Auriculotherapy, French acupuncture – Therapies

January 04, 2023

If auriculotherapy has been known for a long time in China, it is very little practiced there. Until the 1960s, traditional Chinese medicine only knew about ten points in and on the ear. Auriculotherapy as it is known today is very French and differs from Chinese acupuncture. It was invented in 1956 and, since 1994, an international seminar regularly brings together specialists in this technique who collaborate in the development of the method, based on both scientific and clinical experimentation.

One organ, one point

Auriculotherapy was born from work of a physicistwho quickly turned to general medicine, Dr. Paul Nogier. During a substitution, he is surprised and impressed by the therapeutic results of a patient who suffered from chronic sciatica. Dr. Nogier notes several cauterizations in the earlobe at a specific location. The patient tells him that a few sessions during which these points were stimulated relieved him: he no longer suffers from sciatica.

Back in his office, Paul Nogier decided to learn this technique. It complements his training in acupuncture and spinal manipulation. By dint of experimentation and research, coupled with his knowledge of physics, he will succeed in understand the energy mechanisms of the ear and develop sensing and stimulation devices. He also discovers lots of acupuncture points allowing to treat Ilumbago and back pain.

As his work progresses, he identifies other points allowing ttreat the shoulders, then the hips… He manages to establish a correspondence between certain points of the skin and the organs. Finally, he develops ear mapping. Therefore, for fifteen yearshe will continue his research and develop auriculotherapy that we know today.

Working

Unlike an acupuncture point which is permanent, a point on the ear does not appear only to the extent that a pathology actually exists in the body. The ear is a reflex zonein close relationship with the brainstem, hence a rapid connection with the marrow and the brain. Which explains the instantaneous reaction as soon as a point is taken. Auriculotherapy works by nerve. As soon as a point is stimulated, it causes a endorphin secretion (hormone that plays a role in blocking the physiological or psychological process in the treatment of pain).

Various results

For acute pathologiesyou can generally see the positive effects of a session within a week. For chronic pathologies, it takes several weeks to see results. As in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is necessary to plan 4 to 5 sessions to feel an improvement, in auriculotherapy a minimum of three appointments is necessary, even five in some cases. The frequency of the sessions will depend on the treatment to be implemented.

Auriculotherapy is effective against many pains (rheumatism, neuralgia, sciatica, digestive disorders, shingles, back pain, etc.). It is also found to be beneficial in states of stress, anxiety, nervousness, sleep disorders but also addiction such as smoking.

Auriculotherapy, an increasingly widespread practice

In France, only doctors can perform this technique close to acupuncture. There is an optional auriculotherapy module in some medical universities. It is not recognized by the Order of Physicians, even if it is practiced in certain hospitals anda report from the Ministry of Health (the Niboyret report) admits the effectiveness of this technique. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the benefits of auriculotherapy, as well as the work of Dr. Nogier, since 1990. The latter founded the Lyon Medical Studies Group (GLEM) which provides several types of training, from the seminar to the complete cycle. The association chaired by Raphaël Nogier, the son of the founder, brings together approximately 300 doctors which extend the ideas and work of Paul Nogier by relying on modern neurophysiology. Consult : www.glem.org

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