Auriculotherapy is a term used to describe the treatment of pain, muscular skeletal disorders, and a broad range of medical conditions by the application of massage, low energy laser or acupuncture needles to specific locations on the ear.
Auriculotherapy, and by extension, Auriculomedicine, was discovered and developed into a profoundly effective treatment protocol by Paul Nogier, a French doctor. In the early 1950's he was able to determine the somatotopic presentation of the inverted foetus in the ear, the anatomic regions of the foetus corresponding to specific zones of the ear. This led to a lifetime of continued research which took auricular therapy from the initial simple reflexive treatments to a powerful therapy that can both identify and treat specific body systems, parts or functions that are in disharmony.
Although there are historical references to ear acupuncture in China, it was not until Dr Nogier's discoveries that advances in ear acupuncture progressed in China. In respecting that, the Chinese acknowledged his contribution by describing him as the 'Father of modern Ear Acupuncture'.
Today we don't use needles because of the higher risk of infection. Instead we use electronic devices and/or low level lasers that both locate acupressure points and then treat them. It is both safe and painless.