Auriculotherapy 101: How Acupuncturists Treat the Ear to Heal the Body

I bet you didn’t know you have a miniature map of the human body in your ear, did you? This “map” contains information which helps acupuncturists diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions including pain, headaches, stress, and anxiety.  

Auriculotherapy or Auricular Medicine is used worldwide to treat hundreds of health conditions, chronic and acute. 

What is auriculotherapy?

You can think of auriculotherapy like reflexology for the ear.  Certain spots on the ear correspond to areas of the body such as the head, neck, back, lungs, stomach, and shoulders. Acupuncturists use auricular analysis to decide which points to treat. This is done by using a probe to check for tenderness around the area that corresponds to a patient's health complaint and looking for markings or discoloration in certain parts of the ear.  In our clinic, we use a device called a point detector to determine which points will stimulate healing.

For an example, a patient with lower back pain may have a discoloration on the outer edge of the ear while a patient with liver problems or digestive issues may have a vein or light spot around one of the inner furrows.

Auriculotherapy is just that - therapy.

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, ear seeds, laser stimulation, or  mild electrical stimulation. 

Auriculotherapy is virtually pain free!

You may feel a heaviness or mild electrical sensation during treatment, or you may not 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 has been clinically proven to help with stress and anxiety, depression, pain, addiction, allergies, PMS, vision problems, and so much more. Many health conditions can be treated with Auricular Medicine as a main form or supplementary form of treatment. We carry ear seed kits at our office which supply everything you need to treat a particular health condition with auriculotherapy at home. I truly hope this information opens your eyes (and ears!) to the many different ways we can help heal the body. If you haven’t looked into this unique and fun treatment, you can have a peek into it at our ear seed party! Don't forget, anyone can swing by and get some ear bling for wellness!   This blog post has been shared on: Thank Goodness it's Monday by nourishingjoy.com     Save