Give an ear to good health

Auriculotherapy is treatment of pain, muscular skeletal disorders and other conditions by acupuncture needles to certain points on the ear.

Auriculotherapy was discovered and developed into an effective treatment by Paul Nogier, a French doctor in the ’50s. Nogier was able to figure out how certain parts of the ear related to certain parts of the motor area of the brain.

This discovery led him to a lifetime of research till his work resulted in auricular therapy, now a powerful tool to identify and treat specific body systems or parts that are in disharmony.

Points in the ear

Auriculotherapy is much more than ear acupuncture. Nogier noticed that there was a distinct change in the amplitude and dimension of the pulse when certain points on the auricle were stimulated. He called this the Vascular Autonomic Sign (VAS). Being able to detect the VAS on the radial pulse of the patients’ left hand enables a practitioner to correctly determine the location of a point and to ascertain whether there is a problem that relates to specific points.

Accurate employment of the VAS in diagnosis and treatment is essential in Auricular therapy and medicine. Auriculotherapy uses the ear to find out whether the right and left parts of the brain are functioning as a dynamic whole, whether there is an imbalance in the neurological, musculoskeletal or organ systems, and whether there are any blockages to treatment such as scar tissue or emotional disorders. It is diagnostic, but much depends on the accuracy of the practitioner. Treatment is specific and points are precisely located by reference to the VAS.

Curing pain and imbalance

Auricular therapy can be used effectively in the treatment of all types of pain like cervical spondylitis, mid-back pain, lumbago sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, shoulder pain, knee pain, hip pain, facial neuralgia, migraine, chronic asthma, dysmenorrhoea, hot flushes, impotence, addiction to smoking, suppression, insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, constipation and emotional disorders.

The advantage of auricular therapy over classical acupuncture is that the patient need not come daily for treatment and once the needles are fixed in the ear, he can return after a week or 10 days for the next session. In more chronic cases, a mix of classical Chinese acupuncture and French ear acupuncture can give wonderful results.

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 @? n:yes'> Apart from treating physical ailments, ayurveda is useful in treating cases of anxiety and depression or mansik rog. In some cases, disease might have a genetic factor, but ayurveda can help. Unlike usual antidepressants, ayurveda medicines target nerves making them stronger rather than suppressing them. The thrust of ayurveda is in following external therapy and medicine from herbs and minerals to balance doshas on a physical and mental plane.

After lifestyle and diet changes, as a person approaches his natural prakriti (the best balance of doshas he was born with), the disease slowly disappears. Much depends on the patient – whether he is willing to incorporate lifestyle changes and eat what the ayurvedacharya recommends.

Medicines should be prepared following traditional guidelines in the scriptures, so follow treatment prescribed only by reputed and qualified ayurvedacharyas. Simple exposure to the sun is also important, as is doing yoga and meditation – once you start, you can find a difference to your health in just 10 days! To cite a point, surya namaskar done early mornings, benefits even leprosy patients, proving that sun and belief are the best healers.