EAR ACUPUNCTURE

 

Ear acupuncture is based on the same principles as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This form of therapy is applied in the treatment of a great number of conditions. Some of these are drug addiction, anxiety, overweight and obesity, pain management, etc. The treatment is focused around a holistic approach, meaning the treatment of the body in its entirety. The ear acupuncture points help regulate the body’s vital organs, structures and functions.


In China, the method of treating the body through the ear is an age-old practice. It was mentioned in the most widely known text of Chinese medicine, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. In modern times, stimulation of the ear’s acupuncture points has been proven to release, amongst other things, endorphins.


How is ear acupuncture used in treatment?


Ear acupuncture will most commonly be used as part of a larger course of treatment where a few ear acupuncture points are included as a supplement to body acupuncture.


How does ear acupuncture differ from body acupuncture?


Ear acupuncture is mentioned as a form of acupuncture, but there are both similarities as well as differences between the two forms of treatment. Acupuncture is a form of treatment that involves stimulation of acupuncture points along channels of energy called meridians. According to Taoist philosophy, there are 6 Yang meridians and 6 Yin meridians. In classic ear acupuncture it is the Yang meridians that are directly connected to the outer ear. When a disease occurs in a part of the body, these channels of energy are blocked or overfilled. Through the needling of acupuncture points, the symptoms can be soothed and the underlying pathology of a specific health problem can be eased. Some of the meridians are linked to the outer ear and form the basis for ear acupuncture. Another approach to auriculotherapy focuses on using the ear as a confirmed reflex system that is linked to the central nervous system and not as part of the network of meridians of ear acupuncture.