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Auricular Acupuncture:
More than just a celebrity fad
Did you know that there are an amazing 200 acupuncture points within each of your ears! Used as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment, auricular acupuncture can treat a wide range of conditions – not just addictions, as recent media reports have indicated. You will probably be familiar with the way that reflexology works, where points on the feet correspond to different areas of the body. Auricular acupuncture works in a similar way and allows all areas of the body to be worked on via points in the ear.
Imagine your ear as an upside down fetus, and you begin to get an idea of how auricular acupuncture points are laid out. Each area of the ear corresponds to a different area of your body – for example, auricular points located around your ear lobe correspond to areas of your head; auricular points located in the centre of the ear correspond to your stomach and vital organs; and points located at the top of your ear correspond to your lower body and limbs.
There are also specific points dotted around the ear that stimulate different functions of the nervous system. The most commonly used of these being the spiritual point Shen Men – used routinely to calm the mind. Other points include those to combat dizziness, calm heat, regulate the thyroid and lower blood pressure – in fact your ears possess points for pretty much everything.
Some of my favourite auricular acupuncture points are:
Lung
The ear ‘Lung’ point is mainly used as an anti-addiction point for stop smoking treatments. However, this point can also be used to calm asthma, soothe a cough, and strengthen the lung organ. It even helps to clear up skin disorders, as in Chinese Medicine the skin is considered the ‘third lung’.
Cardiac Orifice
I use this point a lot especially in treating cases of Morning Sickness. ‘Cardiac Orifice’ is very effective in controlling nausea and vomiting. It soothes the stomach and restores digestion.
Shenmen
The Chinese point name ‘Shenmen’ translates into English as ‘Spirit Gate’. This point calms the spirit and is used to treat anxiety, and sleep disorders, including insomnia and dream-disturbed sleep. It can also be used to reduce inflammation and pain levels, and is commonly used to calm the mind and stop cravings in addiction treatments (whether it be for smoking, drug, or alcohol addiction).
Lumbar Vertebrae
In cases of lower back pain ‘Lumbar Vertebrae’ helps to eliminate pain and strengthen the area. This point is particularly useful when a patient is pregnant and it is not possible to work directly on the sacral area.
Uterus
The auricular point ‘Uterus’ helps regulate menstruation, and control period pain. It has a direct effect on the uterus and treats many gynaecological problems.
To stimulate any auricular acupuncture point, tiny needles can be popped into the ear in the treatment room. I also use ‘Ear Seeds’ – these are tiny beads that stick onto the skin surface with a little sticky cover. They stay in the ear for some time after the treatment has finished and allow the person wearing them to press them with their finger. The Ear Seed keeps stimulating the point long after the treatment is over, continuing the healing process. |
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