Identification of a tender area on the ear typically corresponds with the most beneficial point to relieve the distally located pain. According to Oleson, “Pain sensations that are due to irritated nerves can be relieved by the normalizing of pathological, hypersensitive reflex pathways that interconnect the ear microsystem and the somatotopic brain.”Ĭonsult an auriculotherapy map to locate the correct reflex area to address a specific painful body part. The stimulation of ear reflex points connected to the brain can reset the brain’s electrical prompts, stopping unwanted activation of spinal reflexes. Muscles remain in spasm when the brain instructs motor neurons to initiate and sustain their contraction. Most chronic pain is due to the constriction of connective tissue surrounding muscles in spasm. Studies have demonstrated that ear stimulation increases levels of endorphins in both the blood and cerebrospinal fluid.Įar massage also aids in breaking the pain-spasm-pain cycle. Ear massage triggers the release of the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins. Regardless of the mechanism, applying pressure to the ear in specific locations has been found to relieve distal body pain.
While ear massage can be used to address a countless array of health issues, musculoskeletal pain and addiction have demonstrated some of the most dramatic responses to auriculotherapy. Rather, nerves from the ear connect to reflex centers in the brain that send neurological reflex pathways to the spinal cord, which in turn, sends them on to the neurons reaching distal body parts. According to microsystem theory, there are no direct connections between the ear and specific distal body parts.
Stimulating points on the ear can alleviate problems associated with nearby regions of the face and head as well as relieve pathological disorders in the chest, abdomen, lower back, and feet. Due to its high level of accessibility, this auricular microsystem can be used to treat health conditions affecting all parts of the body. Similar to the cortical homunculus, the ear has been mapped in detail to reflect associated areas with the entire human body. Also known as the cortical homunculus, this figure has disproportionately large lips, hands, feet and genitals, reflecting the larger cortical area allocated for the innervation of these body parts. Called somatosensory mapping, a distorted human figure reflects the corresponding body parts in the sensory and motor cortex. The first defined microsystem is a figurative representation of the human body mapped in the brain’s cortex. Microsystems are valuable in many disciplines, including neuroanatomy, foot and hand reflexology, face and scalp acupuncture, and iridology. The auricle of the ear (the external, protruding portion), can be viewed as a microsystem representing the entire body. Auriculotherapy is reflexology of the ear.
0 kommentar(er)
