How auricular therapy works?

Auriculotherapy, or ear acupressure is probably, the most effective and accessible alternative treatment for reducing pain, lowering blood pressure, shedding unwanted pounds, alleviating insomnia, and correcting alcohol and drug addiction etc.

How auricular therapy works?

Auricular therapy is not simply ear reflexology, which uses acupressure to unblock the energy meridians of the body. Rather, ear acupressure stimulates the nerve connections between the ear and the central nervous system.

Applying pressure to the correct points on the external ear triggers nerve impulses from the ear to the brain, thereby communicating powerful healing messages to the organ or system in which the health problem manifests. Upon receiving the ear’s recommendations, the brain releases pain-relieving protein molecules called endorphins into the blood stream, soothing chronic pain and discomfort quickly and with no side effects.                                      

Since the outer ear is a microsystem that connects to every part of the human body, auriculotherapy relieves a wide variety of health problems. Virtually all health conditions can be improved to some degree by stimulating the ear points.

Auricular acupressure points are the same as acupuncture points. Difference between acupressure and acupuncture, is that in acupuncture needles are used to apply pressure on specific points but in acupressure pressure therapy is applied through pressure of fingers or tools.

Auricular Acupuncture:

Auricular Acupuncture is widely used throughout the United Kingdom to treat people with a variety of conditions. It forms the basis of a number of protocols used in the treatment of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and Pain Management. It is also commonly known for the treatment of smoking cessation, weight loss, substance misuse, and alcohol cessation, and has been growing steadily since the 1970’s.

One of the significant advantages of Auricular Acupuncture treatment is that it is complementary to conventional acupuncture treatments. Auricular Acupuncture whilst originally based upon the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture, has its origins in Modern Europe. It was developed by Dr. Paul Nogier, a neurologist from Lyons in France in 1957.He noticed the correspondence of specific parts of the body to the ear based upon the concept of an inverted foetus. Dr. Nogier believed that pain and other symptoms in the body could be alleviated by needling, massaging or electronically stimulating the corresponding region of the ear.

There are over 200 acupuncture points on the ear, each point named after an area of our anatomy. The outer ear acts like a switchboard to the brain. Each acupuncture point being treated, triggers electrical impulses from the ear via the brain, to the specific part of the body being treated. Clinical Reports demonstrate that acupuncture

• Stimulates the production of pain modulators
• Regulates blood pressure
• Regulates seratonin
• Regulates the sympathetic nervous system
• Enhances the immune system
• Reduces the allergic response 

Useful links:

* Ear Acupressure: The Most Accessible Alternative for Self-Healing 

* Self-healing-ear-acupressure-auriculotherapy

*  A NEW AURICULAR ACUPRESSURE TREATMENT FOR SMOKING AND OVERWEIGHT PROBLEMS BY DR. JUNZO KOKUBO, D.AC (Research paper by Dr.Kokubo on clinical testing of PressPoint Ear Acupressure System, which was contributed to a Japanese acupuncture medicine journal in 1991.)
* Auricular acupressure as a treatment for anxiety in prehospital transport settings.
 Brain-Modulated Effects of Auricular Acupressure on the Regulation of Autonomic Function in Healthy Volunteers