Auricular acupuncture is acupuncture simply done on the ear. An ancient traditional healing method that originated in China, acupuncture is a procedure that involves the insertion of very thin needles on specific points found all over the body. The needles can be manipulated once the inserted and they can stimulate the body for healing effects. In auricular acupuncture, the needles are inserted on the ear which is thought to contain countless of important and therapeutic acupuncture points.

Nowadays, acupuncture is closely related or associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. Although the ancient practice has been widely accepted in the western world, it more commonly incorporated into western style medicinal practices. The appearance of medical groups dedicated to one or more area of acupuncture has also become common as the practice has spread and become more widely followed throughout the world.

Those who focus on ear acupuncture comprise one specialized group of acupuncturists. Like  auricular acupuncturists in Bellingham, you must be familiar with roughly two hundred acupuncture points that exist in the outer ear. It should be noted that the hole leading to the inner ear is where the acupuncture needles are never inserted. Basing from the term itself, an ear acupuncturist’s workspace is the auricle, or fleshy part of the outer ear, also called the pinna.

The acupuncture points found in the outer ear correspond to other locations in the bosy and this goes for all forms of acupuncture. The acupuncture needle sends electrical impulse messages to the brain, which are then thought to stimulate other areas of the body by stimulating these points, called acupoints for short. In this method, auricular acupuncture can stimulate the organs and the brain itself, relieve pain in the joints and muscles, and achieve a number of other therapeutic effects for the patient. Since the outer ear is particularly a rich source of these points, this explains why there is a need for specialization in auricular acupuncture.

One particularly interesting tool in the more westernized style of auricular acupuncture has come into use, the electro acupunctoscope. It is an electric tool used by the acupuncturist to both locate and stimulate acupoints on the outer ear. With this tool, the acupuncturist stimulates acupoints through what is known as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or (TENS) which is also used in the whole-body acupuncture. It is equally effective even though the acupunctoscope replaces the use of inserted needles with electrical impulses. However, it is not a tool used in traditional acupuncture. In fact, this therapy is not truly acupuncture at all due to the absence of needles that puncture the skin.

Auricular acupuncture is thought to be effective in treating mental/emotional disturbances including depression and anxiety. It is also used to treat physical pain such as  back pain, tendonitis, headaches, migraines and sciatic pain. Auricular acupuncture is also used as a therapy to treat digestive problems such as indigestion and colitis, as well as respiratory and sinus problems like hay fever, sinusitis and asthma, since it stimulates corresponding points in the brain and body.