How Auricular Therapy Works

The art of healing with pressure over specific points on the ear is known as Ear Acupressure
or Auricular Therapy. Ear hosts over 120 acupoints that correspond to various parts of the
body. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches that energy pathways (or ‘qi’ or vital life
energy) pass through the ear. When you stimulate an acupoint, abundant flow of energy
returns to the related organ or area, allowing healing to take place. The ear is said to be a
micro-imitation of the human bodily system, comparing the shape of the ear to an inverted
fetus. The mapping of inverted fetus to the outer ear roughly explains the connection
between ear acupoints and their corresponding body parts.
Auricular therapy or auriculotherapy is not just simply
acupressure to unblock energy meridians of the body. Rather,
ear acupressure stimulates the nerve connections between
the ear and the central nervous system. By applying pressure
to the correct points on the external ear triggers nerve impulse
from the ear to the brain, thereby communicating powerful
healing messages to the organ or system in which the health
problem manifests. Upon stimulation, the brain releases pain-
relieving protein molecules, endorphins, into the blood stream,
soothing chronic pain and discomfort quickly and with no side
effects.

How Ear Seeds Work
Instead of using needles to stimulate the acupoints, small beads can be used to apply
pressure to the points. The seeds of natural vaccaria plants, also known as Wang Bu Lui
Xing (王不留行籽) in Chinese, are used as they are tiny enough to sit precisely over one
pressure point. The seeds are put in place using tapes.

Application of ear seeds can be
used alone or as complementary therapy to acupuncture or body acupuncture