Dorothy Benes doing ear candling at Natural Healthy Concepts in Appleton
Natural health consultant, master herbalist and reflexologist, Dorothy Benes, is also an ear candling expert. She’s been ear coning or cleansing with herbs for more than 20 years, and has experienced some amazing things!
Who is Dorothy Benes?
Dorothy is a die hard natural health guru. She home birthed, home-schooled for 24 years, and raised a family of seven kids on one income. Â As soon as she found nitrates in the water were causing health problems, she moved the family to the Ozarks, where she says “we made the hillbillies look modern.”
With no electricity, lanterns for light, and wood stoves for cooking and heat - Dorothy truly lived like Little House on The Prairie. She even used a book from 1903 to teach math lessons to her kids!
She has always raised her own hogs, “beefers”, chicken, turkey and rabbits. She used fresh lard from her hogs, she makes everything from scratch and she’s always been big into canning. Tending to her 1/2 acre organic garden that has been biochemically balanced has always been a top priority, too. In fact, she calls her 45 ft wide by 100 ft long garden “small” compared to how large it used to be when her kids where still living at home.
Dorothy doesn’t believe in vaccination and she even cancelled her health insurance after her second baby was born and has never had it since. Between all seven of her kids, they’ve visited the doctor a total of five times in 21 years. Three of the children’s first visits were at the age of 20 and 21Â for a mandatory physical for a job.
Dorothy doesn’t own a computer and has no interest in it. But even without the internet, she’s been busily working to heal people naturally out of her home as well as in chiropractic office. She also does ear candling at Natural Healthy Concepts in Appleton once a month.
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I asked Dorothy how she would defend this ancient 4,000 year old natural health remedy, after finding many articles that expressed uncertainty about it.  She told me “the powers that be want it to disappear.” Meaning, if people used this remedy to heal allergies, sinus pressure, headaches, hearing loss, vertigo, infections, and more – think of all the business and profit mainstream medicine would lose out on…
Besides that, the 3,000+ pairs of ears she candled in the past 20 years along with all of the positive responses –  makes the benefits crystal clear.
Watch the video below to hear from Dorothy and get her views on how ear candling works and how it can benefit your health…
Meet Dorothy Benes and Learn More about Ear Candling
Ear Candles or Cones
Homemade ear cones by Dorothy Bene
One big reason there is hesitation with ear candling is because of cheaply made candles and misuse. Anyone can buy ear candles at a drugstore that are made with toxic ingredients and that is a huge part of it. Someone I know tried ear candling with these candles by herself for the first time and ended up with an ear infection. It really does take a high quality candle, another set of hands and proper use to get the best results. The candles can be misused and cause issues. But, it’s really not that hard to do it right.
Dorothy hand makes her candles out of 100% beeswax, unbleached cotton cloth, essential oils, extracts, herbs and essences. Her candles are 4-6 times more effective than other ear candles because of the extra length, longer burning time farthest from the head and the natural ingredients she uses.
Dorothy makes 12 varieties of ear candles that all have a different focus in which she adds specific ingredients. Learn more about her ear cone varieties. (click the ingredients tab)
The Benefits of Ear Candling
One of my favorite stories Dorothy referenced was her experience with a 2-month old baby girl named Julie. Julie took a breath just before she was born which caused her to be unable to breath through her nose. The mainstream doctor’s approach was to cut holes in her nasal passages using a razor which is a very painful process that leaves behind scar tissue. Julie was underweight and only about 13 pounds at 2-months old. She was usually hungry and whiny since she couldn’t nurse or eat well.
When her mother decided to try ear candling, Dorothy said the amount of “stuff” that came out of each ear was fatter and longer than a crayon. There was still no change when she was done which was a bit of a surprise after extracting so much debris. But, 3 and 1/2 hours later, she got a call from Julie’s mom who very excitedly told Dorothy to “listen to this!” – Dorothy said she heard what sounded like AM radio static, and Mom thanked her and said “Julie is breathing out of her nose for the first time in her life!”
Dorothy has seen healing of depression, vertigo, dizziness, allergies, headaches, and so many others. When used properly, the benefits of ear candling may include:
- Clears wax & debris from the ear canal
- Relieves pressure from behind the eardrum
- Sharpens mental functions, vision, hearing, taste & color perception
- Eases earache, headache & sinus pressure, allergies
- Relaxation from the negative charge of the herbal smoke
- Acts as a catalyst to clear nerve endings & promote healing
How Ear Candling Works
Image credit: gentleawakeningga.com
Ear candling takes about 30-45 minutes, it’s non-invasive and has a narcotic effect which is very relaxing. The ear candle is lit on the wide end and heat is not felt in the ear canal.
The negative charge of the herbal smoke and spiral shape of the candle work together to stimulate the respiratory system and cleanse. Dorothy says it’s a way of, “Tweaking the body and letting it balance itself.”
The gentle vacuum effect of fire causes debris to be drawn up the candle toward the flame.
Dorothy’s Important Ear Candling Notes
- Chronic conditions may take up to three sessions to finish the cleansing process, but they need to be spaced 7-10 days apart.
- If your ears feel dry after cleansing, use a few drops of warm ear oil. This very soothing.
- Ear candling is not a cure-all. While effective in many cases, it is best to be seen first by your doctor if you are experiencing specific medical problems.
- Ear candling is not recommended for 1) People who have a hole in their eardrum. 2) If you’ve had tubes in your eardrums (Can be checked to see if they have healed shut before candling). 3) If you have difficulty breathing where small amounts of smoke is a threat. (ex. emphysema, etc.)
- Excessive use is not wise or recommended.
I will be taking my 76 year old grandmother to see Dorothy this weekend for an ear candling session – I’m excited!
Have you ever tried ear candling? Leave a comment if you have something to ask or share.
Can I do the ear candling myself? I have some ringing in my ears for years..
Your thoughts..thank you..
Hi Eileen! If I were going to try ear candling myself – I’d make sure to get the candles that are handmade by Bene Health and have a partner to help you… thanks for asking!
For most people, the effectiveness of ear candling still seems questionable. Thanks for the post.
I am a cosmetologist in an Aveda concept salon where we offer ear candling and I fully believe in the benefits of it. In April this past year my 9 year old son and I were in a car accident where someone missed a stop sign and hit the side of my van that my snow as on. This set off the curtain airbag on his right side and in turn caused a cochlear concussion in his ear. He experienced constant ringing and headaches after the accident so we brought him to an audiologist. We were then advised there is no real cure for ringing or hearing loss due to the cochlear concussion. That was a hard pill to swallow considering my son has difficultly processing sensory input due to an Aspergers diagnosis. This was a huge struggle for him to deal with. I gave him about three months to heal the concussion and then I decided to try candling on him. We had done it before and he knew what to expect. We did three sessions, with three weeks in between. After each one, we were very happy & relieved to find that he had less and less ringing, but we were concerned that we were not getting much debris out of that side. The third session the damn finally broke & he had an enormous amount drawn out. I suspect that the wax was just tightly compacted in there and needed a little extra coaxing to pull free. We are so very happy to say he has been two full months now with out any ringing at all. Unfortunately the hearing loss we can not heal but he is a much happier kid without the ringing. Who knows if it would have ever gone away on its own, but I can say, I am an even bigger fan of candling now.
That’s an awesome story, Lindsay! Thank you for sharing it with us ; ) So glad to hear your son is well (despite the hearing loss) – as far as the autism diagnosis… have you read our article about “How to treat or even cure autism naturally? Thanks again for your comment!
What an amazing testimony, Lindsay! Thank you so much for sharing your son’s story and validating the benefits of ear candling. We wish you and your son, all the best. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Mary
I sleep better when my ears have been candled. I’ve been an advocate of candling for years. My son has even come home from college to get his ears candled.
I strongly discourage anyone from participating in this dubious practice. When I was in graduate school to become an audiologist, I was in a clinical rotation at an ear, nose, and throat physician’s office. A woman came in to the office because she had been using an ear candle and the hot wax from the “candle” dripped down into her ear canal and burned a hole in her eardrum. Very painful and left her with a permanent, partial hearing loss even after surgical repair of the eardrum. Fortunately this is not a common occurrence. This practice is, at best, ineffective at removing wax, and potentially very dangerous.
Dr. Cropper, thanks for sharing your words of warning.
However, we should point out that in our article explains that you should have a second set of hands when ear candling – in other words – don’t try it alone especially if you are inexperienced. It also states the ear candles can be misused if you don’t know what you’re doing, or if you are using an inferior product.
As for being ineffective at removing wax – gotta disagree – we have seen A LOT of gunk come out of people’s ears when they have it done in our store. So if that’s uneffective, I’d be interested to see how much wax is effective in your opinion.
My husband gets an excessive amount of ear wax, so much so, that he cannot hear as it gets blocked. He has had the doctor flush it out before. Years ago, I ran across someone who sold the candles with instructions, and taught me how (which is no big deal at all). I would not recommend the person doing it alone, ever. I always ask my husband to position the candle where it feels best for him, and each time we are through (or sometimes even before) he says with excitement, “I can hear again!” It’s wonderful. We are so thankful for ear candling! We spent so long in the doctors office while she attempted to flush out his ears. This was much more effective, and you don’t need a doctors appointment!
Hello, me and my boyfriend did ear candling tonight for the first time and it’s life changing. The stuff that came out of us was disgusting and mind boggling, I do have a question about one thing, why cant you ear candle if you have tubes? Whats the science behind that? What could happen?
Hello! I am doing a project for my undergrad audiology class about alternative methods for various ear treatments and one that I am focusing on is ear candling, which is why I landed on this page. All of the medical sources I have found so far state that no ear wax or gunk is pulled from the ear. They say that what you see when you cut the candle open is melted candle wax that just happens to appear to be around the same color as earwax. I would like to know your thoughts on this. Can you physically see earwax being pulled out of the ear when you do it or is it just when you open the candle afterward that you see the possible earwax? I would greatly appreciate your insight!
Hi Kelsey – thanks for checking us out.
I’m not an expert, but I did shoot and edit the video on this article, and I asked some of the people who work here about your question.
It sounds like in some cases, the candles are dumping out only candle wax, but the idea is that they are pulling other debris (other than ear wax) out of those cavities by creating a vacuum. Also -different people (and different ears on the same people) produce different amounts of debris each time. When Dorothy (the ear candler in the video) was explaining things to me off camera, she correct my use of “wax” and said it should be called debris.
I’ve never had it done myself, but I can tell you that people who get it done regularly say that things feel much more opened up.
Good questions. I hope I helped at least a little. Good luck on your project!
Hi..I have candled people for over 20 years in my practice..to show different debris..I have let a candle just burn down on its own and you can definitely see a difference from that candle to the one we have used for someone…and sometimes some candles are better made and therefore draw more debris out..hope this helps…
I am having this buzzing for 8 yrs. When I am under stress, tension it gets worse my right ear. Should I try ear candling ? its putting me in anxiety.
One of the best things I’ve done for myself. Totally amazing if you have someone do it right.
To whom it may concerned
I can see that some people may want to be right giving opinions about ear cone. But let me tell you. My experience with ear cone is great. One time, I used ear cones in several members of my family and some friends, what I saw at the beginning looked like wax powder, like some people say. However, everyone had a different amount of powder. If it was created by the cone’s wax the amount would be different. And when it was done on me, it was no powder in the cone at all. I believe that the inner ear accumulates dirt in it. One of the safest ways to clean ears is with ear cone. Do not be afraid to try them; just do it safely, as Dorothy tells you in her video.
Dorothy, I have Meiners and was told by my neice who is a massage therapist about ear candlingand she thinks this may help me.Have you ever had anyone with Meiners use this?
I have been candling for 20 years plus and have some many healing stories from ear candling. I am a Liscensed Massage Therapist recently moved back to Canton Ohio from Park Kansas.
Many people in the plaines states have never experienced candling or for that matter even heard of it.
I taught structural anatomy at a massage school and all my students got to experience candling and some went on to do it in their practice.
Great site keep up the good work.
Blessing for Ohio
hey guys i have a problem. tell me if it might be my ears.
I cannot go up n an elevator. If i do i begin to lose my balance greatly when it starts to move and when it ends.
I have lots of wax in my ears.
Could that be the reason why???
I have had candling done on me for over 15 years however, the last time (June) I realized I needed to have it done quite a bit more- a lot more ,….as past illnesses and severe infections over many,many years left me pretty much in the same boat( 1 time every 2 month) not cutting it. So I learned how to candle on myself and have been candling( quite carefully) having enormous amounts pulled after the process. The amount of wax( appears not infected) being pulled up is filling the inside of the candle- with no slowing up……I may do 3-5 candles( beeswax) in one ear then go to the other and they are full. I will wait. Few hours and do 2 or 3 in each ear and once again- more wax…….My question….. how long will it take to see this start to become thinner and ease. My friend( therapist) who candles me said in all her experience she hasn’t seen this amount. Please hep me understand what I should continue to do or what you think. Thanks!
Hi my name is Maryann I’m thinking about trying the ear candleing myself for the first time I get a lot of cold air in my left ear and it’s been bothering me for a while will it be safe to do it
I love to use candles. The crackling sound, the feel, and the smell. Ive been doing it by myself now for about 12 yrs. Only had a problem one time. I sat up quickly before removing the candle and got some smoke stuck in the back of my ear. It lasted for a few days and was rather annoying, but other than that it has work very well. My sinuses have been especially grateful.
Thanks Dorothy! For many years I have used this method to remove the debris from my ears. People say it is just the wax from the candle however I can actually feel when it comes out of my canal. I am very careful not to over use and always follow directions. In the past I have always had to read people’s lips or ask them to repeat what they say but now that is gone. I hear so much better now. It may not be for everbody but it has been.a life changing event for me. Thanks again.
When is Dorothy there, how much does she charge, and how does one schedule an appointment?
Thanks for reading our blog! Thais article was published in 2013, so staffing may have changed. You can find out about all up-to-date local NHC retail store events here:
Appleton, WI: https://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/locations/appleton-retail-store/
Fond du Lac, WI: https://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/locations/fonddulac-retail-store/
Thank you!
For years I thought ear candling was not a valid therapy. I believed this after some ear candles I used, which where white, had the candle wax that was colored the same as ear wax. I thought it was a brilliant way to dupe people into believing ear wax is coming out.
But I started hearing more and more about how they really work so I decided to try them again. Only this time I bought some colored candles I found in pink and blue and green. The first time I used the pink candles a TON of ear wax came out over the pink candle with the pink wax. So I KNEW it was not just candle wax that I was seeing. It was very obviously ear wax and even some black stuff trapped in the ear wax. AND even more wax came out of the ear that I had had chronic ear infections from all my life due to milk consumption. I know now I would never have had the ear infections I did if I had not drunk milk/ate ice cream as a child.
Also, growing up I had tubes in my ears when I was young. The holes in your ears will naturally close up after the tubes are taken out. The holes grow back together in time. My doctors checked this to make sure so I could put my head under water and not have water go through those holes. They close up within a few months of the tubes being taken out.
I am definitely a believer in ear candles now and will never doubt them again. Thank you for this informative site, I will likely be purchasing some of your candles soon.
Can you please tell me if Dorothy is still making the ear candling cones and how to go about buying them. The link in the article isn’t valid. Thanks so much.