Ear candling comes from Ayurveda, a holistic practice of medicine from India. A special candle is lit on one end and the other end is inserted in the ear. In some cases, this can be done to help reduce candida albicans, an overgrowth of yeast in the gastrointestinal tract (GI). Ama are toxins, and ear candling can be used to remove them from the body. The candles can be purchased online, in health food stores or from Ayurveda pharmacies.
What Is Candida?
Candida albicans occurs when the healthy "friendly flora" in the body are overwhelmed and cannot keep the growth of candida in check. This can happen after taking antibiotics, which are designed to kill off all bacteria in the gut. Candida can grow on the skin, in the mouth (thrush), in the vagina (yeast infection) and in the gastrointestinal tract of men.
What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a 3,000-year-old science from India that prescribes remedies for illness and disease as well as ways to prevent sickness. Popular authors that have published books on Ayurveda include Deepak Chopra and Vasant Lad. According to Ayurveda, if ama is allowed to grow in the body, candida can result. In this case, it might attribute candida to the overconsumption of sugar (which feeds the yeast infection), fermented or yeasty foods or a weak immune system (from being rundown or sick).
How Can Ear Candling Help?
Ayurveda attributes all illness to ama or anther imbalance in the body. Ear candling can help move ama away from the body. Candida is a kapha illness, meaing excessive growth from an imbalance in the body. By burning the ear candle, it is believed that this pitta (heating) remedy will move the stagnant kapha (heavy, solid) illness out of the body. An Ayurveda doctor or practitioner might also suggest taking specific Ayurvedic herbs, and making dietary changes such as eating yogurt with live cultures and eliminating all forms of sugar until the yeast infection is gone. Ear candling is one way to help build the immune system and friendly bacteria in the intestines to fight off candida overgrowth.
Tags: yeast infection, from Ayurveda, from body, from India, gastrointestinal tract