Auriculotherapy: Treating the Ear to Heal the Body

Auriculotherapy is often described as reflexology for the ear. It is typically considered a form of acupuncture. Instead, there are hundreds of points on the ear that are believed to represent a micro-system of the body, with points for areas both physical and emotional. The stimulation of these points is known as Auriculotherapy.

Auriculotherapy has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Just as this ancient healing art defines acupuncture points on the body for treatment of various conditions, similar points are defined on the ear. In the 1950s, Dr. Paul Nogier of Lyon, France expanded the original Chinese charts into a more comprehensive system. Dr. Nogier's work demonstrated the ear is actually a micro-map of the entire body (an inverted fetus), with all body parts represented. Thus, all parts of the body can be treated by means of the external ear. Proponents believe that auriculotherapy works because many of the nerve endings in the ear connect to hormonal parts of the brain and organs within the body.

Each spot on the ear is stimulated to treat specific problems. Not only does your acupuncturist know what to address when they do an auricular analysis, but they can directly target areas to treat various health conditions. Your practitioner will begin your treatment by inspecting points that may be related to your health condition. After these points have been located, they will be treated with various treatment methods such as acupuncture needles, ear seeds, laser stimulation, or mild electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation has the advantage of also providing electrical detection of active points for precise treatment.

During treatment, you may feel a heaviness or mild electrical sensation, but patients generally don’t feel anything at all. Treatments may be ongoing, or a single treatment may be sufficient depending on your health condition. Auriculotherapy can also be used in addition to regular acupuncture treatments to prolong the effects of treatment. Because there are generally no side effects, auriculotherapy is a non-invasive treatment, appropriate for all ages.

Auriculotherapy is used widely for pain control and addictions of all kinds. It has also been clinically proven to help with stress and anxiety, depression, allergies, PMS, vision problems, and so much more. Many health conditions can be treated with Auricular Medicine as the main form or supplementary form of treatment.

Auriculotherapy should be considered by those with conditions that negatively affect physical, mental, and emotional health as another option to help heal the body.