Auricular Therapy- (Auriculotherapy)- 

A type of acupuncture of the ear soft tissues based on placing needles into the cartilage of the ear (auricular acupuncture) or use of pressure over soft tissues of the ear (auricular acupressure) or use of a laser on the soft tissues of the ears (laser auriculotherapy) or use of electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) in order to achieve the effect desired.  Unlike traditional acupuncture, the auricular acupuncture needles or applied pressure via magnets or stones may be left in the ear for up to a month.  The modern origins of this alternative medicine therapy was with the French neurologist Paul Nogler, a French neurologist, who in 1957 published a “map of the ear” partially based on his observations and partially on the Chinese art of auriculotherapy extending back thousands of years.   

A systematic review and meta-analysis of auricular therapy for pain management (Evid Based Compl. Alt. Med 8/14 by Yeh CH, et al) found auricular therapy provided significant pain relief compared to sham or control groups however the analysis is questionable since it included many poorly conducted studies that would not meet the criteria for highest scientific trial design. He also found based on this analysis that auricular acupressure boasts the largest strength of evidence for pain relief followed by auricular acupuncture and that electroacupuncture was not found to be effective for pain.  Auricular acupuncture was found not to be any more effective in smoking cessation than sham therapy (J. Chinese Med Assoc 70(8), Aug 2007, 331-8).  Acupuncture of the ear for cancer showed less effectiveness than conventional analgesics in a randomized trial (J Tradit Chin Med 18(1):31-8, 1998).  Acupressure of the ear was found to not have any significant improvement over sham therapy in average low back pain intensity, back pain disability, or quality of life in those with chronic low back pain (Evid Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2013/196978)

PAINBYTES ASSESSMENT: Neutral:  There are mixed results from the studies, little science behind the treatment and potential damage from misdiagnosis by auricular diagnosis.