A few weeks ago, a patient came to me complaining of terrible allergies. She just happened to mention that she loves candles. When I asked her what kind, she said, “Oh, just regular candles – vanilla and strawberry are my favorites.”
In today’s Health Alert, you’ll find out why your candles may be causing allergies, sinus problems – or worse. You’ll also discover which candles actually clear up allergy symptoms. The candles made from this remarkable substance even purify the air and help you get a good night sleep.
Burning Crude Oil in Your Home
A nice candle can make a room feel warm and inviting. But for good or bad, that candle releases fumes that you will then breathe. Fumes that can stimulate allergic reactions and increase your risk of health problems in the future.
Gone are the days when candles were made from natural products. Today, paraffin is the ingredient of choice. Sounds innocent enough, but paraffin is actually the sludge found at the bottom of barrels of crude oil.
The oil by-product is then bleached and treated with benzene and other chemicals to make it usable for candles. But burning petrochemicals doesn’t smell very nice, so synthetic fragrance oils are added – many of which are toxic on their own.
Paraffin candles put out soot and smoke when you burn them. This fills the room with toxins that coat the walls, furniture and the inside of your lungs. What’s worse, the chemical residue sticks to the inside of your ventilation ducts. Whenever you run your air, the pollutants get re-circulated – even when the candles aren’t burning.
Bill Reno, an entomologist and writer had this to say, “Breathing the fumes from burning paraffin candles is essentially the same as breathing the exhaust fumes from a diesel engine.”
Even the American Lung Association warns that paraffin candles release lead and mercury into the air. One study from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that toxic emissions from paraffin candles exceed their own recommendations.
Clean the Air and Improve Your Health with Beeswax
So what can you do? The answer is centuries old: beeswax. Candles made from 100% beeswax burn brighter, longer and have none of the pollutants found in paraffin.
In fact, they actually filter the air you breathe. Like a rainstorm, burning beeswax emits negatively charged ions. These connect with the positively charged ions that carry dust, mold, bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. The extra weight causes the dust and mold to fall to the ground where they can be swept up or vacuumed.
But make sure you get the real thing. To get the benefits, the candle must be 100% beeswax. Many candles labeled “beeswax” are a combination of beeswax and paraffin. When in doubt, your nose will tell you every time. Beeswax has a uniquely fresh smell, which is distinctly different from paraffin.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
P.S. – Burning a beeswax candle for thirty minutes before bed will cleanse the air and help you sleep.