While researching a new article for the print version of the _floss, I came across some surprising inventions to tackle ear wax.

First was the practice of “ear candling,” in which a hollow conical candle is placed over the ear and lit. The fire supposedly creates a vacuum which sucks wax out of the ear. Now in my personal opinion, the first sign that something is wrong in your personal hygiene ritual is that the procedure involves starting a fire on something stuck to your head. Why Ear Candling is Not a Good Idea provides the salient points in opposition to the practice. Health Canada also has a statement against the practice.

In ear wax gadget news, a Japanese company has introduced the Ear Scope, a device to let you watch what’s happening in your ear as you dig around in there. It comes in two versions: a personal-viewing model (pictured) and one that hooks up to an external LCD screen so the whole…uh…family can watch.

Ear Scope link via Engadget.