Auriculotherapy.com states that auriculotherapy is the stimulation of the auricle of the ear and is also referred to as ear acupuncture or auricular acupuncture. Acupuncture requires the use of needles, while auriculotherapy is the electrical stimulation of points on the skin of the external ear. According to Auriculotherapy.com, auricular acupressure or ear reflexology is a form of auriculotherapy that is accomplished by manually applying pressure to the outer ear.
History
According to Acupuncture Products, historically the Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks thought the ears could impact health. In the 1950s, Paul Nogier of France mapped out areas on the ear and the corresponding body part it affected. Acupuncture Products states that Nogier believed stimulating points on the ear and measuring the electrical impulses on the ear's skin could help diagnose illnesses. According to the Ariculotherapy.com, outer-ear stimulation has been used to treat health problems since 500 B.C.
Uses
Electro Therapy Association uses auriculotherapy to treat back and shoulder pain, headaches, arthritis, burns, vertigo, tinnitus and incontinence. According to Acupuncture Products, auriculotherapy is a low-cost, fast, non-invasive way to control pain. Auriculotherapy has been used as an anesthesia method during medical treatments. Acupuncture Products also attests that auriculotherapy is used on patients wanting to stop using drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
Procedure
According to Acupuncture Products, several auriculotherapy techniques are available. Auriculotherapy uses an electrical device to send electric currents into the ear and area of concern in the body, while acupuncture uses tiny needles to stimulate the appropriate area of the ear. The needles are placed under the skin of the ear and may stay there a few hours or days, depending on the problem being treated.
Difference Between Auriculotherapy and Acupuncture
According to Auriculotherapy.com, acupuncture treatment uses the ear to ultimately open blocked or congested pathways along acupuncture meridians, or energy channels, to relieve the body of a particular health problem. Auriculotherapy focuses on the central nervous system's connection with the ear to relieve problematic symptoms.
Warnings
According to Acupuncture Products, auriculotherapy should not be practiced on children younger than 7 years old or pregnant women during the first six months of pregnancy. People who are weak, tired, drinking alcohol, hungry or very satiated should not consider auriculotherapy until those conditions have been resolved. Acupuncture Products states that auriculotherapy can be used on the elderly, but should be done with extreme care.
Effectiveness
The Journal of the American Medical Association performed clinical experiments testing the effects of auriculotherapy on chronic pain. The results of the study concluded that auriculotherapy does not effectively relieve chronic pain.
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