Your auricle or external ear is filled with highly sensitive nerves that affects different parts of your body. these nerves go directly to the brain, and so can reach any part of your body through the correct stimulus. By means of intense medical studies, humanity has developed the means to utilize the ear as a way of treating the entire body. Oftentimes used as the mode of treatment for patients seeking treatment for digestive problems, auricular or ear acupuncture can also be used by patients seeking treatment for insomnia, pain, weight loss, drug, smoking, and alcohol addiction and many more.
Auricular Acupuncture is also called auriculotherapy or auricular therapy and the Chinese have been using it for thousands of years. In the 1950’s, it was fine tuned as a very potent medical technique by Dr. Paul Nogier, a French neurologist. This technique uses acupuncture needles smaller than the ones used in standard West Orange acupuncture treatments to activate acupuncture points on the auricle or outer ear. The size of the needles produces less discomfort making it a more agreeable option for a lot of people, (not that traditional acupuncture causes pain, anyway). Auricular acupuncture also gives your acupuncturist more leeway to use a number of acupoints on your ear, which usually is a bit difficult to maneuver around.
Treatment also involves sticking small vaccaria plant seeds on the ear to eliminate stagnation and boost the flow of blood or it might use healing magnets to complement the auricular acupuncture therapy. According to TCM, the human ear is a miniature representation of the entire human body. Therefore, when you stimulate the acupoints on your ear, you can practically address any illness that could otherwise be treated with needling acupuncture points in your body. The truth is by observing your ear, you may be able to see how it is shaped like an inverted fetus with the hand and feet pointing to the top of the ear and the lobe as the head of the fetus. A lot of auricular acupoints uncannily conform to this general pattern. Shoulder acupoints, for instance, are located on where the shoulder of the fetus would be.
The use of magnets and the taping of seeds on your ear as a complement to auricular therapy are often used after a treatment session for added stimulation while waiting for your next treatment session. The seeds usually naturally fall of three or four days later. This makes your overall treatment a lot more effective.
While it is possible to locate the acupuncture points in the ear, doing auricular therapy on yourself or on others is not a good idea. To prevent infection and injury, seek treatment from a certified and qualified acupuncturist, who has been trained in all manner of TCM techniques, and knows the best possible means of diagnosing you effectively and appropriately.