Auricular acupuncture, also known as ear acupuncture or auriculotherapy, is a form of acupuncture that involves stimulating specific points on the ear to treat various health conditions. The practice has a long history dating back to ancient China, but it was not until the 1950s that it was officially recognized as a distinct form of acupuncture.
Early Chinese texts describe the use of acupuncture points on the ear, and the famous Chinese physician Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine), which was written around 300 BCE, mentions specific ear points as being related to the internal organs of the body. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the French physician Dr. Paul Nogier began to develop a systematic approach to auricular acupuncture.
Dr. Nogier was intrigued by the fact that some of his patients with lower back pain reported that pressure on a specific spot on the ear provided relief. He began to map out the ear, identifying specific points that corresponded to different parts of the body. He also discovered that the ear points could be used to treat a wide variety of health conditions, not just pain.
Dr. Nogier’s work quickly gained popularity in France, and it spread to other parts of Europe and eventually to the United States. In the 1970s, Dr. Michael Smith, a physician in California, began to develop his own approach to auricular acupuncture, which he called the NADA protocol. This protocol involves using a small number of ear points to help people overcome addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
Today, auricular acupuncture is widely used around the world to treat a range of health conditions, from pain and anxiety to addiction and insomnia. It is often used in conjunction with other forms of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, as well as with Western medicine.
