If you’ve seen the concept of ‘ear seeds’ lately and wondered what the practice entails, read on!
Auriculotherapy refers to the therapy or practice of treating the ear or the auricle = auriculo-therapy. A type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technique that focuses on areas of the ear. It’s an alternative practice based on the concept that the ear is a micro system that reflects and affects the entire body. The thought behind it is the outer ear can be treated to affect conditions such as physical, mental, or emotional health.
It’s not a new practice. The oldest history of auriculotherapy dates back 4000 plus years and is mentioned in the book ‘The yellow emperor’s classic of internal medicine’ (1). The Auriculotherapy that we mostly use today is a hybrid form of TCM and western medicine developed by French neurologist Dr Paul Nogier in 1951. It was Dr Nogier that published extensive works on his research when he found various points located on the ear related to specific points on the body. He is considered the Father of Auriculotherapy and originated the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear (2).
An easy way to think about it is the ear as a switchboard to the brain. The ear is highly innervated so placing pressure on various reflex or acu-points stimulates these nerves which then communicates to organs and parts of the body via the brain (3). The ability to target the nervous system helps clients to tap into the ‘rest and digest’ mode by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, this in turn can aid with the body's overactive sympathetic nervous system, and that tired and ‘wired’ feeling.
Dr Nogier’s research has also been backed by the world health organization who recognized Auriculotherapy as a treatment in 1990 (4).
Why ear seeds?
Ear seeds are a form of auriculotherapy: part acupuncture, part acupressure. In TCM, Ear Seeding is thought to help energy (qi) flow better through your organs, in turn nourishing your body's systems. Through extensive research, it has been shown that auriculotherapy can be used to support and promote the release of natural endorphins, the "feel-good" chemicals in your body. Unlike acupuncture which uses needles to target points, ear seeds work on their own by applying gentle pressure to reflex points on the ear.
One of the biggest reported benefits of ear seeds is an increase in comfort and relaxation experienced by the clients. There is also evidence to suggest that ear seeds may also help with pain, insomnia, substance abuse, and mental issues ranging from anxiety to grief.
To try the benefits of ear seeds for yourself, head to our product page.
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References
(1).https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-yellow-emperors-classic-of-medicine-9781570620805
(2).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2206232/
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-innervations-of-the-external-auricle-The-innervations-of-the-auricular-branch-of-the_fig1_234099840
(3).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6011381/
(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28832182/
Additional Studies
https://acudetox.com/nada-protocol/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044765/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32950391/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5735786/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603381/
https://www.earseeds.com/sleep-better-with-ear-seeds-melatonin/