Practitioner
Susan Adams
What
is auricular acupuncture?
In auricular acupuncture the surface of the ear is a microsystem of the human body. All vertebrae, nerves, organs and anatomical areas such as the nose, eyes and hips are treatable via the ear. There are around 200 acupoints on the ear used by auricular acupuncturists to treat both acute and chronic complaints.
During treatment points on the outer ear are stimulated with short acupuncture needles, and subsequently left in place for 10-30 minutes. The mechanism behind this can be understood with a keyboard-brain analogy. The ear can be likened to the keyboard of a computer, of which the brain is its central processing unit. Needling points on the ear is like typing a message on a keyboard, which provides a means of accessing the central processing unit or brain. Messages in the form of needle stimulation trigger electrical impulses from the ear, via the brain, to the specific area of the body chosen for treatment.
Hiroshi Nakajima, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 1990 "auricular acupuncture is probably the most developed and best documented, scientifically, of all the micro-systems of acupuncture and is the most practical and widely used".
What
are the benefits?
The detoxification ear acupuncture protocol has been extensively used within government funded and private health care institutions in the UK. In the protocol heart, stomach, lung, kidney and liver ear acupoints are stimulated. The affects of needling these points are listed below.
Heart
point: Produces mental calming, relieves nervousness
and improves memory
Stomach:
Affects digestion, reduces muscles tensions, and
helps general relaxation
Lung
point: Affects respiratory disorders, drug detoxification
and skin diseases
Kidney
point: Affects urinary and hearing disorders, bone
fractures and back pain
Liver
point: Affects blood, tendons, inflammations, sprains,
and eye diseases
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