Auriculotherapy or Ear Acupuncture is the stimulation of the auricle of the external ear for the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions in other parts of the body. It is also known as ear acupuncture or auricular acupuncture when the stimulation is achieved by the insertion of acupuncture needles, whereas the term auriculotherapy often refers to electrical stimulation of the surface of ear reflex points. Specific points on the ear can also be stimulated by manual pressure, referred to as auricular acupressure or ear reflexology. Acupuncture points on the ear can also be stimulated with lasers, magnets, and ear pellets. Auriculotherapy is typically considered one form of acupuncture, but there are both differences and similarities between the two procedures. Acupuncture is a form of medical treatment involving the stimulation of acupuncture points located on energy channels extending over the surface of the body, which are known as meridians. From the philosophy of Taoism, there are six Yang meridians and six Yin meridians. In classical acupuncture, it is the Yang meridians that directly connect to the external ear. These energy lines of force are blocked or congested when there is some pathology in a specific area of the body. Insertion of acupuncture needles into specific acupoints can relieve the symptoms and underlying pathology of a particular health problem. Some of the meridian energy lines of force connect to the external ear, thus creating the field of auricular acupuncture. Different perspectives of auriculotherapy focus not on the acupuncture meridians but on the use of the ear as a localized reflex system connected to the central nervous system. The earliest written records of ear acupuncture date back to the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, a compilation of acupuncture procedures that were in practice in 500 BC. However, the manner in which auricular acupuncture is practiced today in China is actually based upon more recent discoveries that occurred in France in the 1950's based on the work of Dr. Paul Nogier of Lyon He noticed a strange scar on the upper ear of some of his patients. He found that all of them had been treated for sciatica pain by a local lay practitioner. This woman had cauterized a specific area of the external ear in order to relieve their low back pain. Dr. Nogier theorized that if an area of the upper external ear is effective in treating low back pain, maybe other parts of the ear could treat other parts of the body. The ear is said to represent the whole anatomical body, but in an upside down orientation. Nogier's theory contended that the auricle could be compared to an inverted fetus, with the head represented on the lower ear lobe, the feet at the top of the external ear, and the rest of the body in- between. Auriculotherapy works by stimulating the central nervous system through the cranial nerves and spinal nerves on the auricle (external ear). This stimulation results in neurotransmitters being stimulated within the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system. This stimulation of neurotransmitters modulates the pain and modulates nerve function beginning the healing process within the body to that organ or body part that is affected. INDICATIONS Acute and chronic pain, ligament distensions. Headache, migraines. Chronic degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and other chronic painful conditions Diseases and dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal, respiratory, urinary and cardiovascular systems Smoking cessation and drug detoxification Weight loss Neuralgia: neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia (caused by shingles or herpes), sciatica and brachial plexopathy, phantom limb pain Allergic rhinitis or hay fever, bronchial asthma, sinusitis Depression, ansiety, stress, nervousness, insomnia Eating disorder: bulimy, anorexy, obesity Menstrual disorders, haemorrhoids, etc. There are currently more than 150 indications for the application of Auriculotherapy. Just ask Dr. J. Infantes if Auriculotherapy is right for you. CONTRAINDICATIONS Pregnant Women - Due to the phenomena of flow redistribution, alterations that could interfere with the pregnancy can be generated, advancing the same one. Patiens with a cardiac pace maker Serious cases of anemia In case of excoriations, inflammations or another injury in the ear ADVANTAGES OF AURICULOTHERAPY Easy to handle Accurate and fast results are obtained It has few contraindications It is economic It is valuable for the diagnosis of diseases. It can be applied as a therapeutic and preventive measure References Nghi, Nguyen Van. 2011. Auriculopuntura (2ª ed.) Oleson, T. 2005. Auriculoterapia. Sistemas chino y occidental de acupuntura auricular Budris, F. 2005. Auriculoterapia: técnicas y tratamientos Martínez Figuereo, V. 1999. El desafío de la auriculoterapia: el hombre reflejado en su oreja Rodríguez Villaverde, J. 2004. Tratado didáctico de auriculomedicina Foreal Carballo, F. 2004. Acupuntura y auriculoterapia Lipszyc, M. 1989. Manual de Auriculoterapia Nogier, R. 2008. Auriculotherapy. 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