23/04/2022
1. The History of Auricular Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It has been accepted in China and has been used as one of the alternative and complementary treatments in western countries. Auricular acupuncture has been also used in the treatment of diseases for thousands of years. In the classic TCM text of Huang Di Nei Jing, which was compiled in around 500 B.C, the correlation between the auricle and the body had been described; all six Yang meridians were directly connected to the auricle, whereas the six Yin meridians were indirectly connected to the ear by their corresponding yang meridian, respectively [1]. In Hippocrates’ time, around 450 BC, bleeding points on the posterior (mastoid) surface of the ear were used to facilitate ej*******on, reduce impotency problem, and treat leg pain [2]. It was also reported that the auricle was associated with emotion [2]. During Renaissance sporadic trading between China and Europe made it possible to introduce needles, moxa, and cauterization of the external ear or cutting the veins behind the ears for relieving diseases in Europe [3]. In 1957, Dr. Paul Nogier, a physician in France, firstly originated the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear [2]. He proposed the concept after visiting a folk doctor, who cauterized the very small auricular area “sciatic point” of the patients for the treatment of sciatica. The folk doctor learned this technique from a Chinese who resided in Marseilles [3].
Nogier presented his discovery in several congresses and published it in an international circulation journal, which eventually led to the widespread acceptance of his approach.
Journal reference:
Auricular Acupuncture and Vagal Regulation
Wei He,1 Xiaoyu Wang,1 Hong Shi,1 Hongyan Shang,1 Liang Li,1 Xianghong Jing,1 and Bing Zhu1
