I’M a bit of a sucker for an alternative remedy. When coconut oil was hailed as the cure for everything from split ends to weight loss, I bought it in bulk. Same goes for apple cider vinegar and having tried it on various bites and rashes, I’m a fan.

So when I got a little hard of hearing in one ear lately, instead of shoving a cotton bud down there (it’s dangerous you know), a friend recommended ear candles, a treatment offered at many clinics and salons. She’d bought a pack online and gave me two pairs for my partner and I to try.

The idea is that you insert the paper candle inside a silver protective disc, stick it in your ear and set fire to it. Writing this, it sounds a bit daft now, but some people swear by them.

You’re supposed to listen to calming music and get someone to massage you while the candle slowly sucks up all the impurities from your ear like a chimney.

So on Sunday morning, Himself and I decided to have a go. Well, actually, he wasn’t keen on setting fire to a tube stuck in my ear while I lay in bed with the dog leaping around excitedly. He had a large glass of water on hand, and a dampened towel, just in case.

The sensation was quite pleasant, a whooshing sound could be heard and a release of air which I supposed was the vacuum between my ears my mum’s been telling me about all these years.

Himself relaxed to such an extent he felt inspired to crack a joke – ‘a new Pope’s just been appointed’, he announced when the candle gave off a plume of white smoke. It set me off laughing so hard a huge piece of ash fell onto the bedclothes which made the dog leap up in fear and start barking.

It was absolute chaos and undoubtedly the least relaxing therapy I’ve ever experienced. Another disadvantage of doing this treatment at home is that you have to trust your partner not to get distracted and let the candle burn down too far and set your hair on fire.

Thankfully, he didn’t. When it came to his turn, he’d bottled it. But after some serious cajoling, he succumbed and I had to resist the temptation not to get distracted by Facebook while he had a flamethrower stuck in his ear. Again, he heard the whoosh and the release.

When it was all over, we felt relaxed and somewhat relieved that we hadn’t needed the Fire Brigade.

“Do you think it’s worked?” he whispered.

“What did you say?” was my reply.