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Auriculotherapy, Part 1 Dr. David L. Phillips

Auriculotherapy Part 2: The Theories Dr. David L. Phillips

Auriculotherapy, Part 1 Dr. David L. Phillips

Auriculotherapy is an interesting and effective, yet unusual, therapeutic option. It involves stimulating precise points on the external aspect of the ear in order to alleviate a health condition in some other area of the body. It is sometimes called “ear acupuncture”; however, as there are no true acupuncture points in the auricle, this form of therapy is increasingly known as simply “auriculotherapy”.

It is precisely this remedy that propelled auriculotherapy into modern times. An orthopaedic surgeon from the French city of Lyon, Dr. Paul Nogier, in the 1950’s observed that many of his Algerian patients had small burn marks on their auricles. After noticing this odd practice repeatedly, he began to question some of these people. Evidently, this was a common and effective treatment in Northern Africa for relieving sciatic nerve pain. Algeria at that time was a protectorate of France, so Dr. Nogier traveled across the Mediterranean to see first hand what this practice of cauterizing the ear was all about.

Fascinated by what he observed, Dr. Nogier began to study all he could find about ear acupuncture. The Chinese record of ear points was in chaos. He discovered that acupuncture as well as other traditional Chinese healing arts had been all but forgotten for the previuos 150 years. After the Communist revolution in 1949, Mao Tse Tung had called for a renewal of the Ancient Chinese healing arts. Dr. Nogier, as a result of his reading, clinical experience and observations, developed a pattern for relating to ear points based upon the visual superimposition of an inverted fetus over the auricle. When his method of organizing the many and seemingly unrelated ear points into a logical sequence was translated into Chinese, the whole thing suddenly made sense. This therapy could now be readily taught and understood by the lay healers of rural China.

My personal experience with auriculotherapy began several years ago. At the time, I was suffering from a painful tennis elbow. Unlike most of my patients who, when I tell them that their pain is called tennis elbow, mostly respond quite emphatically that they have never played tennis, I played it several times a week. I tried several conventional approaches. All natural, of course, trigger point therapy, ice, stretching, massage, more ice and even tried one of those useless elbow bands. I say “useless” because you cannot play tennis with one unless it is so tight it becomes a virtual tourniquet.

Being one of those doctors who is reluctant to take his own advice, I continued to play; even though my backhand was anemic. After about six months of enduring this pain, I happened to mention my elbow problem to a chiropractic colleague who also practiced acupuncture, and knowing my intense aversion to needles, he suggested auriculotherapy. In three days I was completely cured and have never had a relapse. My backhand was once again a minor threat. I was so impressed that I enrolled in a course to learn auriculotherapy right away. It is now my main form of adjunctive therapy. In future articles, I will expand on this subject.

The main source for this article came from Auriculotherapy Manual, by Terry Oleson Ph.D. This book is as comprehensive as you can get on the subject and a ‘must have’ resource for anyone interested in Auriculotherapy.

Auriculotherapy Part 2: The Theories Dr. David L. Phillips

In my last article on the subject of auriculotherapy, (November 13, 2001) we looked at the history and development of this unique therapeutic treatment. In this edition of Chiropractic Health Care I will discuss auriculotherapy further. I believe a look into how and why it works would be useful.

If you will remember from the last article, the Father of modern auriculotherapy was Dr. Paul Nogier, a French orthopedist. He formulated, organized and advanced this therapy using scientific principles. One of his discoveries was that he could affect a change in the radial pulse by digitally stimulating parts of the external ear. He called this the Auricular Cardiac Reflex. Dr. Nogier went on to discover that he could affect vascular changes not just at the radial pulse, but throughout the body by applying mechanical pressure or electrical stimulation of different parts of the auricle. This he called the Vascular Autonomic Signal due to the fact that he felt the pathway was via autonomic nervous system.

There are currently five popular theories as to how auriculotherapy actually works. Briefly, I would like to outline them. This work is taken from the text, Auriculotherapy Manual by Dr. Terry Oleson, which I referenced, in my last article. I consider this book to be the best one available in the field. Although Oleson takes an academic viewpoint rather than a clinical one the book remains very useful in utilizing auriculotherapy in every day practice. It is colourful, well laid-out, and easy to read.

The Theories Behind the Practice of Auriculotherapy:

1) The Neurophysiological Theory: This theory relates to a systematic representation of the body in the neuronal pattern of the brain. Much like your computer keyboard works at accessing and affecting the functions of your computer's central processing chips, the ear has this same effect on the brain. 2) The Embryological Theory: I know that this is a little complicated for lay readers so I will try to simplify it. There are 3 different tissues in the embryo from which all organs and physical structures develop: ectodermal tissue (skin, nerves and the brain), mesodermal tissue (muscles and bones) and endodermal tissue (internal organs). The ear is innervated by 3 main nerves. Each of these nerves control different embryological tissues in the ear. Therefore, the theory goes that by stimulating various parts of the ear, you can stimulate changes in these embryological tissues and the body parts related to them.

3) The Microsystem Theory: The ear functions as a microsystem of neurological reflexes that can affect remote parts of the body. This is also one of the theories behind foot and hand reflexology. This theory helped lead to the discovery of the map of the ear which superimposes a "homunculus" or "little man" over the auricle.

4) The Energetic Theory: This is the same as in the Yin and Yang theory of acupuncture. The object is to balance these two opposing forces or disease will result. The ear is yang in nature, i.e. a reactive ear reflex shows a yang reaction and is detectable as increased electro dermal skin conductance. It is via this change in the skin resistance that we find the ear points with an electrical probe. This probe also treats these points by inducing very low electrical power (microamperes and ultra low frequencies) of current.

5) The Endorphin Theory: Endorphins are naturally occurring pain-relieving chemicals in the brain. They are from the morphine group of endogenous drugs that the body has at its disposal. Both acupuncture and auriculotherapy have been shown to elevate endorphins levels. These therapies also can block those body chemicals that serve to reduce endorphin levels.

As we discussed in point 3, auriculotherapy can be learned quickly by superimposing a homunculus or 'little man' over the external ear. This distorted human is inverted or upside down with his head over the ear lobe. The spine of the ear corresponds to the spine of the man. The shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand and fingers run up the outer edge of the ear. The lower limb is bent at the hip and knee and crammed in the space at the top of the ear known as the triangular fossa. The internal organs are in between these areas approximately where you would expect to find them on the 'little man'.

None of these points will be electrically active if there is no problem in the corresponding body part. This is critical to the understanding of auriculotherapy and answers the question as to why you can do no harm with it. If a point in the ear is not electrically active when examined using an electrical probe or is not tender when using a mechanical probe, it is not treated. How much more safe and simple can it get?

The only points that are always electrically active, but not tender to touch are the 10 'Master Points'. Master Points relate to energy balance, hormonal balance, and the balance of one's mental, spiritual and cognitive beings. These points are usually treated routinely during an auriculotherapy session because they can quickly and effectively calm, centre and soothe the patient.

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