title: The History, Mechanism, and Clinical Application of Auricular Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
abstract: Auricular therapy includes acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupressure, lasering, cauterization, moxibustion, and bloodletting in the auricle. For 2500 years, people have employed auricular therapy for treating diseases, but the methods have been limited to bloodletting and cauterization. Only after 1957, the international scientific community became aware that the map of the ear resembles an inverted fetus, its introduction has led to auricular acupuncture (AA) becoming a more systemic approach, and, following the identification and standardization of more precise points, AA has been employed in clinical applications. The mechanisms of AA are considered to have a close relationship with the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, neuroimmunological factors, neuroinflammation, and neural reflex, as well as antioxidation. Auricular therapy has been applied, for example, for pain relief, for the treatment of epilepsy, anxiety, and obesity, and for improving sleep quality. However, the mechanisms and evidence for auricular therapy warrant further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pu-Wei
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsin-Cheng
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Nou-Ying
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
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