Auricular therapy has been around for about 2500 years, but it wasn’t until 1957 when a French physician Dr. Paul Nogier (1908 – 1996), considered the father of Auricular Therapy, who became curious of the procedure of cauterizing the ear for back pain. This led him to mapping the reflexive somatotopy of the ear and the discovery of the auricular microsystem that represented an inverted fetus.

Auricular Therapy is thought to have to have influence over the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system, neuroimmunological factors, neuroinflammation, and neural reflex, as well as antioxidation due to the numerous nerves that go to the ear, such as the facial/CN VII, and a branch from the Vagas/CN X that wraps around each ear. It has been used for pain relief, for the treatment of epilepsy, anxiety/stress, gastrointestinal, obesity, and for improving sleep quality. 

Auricular Therapy utilizes small, shorter sized needles on the auricular points that stay in for 20 to 60 minutes. For those who would rather not do the needles there is the option of using ear seeds instead to stimulate the points by acupressure by pressing or rubbing the little adhesive patch that has a small 2mm x 2mm sized vacarria seed or metal ball of stainless steele, titanium, gold, silver, or magnet. The ear seeds can stay in place up to 5 days.

Another method is an ear massage; starting at the lobe of the ear and working your way up the outer portion, massaging the back of the ear and the side of attachment along the face, working to the inner portion, lightly pinching the ridges and down in the deepest portion of the outer ear, near ear canal; this is very relaxing and beneficial for overall health.