5 Health Benefits From Bees, and 5 That Call for Caution

You have earwax. Would you hold a beeswax-coated tube that's on fire up to your ear in an effort to vacuum out earwax? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, yet "ear candling" has become a popular therapy that proponents claim relieves everything from sinusitis to postnasal drip. However, scientific study has shown that lit candles don't produce enough suction to draw wax out. They've also demonstrated that gunk that's supposedly exhumed earwax is actually debris produced by the candle. If you're still tempted by the allure of ear candling, be aware that a generous layer of earwax actually keeps our ears healthy and shouldn't be removed at all, according to recently released medical guidelines. Plus, doctors say that if hot wax gets accidentally dripped into the ear canal, it can do real harm.