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This drawing illustrates the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear.
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Auricular acupuncture is a diagnostic and treatment system based on normalizing the body's dysfunction through stimulation of definite points on the ear. Rudimentary forms of acupuncture which probably arose during the Stone Age have survived in many parts of the world right down to present day. It was used in the ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and al...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... 1957, Dr Paul Nogier a physician resident in Lyons, France, first presented his observations of the somato- topic correspondences of the ear. He is actually considered the Father of modern auricolotherapy. Dr Nogier (2) originated the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear (Fig. 1). He developed this theory after noticing that some patients attending his clinic had a small scar from a burn on part of their ear. On inquiring into this, he was told that a very small area of their ear had been cauterized by a certain Madame Barrin for treatment of sciatic pain-a treatment that they proved very rapid and effective. ...Citations
... He anticipated such thought after seeing the treatment of Sciatica by a traditional doctor utilizing cautery of a very small auricular area. 10 According to Nogier's Theory there is a neurophysiological connection between auricular reflex points and the central nervous system. There are three different zones on the external ear which are related to different types of neural innervation and different categories of embryological tissue. ...
Karnavedhana is one of the important Sanskara of Childhood. For overall wellbeing, it is advocated to be done in a healthy child by a trained and expert Vaidya. The main purpose of Karnavedhana Sanskara is for Raksha (protection against Grahas) and Karnaabhusana (ornamental purpose). The pierce is advised in the sixth or seventh month of age at the naturally designed hole in the ear of the child enlightened with the sun’s rays (Daivkrit chhidre). In male child right ear lobe and in female child left ear should be pierced first then the Pichhu varti be inserted. The central concha (Site of Daivekrite Chhidra) of the ear is innervated by the Vagus nerve and serves as the region for autonomic regulation of pain and pathology originating from internal organs. This part is found to be innervated by ABVN which regulates the parasympathetic functions. The physiological significance of the Vagus nerve is due to its widespread distribution. Vagus nerve stimulation has been approved by FDA as an alternative treatment for neuropsychiatric diseases such as epilepsy and depression. Karnavedhan stimulate the immune system in response to injury to the ear lobules which initiate antigen-antibody reaction in early life period so as to bring a secondary immunity against several infections. Theory of Acupuncture states that the earlier the ear is pierced it is good for the meridians connecting the brain passing through this area and helps in the quick development of the brain. Also, the site of Karnavedhan has least vascular innervation, hence most safe site for puncturing. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate the effect of Karnavedhan Sanskar.
Keywords: Karnavedhan Sanskar, Daivkrit chhidre, auricular branch of vagus nerve
... Limiting the drops of blood to only one and using the technique in controlled patients could have led to a technical failure in the previous study 21 .One of the TCM theories states that auricular acupuncture effectiveness is due to groups of pluripotent cells that encompass knowledge of the whole body. Then, the stimulus of the reflex point of the auricular pavilion will activate these pluripotent cells7,22,23 .Furthermore, there is a relation between the vagus nerve and cardiovascular conditions. Even in Western medicine, blood pressure is reduced by activation of the vagus nerve. ...
Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of blood pressure control in hypertensive patients using bloodletting on ear apex technique before tooth extraction. Methods: This observational prospective case series carried out on 65 volunteers who needed simple tooth extraction and had blood pressure above 140 / 90mmHg. The blood pressure measurement occurred 5 minutes after the baseline and after bleeding. Subsequently, the blood pressure measurement occurred in three moments: 15 minutes after bleeding, after anesthesia, and at the end of the procedure. Results: There were significantly more successes than failures. Every patient who presented successful results had the pressure remained at the recommended levels after anesthesia and at the end of the procedure. Also, there was sex influence with higher failure rates in men. Conclusion: The bloodletting on ear apex technique reduced the blood pressure satisfactorily in most cases, remaining at the recommended mean levels even when verified after anesthesia and at the end of the procedure.
... The principles of AA are based on the Acupuncture of Traditional Chinese Medicine and upon Neuro-reflex therapy that were discovered in Europe [1]. An important basis in AA is the sensory correspondences between the areas of the pinna or tympanic membrane with other parts of the body, which are arranged in an inverted fetal pattern [2]. Auricular reflex points can be determined by measuring the skin resistor of points on the pinna or by observing physical changes in the auricular skin (such as color or protrusions while pressure is being applied [1]. ...
Introduction: Auricular Acupuncture (AA) is both a diagnostic method and a treatment used to relieve pain and alleviate addictions. The effects and biological mechanisms of AA on the human body have been increasingly observed in clinical and experimental studies based on the gate control theory and the endogenous opioids theory. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in facial pain thresholds among healthy volunteers after applying AA to acupoints on both auricles. Methods: This was a pilot study with a crossover randomized controlled trial design. 66 healthy volunteers with normal hemodynamic indexes were randomly assigned to one of two groups to receive AA treatment at the Shenmen point, Sympathetic point, Adrenal gland point, Jaw point, and Tooth point of either the left or right auricle (phase 1). 7 days later, participants received sham acupuncture at the same points (phase 2). Results: In phase 1, the results showed that AA at these points in either auricle increased the pain threshold of the facial skin statistically significantly (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected in the sham acupuncture phase. Conclusions: This suggests that AA can be used as a non-pharmacological adjunct to facial pain relief.
... AT, as a traditional Chinese medicine external treatment, focuses on stimulating specific points on the ear through acupuncture, acupressure, and bloodletting to treat the disease. [18][19][20] Its main components include auricular acupuncture, Vaccaria seeds, acupressure, electro-acupuncture of the ear, laser, and auricular bloodletting. Nowadays, it has been widely used by doctors in China to treat PD with AT. ...
Background:
Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common problem among women. It is defined as any degree of perceived cramping pain during menstruation without any evident pathology. Auricular therapy (AT), a widely used alternative medical treatment method as part of traditional Chinese acupuncture, lacks reliable evidence to support its safety and effectiveness for PD. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of AT in PD and to investigate possible factors impacting the particular efficacy of AT in PD by meta-regression.
Methods:
This protocol followed the PRISMA guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. The following 9 sources will be searched for randomized control trials of AT for PD: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals (VIP) database and WanFang Database from inception to January 1, 2023. Primary outcomes include visual rating scales and clinical efficacy rates, while secondary outcomes include endocrine hormone indicators related to PD and adverse events. Two reviewers will work independently on study selection, data extraction, and coding, including the risk of bias assessment in the included studies. While conducting a meta-analysis, Review Manager version 5.3 will be employed. Otherwise, a descriptive analysis will be performed. The results will be displayed as a risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals for dichotomous data as well as weight mean difference or standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals for continuous data.
Results:
This study's protocol will investigate the efficacy and safety of AT in the treatment of PD in a systematic way.
Conclusion:
This systematic evaluation will objectively and systematically assess the efficacy and safety of AT in PD based on the available evidence, as well as provides clinicians with evidence to support the treatment of the disease.
... RAC occurs normally 1 to 3 heart beats after stimulation and can be maintained for 8 to 15 beats. Pulse changes are dominated by an increased amplitude [6][7][8]. ...
The reflex auriculo-cardiac (RAC), dynamic pulse reaction (Nogier reflex), or vascular autonomic signal was proposed by Nogier. It refers to the pulse changes that can occur in the radial artery immediately after auricular acupuncture is performed. RAC is helpful for the clinical practice of auricular acupuncture, but there is a lack of objective verification methods. Photoplethysmography (PPG) has been used to objectively calculate radial artery blood flow. This study used PPG via a smartphone to measure RAC induced by auricular acupuncture. Thirty subjects without major diseases were recruited to receive traditional needle and laser acupuncture. The Shen Men ear point and control points were stimulated for 20 s. PPG was continuously measured during the acupuncture. The PPG data were tested for differences with a paired t-test. The results showed that there were no statistical differences in the frequency and amplitude of PPG obtained before and after acupuncture, either with a traditional needle or laser acupuncture. However, interestingly, it was found that one patient with insomnia, one patient with viral respiratory symptoms, and two menstruating females exhibited changes in PPG within five seconds of needle placement. We hypothesized that RAC might be induced by auricular acupuncture and could be quantified by PPG, even among subjects suffering from mild diseases; however, auricular acupuncture might not induce a measurable RAC in totally healthy subjects.
... Auricular acupuncture (AA) is a therapeutic procedure that has probably been used for centuries. 1 AA as known today, came to existence empirically in the fifties, based on observations made by Dr. Paul Nogier on patients who suffered from sciatic pain treated with cauterizations done on the auricle. 2 AA is considered a microsystem in Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture, with the characteristic of being used both for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. 3 Marco Romoli investigated how the auricle can reflect the patient's health status by recording the decrease in number of tender AA points corresponding to the lumbar region following the decrease of lumbar pain obtained with epidural infiltrations. 4 Stefano Marcelli in 1995 suggested the Active Points Test (APT) for somatic acupuncture. ...
Active Points Test on auricle was renamed Needle Contact Test (or NCT), considered an extremely effective method to select most efficient auricle acupoint for Auricular Acupuncture (or AA) therapy. Our aims were to evaluate NCT efficiency as viable diagnostic option to identify the most appropriate AA acupoints to be selected for SupraSpinatus Tendinopathy (SST) associated shoulder pain treatment and to evaluate which auricle area has greater concentration of NCT positive acupoints in subjects with SST shoulder pain, comparing results with available AA ear maps. 45 subjects with SST diagnosis were enrolled. On 30 subjects in treatment group, NCT was performed on acupoints of the auricle shoulder representation areas (i.e., Scaphoid Fossa), while in 15 subjects of control group, NCT was performed on auricle areas not shoulder associated. Statistically significant lower Numeric Pain Rating Scale scores were seen for study group over time and compared to control. A small sample showed statistically significant increase of SST shoulder maximum abduction range of Movements. NCT identified best SST shoulder pain AA acupoints in Scaphoid Fossa (or SF1 and SF2). In conclusion NCT is a viable tool to efficiently identify the best AA acupoints in SST shoulder pain treatment.
... Among the non-drug therapies, auricular acupuncture stands out, which is among the most used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques for the relief of cancer pain (6) , either complementary to conventional treatment or as a holistic therapy for the care of people with cancer. Auriculotherapy is performed through the application of specific devices in the ear (7) , such as mustard seeds and needles, which will stimulate a specific point on the ear that will correspond to a part of the body or meridians, generating results such as analgesia and relief of symptoms of diseases (8) . ...
Aims: To analyze the scientific evidence available in the literature about the effect of auricular acupuncture on cancer pain. Method: Systematic review of the literature guided by the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA Statement); whose research question was “What are the effects of auriculotherapy/auricular acupuncture on cancer pain in adults?”. EndNote and Rayyan platforms were used to manage references and manage the stages of article selection, respectively. The Jadad scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. The data collected from the articles were grouped into tables and analyzed descriptively. Results: A total of 3484 articles were found, of which 11 made up the sample of this study, in which the majority showed excellent methodological quality (54.54%). 533 adults complaining of cancer pain were treated, using auricular acupuncture as the only intervention or as a complement to another treatment and, in all studies, it proved to be effective both for painful symptoms and for relieving other secondary signs, such as anxiety and insomnia. Conclusions: Auricular acupuncture is effective in relieving cancer pain when administered either through needles or seeds and at specific pain points (aché point), in addition to the shemman, sympathetic, subcortex, and kidney points.
... APA is a method of treating physical and psychosomatic dysfunctions by stimulating specifc points in the ear [14]. Auricular stimulation is gentle fngertip pressure applied to a seed or pellet attached to the external part of the ear. ...
Objectives:
The study aimed to evaluate the preliminary effect and efficacy of auricular point acupressure (APA) on the quality of sleep in women with breast cancer who were undergoing chemotherapy. Sample & Setting. We conducted a randomized controlled trial on 68 patients with breast cancer who reported poor sleep quality based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores (>7). Methods & Variables. Participants were randomly assigned to an APA treatment group or a control group. Patients in the APA group had magnetic pellets attached to selected auricular points and were instructed to apply pressure to these points 4×/day for three consecutive weeks. We objectively measured sleep quality using the Actiwatch Spectrum and the PSQI at the baseline and postintervention. Statistical analyses of changes in sleep data were performed using the t-test, a rank-sum test, and analyses of covariance.
Results:
In patients treated with APA, the PSQI total score and sleep onset latency had significantly decreased, while the total sleep time and sleep efficiency had significantly increased. Although the total PSQI score differed between groups at the baseline, ANCOVA results showed that the APA group had a significantly lower total PSQI score.
Conclusion:
APA could be an inexpensive and effective approach to improving sleep quality and reducing sleep disturbance in patients with breast cancer. Further research needs a larger sample size to verify our findings.
... La auriculoterapia es una técnica de acupuntura que utiliza agujas, microesferas o semillas para estimular puntos reflejos en el pabellón externo de la oreja que están directamente relacionados con el sistema nervioso central, además de ayudar a tratar trastornos del organismo humano, favoreciendo la homeostasis del cuerpo (9)(10) . Es una práctica segura, dado que se puede realizar con materiales no invasivos, provoca mínimos efectos secundarios, no genera dependencia y es de fácil aplicación, lo que favorece la participación de los profesionales (8)(9)(10)(11) . ...
... La auriculoterapia es una técnica de acupuntura que utiliza agujas, microesferas o semillas para estimular puntos reflejos en el pabellón externo de la oreja que están directamente relacionados con el sistema nervioso central, además de ayudar a tratar trastornos del organismo humano, favoreciendo la homeostasis del cuerpo (9)(10) . Es una práctica segura, dado que se puede realizar con materiales no invasivos, provoca mínimos efectos secundarios, no genera dependencia y es de fácil aplicación, lo que favorece la participación de los profesionales (8)(9)(10)(11) . Existen dos variantes de abordaje de la auriculoterapia, a Francesa, que utiliza un microsistema auricular como reflexología de acción neurológica del sistema parasimpático, y la basada en la Medicina Tradicional China (MTC), que es la más extendida y utilizada (5,(8)(9)(10)(11) . ...
... Es una práctica segura, dado que se puede realizar con materiales no invasivos, provoca mínimos efectos secundarios, no genera dependencia y es de fácil aplicación, lo que favorece la participación de los profesionales (8)(9)(10)(11) . Existen dos variantes de abordaje de la auriculoterapia, a Francesa, que utiliza un microsistema auricular como reflexología de acción neurológica del sistema parasimpático, y la basada en la Medicina Tradicional China (MTC), que es la más extendida y utilizada (5,(8)(9)(10)(11) . ...
Resumen Objetivo: analizar la efectividad de la auriculoterapia, comparándola con el grupo control, el placebo o el tratamiento habitual para la ansiedad, el estrés o el burnout de los profesionales de la salud. Método: revisión sistemática en nueve fuentes de información, siendo seleccionados estudios experimentales o cuasiexperimentales con intervención de auriculoterapia en profesionales de la salud, comparada con grupos control, placebo o atención habitual. Análisis descriptivo y metaanálisis en red por comparación directa e indirecta. La calidad de los resultados se evaluó con Confidence in Network Meta-analysis. Resultados: Se incluyeron 15 artículos, 66,6% con equipos de enfermería, 53,3% con intervención de aguja semipermanente. Predominaron los puntos de acupuntura shen men, tronco encefálico, riñón, simpático, pulmón e hígado. Se observó una reducción de la ansiedad con agujas semipermanentes (IC -8,18, -6,10), paletas magnéticas (IC -7,76, -5,54), placebo (IC -5,47, -3,36) y semillas (IC -6,35, -4,05); del estrés con agujas semipermanentes (CI -37,21, -10,88) y semillas con (CI -28,14, -11,70) y sin protocolo cerrado (CI -36,42, -10,76). No fue posible realizar el metaanálisis para el burnout, pero se constató que hubo reducciones significativas cuando se trató con auriculoterapia. Conclusión: la auriculoterapia es eficaz para reducir la ansiedad y el estrés en los profesionales de la salud, pero no se puede afirmar que lo sea para el burnout. Se observó que la salud del trabajador mejora con el uso de la auriculoterapia.
... (Wang, 2008). Só a partir do século XX, começou a ser utilizado o termo "auriculoterapia", e por volta da década de 1940, o médico francês Paul Nogier iniciou seus estudos em relação ao uso terapêutico do pavilhão auricular, notando a existência de cicatrizes ocasionadas por procedimentos de cauterização auricular, tradicionalmente utilizados por curadores de povoados europeus e tinham como objetivo tratar casos de lombociatalgia (GORI;FIRENZUOLI, 2007). ...
... (Wang, 2008). Só a partir do século XX, começou a ser utilizado o termo "auriculoterapia", e por volta da década de 1940, o médico francês Paul Nogier iniciou seus estudos em relação ao uso terapêutico do pavilhão auricular, notando a existência de cicatrizes ocasionadas por procedimentos de cauterização auricular, tradicionalmente utilizados por curadores de povoados europeus e tinham como objetivo tratar casos de lombociatalgia (GORI;FIRENZUOLI, 2007). ...
As Práticas Integrativas e Complementares se tornaram uma realidade na rede de atenção primária no município de Cascavel – PR. O seu espaço no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) deve ser fixado e aspirar como um avanço no que tange ao cuidado humanizado, levando em consideração novos modos de praticar a saúde, desmistificando o modelo biomédico, curativista centrado em medicalização e inúmeros encaminhamentos para especialistas, nesse sentido, observa-se a utilização da auriculoterapia na consulta de enfermagem em uma Unidade de Saúde da Família (USF), como uma estratégia potente de minimização ao uso de fármacos. Objetivos: Compreender e analisar o impacto e os benefícios da auriculoterapia no cuidado em uma Unidade Saúde da Família. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma pesquisa de campo com caráter documental, exploratória e descritiva com análise quantiqualitativa, desenvolvida no mês de setembro de 2021, em uma Unidade de Saúde da Família (USF). Resultados e discussões: Ao analisar os dados, identificou-se que as maiores queixas encontradas em pacientes atendidos foram ansiedade e depressão, sendo a maioria do gênero feminino. Mesmo que os atendimentos tenham ocorrido durante a Pandemia da Covid-19, 100% da população gostou do local onde foram realizados os atendimentos e demonstraram melhora significante nos sintomas referidos. Considerações Finais: A auriculoterapia é uma terapia de fácil acesso e de baixo custo e que ofertada para a população nos serviços da Rede de Atenção a Saúde, fortalece o vínculo e desmistifica o cuidado centrado apenas na medicalização.
