Auricular Therapy: offers its own diagnostic system. By observing and palpating the entire ear; we can observe contours, shape, and colors of certain regions of the ear that correspond with the physiological function and pathological change of internal organs, channels, tissues, limbs and bones.

When disease occurs in an organ or certain tissue, positive spots, which are commonly tender, will appear on the corresponding ear points. For instance there are 3 lines that can occur on the ear lobe that might indicate, depending on their location, that someone has cardiac disease, tinnitus or that they’re missing a tooth. On another part of the helix (the outer border of the ear) there are 2 areas that could indicate the presence of a tumor when it is discolored and painful to palpate. It is also common to use a device that has a detector while performing the diagnosis. This makes Auricular Therapy an important component of diagnosis in acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

Stimulation of these tender spots, by using the proper protocol, can eliminate or reduce the pathological effects. The treatment protocol that we use consists of stimulating these so called hot spots by applying seeds of the vacariae plant held onto the ear with tape.

The advantage that seeds offer is that:

1) they can be worn for up to several days, where the patient can massage the points for 20 seconds 3-4 times a day, thus extending the time between treatments

2) the patient can take them out at their own discretion

3) the seeds minimize the risk of infection, albeit small, that can happen with needles

The nerves of the auricle include somatic nerves, which connect with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th segments of the cervical nerves, 3 cranial nerves (trigeminal, vagus and facial nerves) which connect to the brain stem, and sympathetic nerve which connect with the cervical ganglia of the sympathetic trunk. It is therefore very effective for treating various pains (i.e., neck and back pain, headaches, toothaches, nerve pain such as TMJ and sciatica). It’s also effective in the treatment of anxiety, depression, eye problems, and addictions and cravings; just to name a few.