Ear Acupuncture

Abstract

Even in antique times in China, acupuncture was carried out at points on the auricle. In the Huang Di Nei Jing it says: “The ear is the place where all the channels meet.” It is not known how widespread or how common the use of ear acupuncture was in ancient times. In Arabian medicine certain parts of the auricle were cauterized to treat such illnesses as sciatica. In France ear acupuncture was introduced by Paul Nogier in the 1950s and supplemented by new findings, such as the “auriculocardial reflex.” Ear acupuncture now has a prominent place in Chinese textbooks of acupuncture. The development of acupuncture anesthesia also yielded new results relevant to ear acupuncture. Analgesic effects in certain parts of the body were found to be caused by stimulation of corresponding areas on the auricle. In many centers acupuncture anesthesia has been carried out with the help of ear acupuncture points.