AURICULAR THERAPY

What is it? Auricular therapy is based on the premise that different parts of the body have a reflex association with specific acupuncture points on the auricle of the ear. These points can be stimulated in various ways to balance the energy in the corresponding part of the body.
History: The origins of the therapy go back many centuries from the Chinese Han Dynasty. The modern form of the therapy was developed by Paul Nogier, a french neurologist in the late 1950s

Treatment: There are several techniques used

- stimulation by using acupuncture needles,

- auricular seed therapy, where a seed, pill, or magnet pellet on tape is applied to a point on the ear. The patient can, at intervals, self stimulate the point to increase the therapeutic effect,

- auricular massage,

- auricular bleeding therapy in which ear points are punctured with a needle

- stimulating points with electo-acupuncture

Diagnosis: Auricular therapists use a combination of:

-inspection ( look for colour and skin texture changes),

- probe for tender acupuncture points, which indicate which diseases may correspond,

- in some caes pressure over a point may reveal a different effect such a difference in the time for the dent made in the skin to recover in relation to the other points tested,

- electrical auricular detectors can be used which can pick up a difference in electrical skin resistance of points corresponding to diseased areas in the body.

Conditions: Auricular therapy is used for a wide range of skin, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, musculo-skeletal, circulatory and emotional conditions to name but a few.