Complaints & connections · borters.ch
Stimulation points on the ear, traditionally founded — the scientific evidence is limited.
Also known as: ear acupuncture · auriculotherapy · NADA
Open in the tool — with search and all the links →This compilation is for information and replaces neither medical diagnosis nor treatment. If you have symptoms, see a doctor.
Auriculotherapy is a form of stimulation applied to the ear. The idea behind it: the ear is understood as a small map of the body, with points corresponding to regions and functions. These points are stimulated with fine needles, seeds or gentle pressure; it is traditionally used for relaxation, for supporting people in pain, and in calming and addiction programmes (e.g. NADA).
Blood thinning, osteoporosis, cortisone over a longer period, a tumour illness, a pregnancy, a pacemaker, a fresh injury. This information changes the approach — and it is only taken into account if it is mentioned.
Four to six sessions are usual, then take stock together: what has changed, what has not, and how would one notice? A fixed checkpoint protects against treatments that simply carry on.
Fever, unintended weight loss, constant pain at night, new weakness or numbness, blood in stool or urine: that belongs looked at by a doctor first, whatever treatment one chooses.
Basic insurance as a rule pays nothing here. Depending on the supplementary insurance and the recognition of the practitioner, part is reimbursed — a phone call beforehand saves surprises.
Needles are used once and taken from sterile packaging. A reddened, painful puncture site after one or two days belongs shown — it is rare, but it happens.
Treatment works through points on the outer ear, usually with needles or small beads left in place for three to seven days. A course usually runs to four to eight sessions. It has been studied mainly in pain, anxiety before procedures and stopping smoking; the studies are mostly small, and the effect is reported short term, over days to a few weeks. The map of the ear goes back to work from the 1950s.
The stimulus at the outer ear reaches branches of the vagus and trigeminal nerves, which lie close to the surface there — the effect is explained by that route, and it is also used in work on vagus stimulation. What it does not do: treat a disease of an organ because a point on the ear stands for it. Beads stay in place three to seven days; then they are removed, otherwise the skin suffers.
Many describe a marked heaviness and a great need for sleep after the session. It is worth not putting the appointment right before a demanding task.
A temporary strengthening for some hours to two days is often described. If it lasts longer or new complaints appear, that belongs reported back — not sat out.
A pulling or burning at the ear for hours, discomfort lying on the treated side, small bruises at the points.
Growing redness, swelling, warmth, throbbing pain or discharge where a needle or seed stays: then it is removed and the spot looked at. The cartilage of the ear is sensitive to infection.
A drop in circulation with pallor, sweating and nausea occurs almost only on an empty stomach and while sitting. A small bite beforehand and being treated lying down takes the ground from it.
Having drunk enough lessens dizziness and headache afterwards. That water flushes something out afterwards is a description and not a demonstrated effect — it is sensible anyway.
When a treatment works on muscles, tendons or fascia, the recovery needs building material. That holds for every method that concerns the moving apparatus.
Small bruises at the puncture sites are expected. Anyone who gets strikingly many should have clotting, platelets and the supply of vitamin C and K looked at once — and always mention blood thinning beforehand.
With permanent needles or seeds at the ear the only solid topic is the skin: kept for days, the cartilage occasionally becomes inflamed, and an inflammation of ear cartilage is stubborn. Anyone taking blood-thinning agents — including high-dose omega-3, ginkgo or garlic preparations — bleeds longer at the puncture site.
Most in pain and in stopping smoking, with small effects and weak blinding — real dummy needles are hard to build. No preparation strengthens or replaces this; the question of supplements is here simply a different question.
The stimulus at the ear releases the body’s own opioids, as any other needling does. The part of the ear supplied by the vagus is also the target of electrical ear stimulation — but that is where what has been studied ends.
The studies are small and methodologically weak; the differences found are a few kilograms and rarely outlast the treatment. Said plainly, because much is promised with it.
For pain relief there are small positive studies; for weight loss and stopping smoking they are weak and methodologically open to criticism. Said plainly, because much is promised with it.
The ear map and its points are described in detail in the TCM tool.