Ear Piercing Acupuncture Points- Everything You Need To Know

Belonging to Indian society, ear piercing has been one of the most rigorously followed rituals. Kids have their ears pierced even before they turn one. This ritual is being followed by almost every Indian family with an idea that it is good for the growth and development of the child. Nobody really knew the exact logic behind getting the ears pierced at an age when the kids don't even understand their surroundings. As these kids enter into teenage and adulthood, ear-piercing becomes a part of their style.

Historical Background

So is there more to ear-piercing than just aesthetics? Well, surprisingly, ear-piercing acupuncture has been around for almost 5000 years. Egyptian sailors were the first ones to have gold needles pierced in the ears in order to have better eyesight. This ear piercing acupuncture treatment is also called Auricular Acupuncture.

In Traditional Chinese medicine, positive and negative energies are known to flow through the body. These are called yin and yang. The yang (positive) meridians are all connected to the ear.

Karna Vedha

This ancient ayurvedic text mentions the most appropriate time and day to be chosen for piercing the ears of newborns. In ancient India too, ear-piercing acupuncture points were unknowingly followed with an intention to improve gut health in babies.

The Ayurvedic text also mentions health benefits when newborns have their ears pierced. These include;

• Reproductive Health- Right in the middle of the lobe, the Marma point is pierced. This point is considered important for the reproductive health of both males and females.
• Brain Health- The lobe of an ear is rich in nervous supply from our 12 cranial nerves. Therefore piercing this point stimulates the brain and improves the development of the child.
• Energy-  Wearing gold or copper earrings is known to improve and regulate the flow of energy.

These ideas mentioned in ayurvedic text correlates with Traditional Chinese Medicine's theory of acupuncture. This unique mode of treatment has been practiced as an efficient drug-free approach towards managing conditions like migraine, depression, addiction, weight loss, autoimmune diseases, gynecological troubles, digestive tract illnesses, and more common chronic pain.

Just like we have acupuncture points all over our body, similarly, acupuncture points exist on our ears as well. This ear piercing acupuncture comes under the umbrella of alternative therapy. The term auriculotherapy is often wrongly used in the context of ear piercing acupuncture therapy.

How Has This Ear Piercing Acupuncture Developed Over All These Years?

Dr. Paul Nogier is called the Father of Modern Auriculotherapy and Father of Auricular Acupuncture. He was a world-renowned neuro-physician and a trained acupuncturist.

He observed that when a part of the ear was stimulated, it had an effect on some other part of the body. Therefore, a piercing could be made at a particular point on the ear for stimulating reflex at that point. The piercing was found to improve and regulate the flow of energy within the body and also the functioning of organs inside our body.

Later on, Dr. Paul Nogier came up with a hypothesis of an inverted fetus in the ear. This represented the map of the ear in which each part of the ear corresponded to a body part. In this way, Nogier was able to map the entire body on the external ear. This suggests that our ear represents a micro-system, stimulation of which improves and regulates our body's functioning. He published this map in an acupuncture journal in 1956, following which this map has begun to be used by acupuncturists globally. Chinese acupuncturists too credited Dr. Nogier for his contribution to the field of acupuncture.

Dr. Paul Nogier later transformed auricular acupuncture into auriculo-medicine which became a special field of medicine all over the world. In 1850, Dr. Rolker published a paper saying that the cauterization of the helix of the ear turned out to be a good treatment option in patients having sciatica pain.

There have, however, been very few documented results of ear piercing acupuncture points. Some people claim to have long-term benefits of ear piercing acupuncture either complete removal of their complaints or reduce in intensity. Whereas some say that the effect doesn’t last too long. Similarly, some patients feel relief immediately while some notice a positive change after a few days.

On the contrary, there are few peer reviews that back up or refute the information that ear-piercing acupuncture actually helps. Practitioners have found no scientific basis to prove that ear-piercing acupuncture points actually treat illnesses. They claim that this treatment often works on belief.

Best Ear Piercing Acupuncture Points

The List Below Will Tell you Parts of the Ear Along with Corresponding Acupuncture Points.

1. The Lobe

Piercing on this part is improving eyesight. Also, our 12 cranial nerves are known to pass through the lobe. Piercing the lobe is beneficial for the proper development of children.

2. The Conch

This is the inner-most part of your external ear. Piercing of the conch works as a muscle relaxant and is often used as an ear-piercing acupuncture point to manage chronic pain.

3. Tragus

This point is the outer portion of the ear just near your cheek. This is the "hunger point" Piercing this acupuncture point is done for the purpose of weight loss and to control appetite.

4. Inter Tragic Point

This point controls the endocrine functions of our body.

5. Helix

Piercing this point gives relief from allergies and insomnia. The piercing root of the helix is also known to treat migraine headaches.

6. Anti Helix

This point piercing reduces troubles related to the genitals.

7. Daith

Inner cartilage. Piercing this point helps in treating migraine headaches

8. Point Zero

This point is responsible for maintaining balance in the functions of the body.

9. Shen Men Point

This point is stimulated to tranquilize the body and mind. Ear piercing of this acupuncture point helps to manage mental illnesses and alcoholism.

10. Master Oscillation Point

This point balances both sides of the body

An active acupuncture point on the ear can be recognized when there is tenderness in applying slight pressure and high electrical stimulation. Ear piercing acupuncture also involves needling of other parts of the body simultaneously as well. Ear piercing on acupuncture points does not over-stimulate the puncture zone. This ensures that there are no ill-effects of ear piercing acupuncture.

Apart from just identifying the ear-piercing acupuncture points, it is also essential to choose the right kind of metal piercing. Each metal element has a different effect on different persons. It is equally important to get ear piercing done by a certified acupuncturist. Piercing at the wrong point with the wrong metal can cause significant pain and a lot of problems with healing. Even a millimeter away and the treatment will have no desirable benefits.