contact until you have seen a healthcare professional.
An introduction to MolluDab
The most common approach GPs currently take when treating Molluscum contagiosum is to do nothing, as the condition often disappears within 12-18 months of its own accord. However, the condition can take longer to resolve and those affected are often highly embarrassed or self-conscious about their condition. Historically, a number of unsuccessful approaches (owing to the pain and scarring) were used to treat Molluscum contagiosum. With the introduction of MolluDab in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a highly effective treatment is now available. MolluDab has been successfully used in Germany for several years and is the main product paediatricians most often recommend to treat Molluscum contagiosum. As mentioned, it is now available on prescription in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from your GP, or over the counter to order from your pharmacists, . MolluDab is a topical treatment which helps to kill the virus which causes Molluscum contagiosum and removes the bumps far more quickly than leaving the condition to resolve of its own accord. Furthermore, it does not cause the pain or scarring associated with certain physical removal techniques.
MolluDab works on Molluscum contagiosum
MolluDab contains 5% potassium hydroxide and this is dotted on the Molluscum contagiosum bumps twice daily by parents or the patients themselves. It breaks down the skin cells which encase the virus, to enable the immune system to recognise the virus and respond to it. After around 4-6 days treatment, the immune system mounts an ‘inflammatory reaction’ to Molluscum contagiosum. Once this inflammatory response has cleared the virus, the skin can begin healing and the Molluscum contagiosum lesions disappear after 1- 5 weeks.
How to apply MolluDab to Molluscum contagiosum
The video below demonstrates how to apply MolluDab. In addition, the following instructions are a concise guide on how to use MolluDab. For a full version, a patient leaflet is also available. Click hereto download the patient information leaflet.
Thrush is an infection that is caused by a yeast fungus. It is not a sexually transmitted infection but can sometimes develop after you have had sex
Thrush can develop in the vagina and on the male and female genitals. It is a very common cause of unusual vaginal discharge – three out of four women will have thrush at some point in their lives. Most men will not get thrush.
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of unusual vaginal discharge which develops when the normal environment of the vagina changes. One in three women will get it at some time. It is not a sexually transmitted infection but can develop after you have had sex. Men do not get bacterial vaginosis.
This page gives you information about thrush and bacterial vaginosis, what you can do if you are worried that you might have either or both infections and how to get treatment.
Thrush
What is thrush?
Thrush is usually caused by the yeast fungus candida albicans. This yeast lives harmlessly on the skin and in the mouth, gut and vagina. Normally it is kept under control. Occasionally, however, conditions change and signs and symptoms can develop. This is commonly known as thrush, thrush infection or candida, and sometimes as monilia. On this page we use the term thrush.
This information tells you about thrush that develops in the vagina and on the male and female genitals.
What causes thrush to develop?
Your chances of developing thrush increase if you:
are pregnant
wear tight clothing (such as tight jeans) or synthetic clothing (such as nylon underwear) that prevents ventilation
are taking antibiotics
are having chemotherapy
have uncontrolled diabetes, HIV or other illnesses that affect your immune system
use products that may cause irritation of the vagina, such as vaginal deodorant or perfumed bubble bath or shower gel.
What are the signs and symptoms of thrush?
Some people will not have any signs or symptoms at all, and may not be aware they have thrush. If you do get symptoms you might notice:
Women
Itching, soreness and redness around the vagina, vulva (the lips around the opening to the vagina) or anus (the opening to the rectum).
Unusual, white discharge from the vagina that may be thick and look like cottage cheese. It sometimes smells yeasty.
Pain when passing urine.
Pain when having sex.
Men
Irritation, burning or itching under the foreskin or on the tip of the penis.
Redness, or red patches, under the foreskin or on the tip of the penis.
A thin or thicker discharge, like cottage cheese, under the foreskin which sometimes smells yeasty.
Difficulty in pulling back the foreskin.
How will I know if I have thrush?
If you think that you may have thrush you can speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Thrush is not a sexually transmitted infection but it is important that you don’t delay seeking advice if you think you may have been at risk of a sexually transmitted infection.
What does the test involve?
Women
A doctor or nurse may:
look at the vagina and genital area
use a swab to collect a sample of cells from the vagina, during an internal examination.
You may be asked to use a swab or tampon yourself to get a sample.
Men
A doctor or nurse may:
look at the penis and genital area
use a swab to collect a sample of cells from the genital area including under the foreskin.
A swab looks a bit like a cotton bud, but is smaller, soft and rounded. The swab is wiped over the parts of the body that could be affected and easily picks up samples of discharge and cells. It only takes a few seconds and is not usually painful, though it may be uncomfortable for a moment.
Samples taken during the examination are looked at under a microscope to check for thrush. Sometimes the result is available immediately. If the sample is sent to a laboratory for testing, the result is usually available within a week.
Sometimes thrush signs will be noticed during a cervical screening test, but you will only need treatment if you have problems with discharge or itching. Routine blood tests do not detect infections such as thrush.
How accurate are the tests?
Tests for thrush are usually very accurate in women. They are less accurate in men, so diagnosis in men is often made by looking at the penis and genital area.
Where can I get a test?
You can have a test as soon as you have signs and symptoms. There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the service you feel most comfortable with.
A test can be done at:
a genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual health clinic
your general practice
some contraception clinics and young people’s services.
