Treatments

Both body and ear acupuncture (auriculotherpy) are used for a broad variety of clinical dysfunction and diseases including headaches, chronic backaches, hypertension, asthma, dental disorders, addiction.

The theoretical understanding of auriculotherapy can be perceived from knowledge of standard anatomical and neurophysiological treatises and theories, and additionally to from the use of Chinese energetic theories. The neurological basis for auriculotherapy is based upon a somatotropic map in which a brain map of the body exist in neurons on the cerebral cortex through the thalamus and the brain stem . The brain map is similar to the auricular map exhibiting a inverted fetus orientation.

The ear is intervened by the auricular temporal nerve formed by the mandibular ranus of the trigeminal nerve, cranial nerve V. The major and minor auricular nerves are formed by the nerves of the cervical plexus C2, C3 and finally the auricular Rami of the facial nerve, cranial nerve VII and the glossopharyngeal nerve, cranial nerve IX and the vagus nerve, cranial nerve X. This dense enervation of five different afferent nerves of somatic and visceral nature give abundant intervention of the ear.

The basis of this neural anatomy and embryological and comparative autonomy, auricular reflex therapy was composed and utilized by Rueben Durinjan. The therapy developed by Melzack and Wall 1965, date control theory, the inhibitory interneuron in the spinal cord is differentially effected A fiber C fiber input. Fast conducting A fibers carry information about touch affecting inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord to suppress the experience of pain. Slow conducting C fibers carry information about pain. Inhibiting these same inhibitory interneurons results in a further increase in neural discharges which are sent towards the brain activating the conscience experience of pain.

TENS ( transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) suppresses pain by activating A-Fibers which inhibit the input from C fibers. Acupuncture stimulation tends to activate C fibers which activates super spinal gating systems which then send descending input to the spinal inhibitory neurons which suppresses the pain message. Secondary, stimulation produced analgesia is a pain inhibitory system that has been demonstrated by brain stimulation by the periactiductal central gray matter which reduces the responses to pain in rats, cats, monkeys, and humans. This peripheral stimulation and ear acupuncture points may peripherally activate the pain inhibitory system.