Auriculotherapy
Musculoskeletal Problems
The Five Addictions
Pain Management
Mental and Emotional Stress
Compulsive Disorders
Internal Dysfunctions
High-Tech -- Micro-Current -- No Needles
WHAT IS IT?
Auriculotherapy is a therapy in which gentle electrical stimulation of reflex points on external ear is used to detect and alleviate health conditions in other parts of the body.
While originally based upon ancient Chinese Ear Acupuncture, the mapping of specific parts of the body to specific parts of the ear was developed in modern France.
In 1957, Dr Paul Nogier, a physician from Lyon, France, observed the occurrence of scars on the ear of patients who had been treated successfully for sciatica pain by lay practitioners. Dr Nogier’s subsequent research lead to the “somatotopic” map of the ear, based upon the concept of an inverted “fetus” (upside-down baby) image superimposed on the ear.
Research studies in China and the USA verified the scientific accuracy of auricular diagnosis. In China the ear points of over 2,000 patients were assessed recording which points correlated with certain diseases and which ear points lead to reduction of medical symptoms. At UCLA 75% accuracy was achieved in correctly diagnosing the location of the musculoskeletal pain problems of 40 patients.
Expert panels were formed by the World Health Organization leading to international standards and identification of ear reflex points.
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
Imagine your brain as a computer. Inside this computer is a “map” of the entire body. This map is projected onto the ear through the body’s nervous system. Accessing the points on the map is like using a computer’s keyboard or mouse to gain entrance into the system. With this system we are able to directly treat a number of problems and conditions through the “brain’s computer”.
Auriculotherapy is often confused with ear acupuncture but it uses no needles, and instead of “meridians” uses nerve pathways. A micro-current stimulator is placed on reflex points on the outside of the ear. These points then send a message to the brain based on the location of the reflex point being treated. Most people feel a gentle tingling to sharp prickling at the ear reflex points during treatment.
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WHAT HAPPENS?
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An Auriculotherapy treatment can take anything from 5 to 30 minutes. You will be lying on your side or back with a comfortable pillow to support your neck. The practitioner will be running a small battery-powered micro-current device around your ear. You will hear a quiet, high-pitch noise coming from the Stimplus. When the practitioner treats an active reflex point, you may feel a sensation of a pulse or a pin-prick: This sensation will last 15–60 seconds for each point treated.
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Auriculotherapy can also be performed sitting if you are unable to lie down.
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Micro-current is used in preference to needles, acupressure, laser and other forms of current (e.g. TENS), as this best matches the natural frequencies of the nerves being treated. Hence Micro-current is attempting to normalize abnormal nerve activities. The advanced design of the instrument we utilize has the additional advantage of being able to locate the active reflex points, as well as treat.
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There are no known contraindications or dangers of Auriculotherapy. (For ultra-safety notify your practitioner if you have a heart pacemaker or are in the first trimester of pregnancy.)
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The number and regularity of Auriculotherapy sessions will depend on the severity and complexity of the health problems being treated and the severity and number of active reflex points located upon examination.
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Auriculotherapy can be used as a “stand-alone” treatment, and can more effective and complementary when combined with the modern Chiropractic techniques and other natural treatment modalities.
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Check with your practitioner for session costs and whether their services are recognised for ancillary private health insurance rebates.
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THE EAR - BODY MAP
There are no “meridians” that cross the ear, but a rich network of nerve endings which travel from the skin of the ear, through cranial and cervical nerve roots, back into the brain. The ear to brain connection is the shortest and most direct of any of the body’s neurological “micro-systems” (a small representation of the whole body’s anatomy). The map of the body on the ear is called a “homunculus”.
Auriculotherapy is the only direct micro-system that can be used for diagnosis and treatment. Iridology is the only other direct micro-system, but this can only be used for diagnosis. All other Microsystems such as foot reflexology and Acupuncture are indirect.
Auriculotherapy is safe, effective micro-current stimulation of nerve endings on the outer ears to help balance and/or normalise a range of physiological and psychological functions.
In 1990, the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) proclaimed to an international gathering that – “Auricular acupuncture is probably the most developed and best documented, scientifically, of all the micro-systems of acupuncture and is the most practical and widely used.”
The WHO lists 150 diseases that Auriculotherapy is appropriate for.
ADVANTAGES?
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Drug-free natural pain relief
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Speed up your neurological healing towards wellness
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Results with sport and joint problems – breaks open reflexes that limit healing
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Improve signs and symptoms of internal disorders
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Helps to isolate dysfunctional internal systems and tissues
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Relief from depression, anxiety and compulsive related feelings
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Assists addicts of all kinds in their recovery process
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Tells you where your body is storing stress and helps to relieve the tension.