German auricular acupuncture: a case study and patient report

I continue to be impressed with the results of German auricular acupuncture on clients of Red Clover Clinic. I’d like to share a case study and first-person patient account of this powerful treatment.

If you recall, the last issue of Red Clover Clinic Newsletter described the concept of focus points in German auricular acupuncture. A quick review: our ears have points that harbor a body/brain memory of a particular stress or trauma we have experienced. ” Focus” activity can be a chronic burden on the system, preventing it from returning to its previous level of homeostasis. Treating focus points can help to clear the stressful body memory and potentially heal chronic afflictions that don’t seem to respond to other treatments. A few needles can clear past trauma and promote healing, as you shall see.

A case study

A 55-year-old woman who had been coming to me for acupuncture and bodywork was interested in experiencing a German auricular acupuncture session. She had a history of several injuries and two surgeries: an appendectomy and bunion surgery. Her main complaints were pain and tightness around her tailbone (pain level of 4 on a scale of 10) and tightness along her lower thoracic spine on the right side (pain level 2 on a scale of 10). These were chronic conditions for which she had undergone years of physical training and various treatments to correct. 

The injury that stood out as the most significant was a horseback riding injury at age 17. The saddle slid off the horse’s back, and she was dragged by her left leg.  She blacked out and remembers waking up with pain in her left hip and the right side of her back.

First, I did a preliminary scan of the ear, using a 3-Volt Hammer (a device with two points with opposite polarity), to determine which points on the ear needed to be tested for activity. The testing itself is done with a piece of equipment called the Pointoselct Digital DT. This tool measures the electrical conductance of each point. The lower the conductance, the more active the point. The most active points are the points selected for treatment. Five points were selected and needled–one that corresponds to the tailbone on both sides, a point that correlated with the thoracic region, and two functional points that help mediate pain.

While resting with the needles, the client had the sensation of having the wind knocked out of her two separate times. She had to concentrate on breathing through the episodes. After getting up off the table, she felt that her whole tailbone region had released. She felt no pain, and noticed that her leg stayed properly aligned when she walked. 

Twenty-four hours following the treatment, the client reported that her right lower back had loosened up a lot, which made any discomfort in her thoracic region and upper back almost disappear. She also mentioned that she had a slight fever the night of the treatment and into the next morning.

I find this case to be interesting, because not only was there a clear improvement in the symptoms, there was also a body experience that was relived and then released. This experience sped up the client’s progress in her physical training. She continues to get occasional auricular treatments when something feels stuck.

A patient report

“I have been a patient of Anita’s for a few years, to get rid of a chronic cough and deal with some premenopausal symptoms. Herbs, both western and Chinese, as well as regular acupuncture, were used with good effect over that period of time.

“As menopause approached and hot flashes increased, Anita mentioned that German auricular acupuncture was particularly effective for hormonal conditions. I was game to try, even though the needles used are slightly larger than for Chinese acupuncture and thus can be momentarily more uncomfortable.

“I always experience a feeling of relaxation during an acupuncture treatment, but the sensation was much more pronounced during my first German auricular session. I became aware of how much nervous tension I carry in my body. The calm, level feeling continued for a full day. I was hoping it would go on forever! Though it did not, alas, the overall effect of multiple treatments over time is noticeable.

“And what about the hot flashes? After two treatments, spaced a week apart, they virtually disappeared for a month. I thought that was that, but they did return, though fewer and less intense. A treatment every month or so has kept them under control.”

Herbal teas for cold and flu season

It’s that time of year, cold and flu season. If you are unlucky enough to succumb, the best antidote for a miserable cold with body aches, chills, and fever is to sweat. Drinking a warm herbal tea with diaphoretic (sweat promoting) properties and wrapping up in heavy blankets will help you to sweat out the illness and recover more quickly. Here are two tasty and effective options.

Yarrow, elderflower, and peppermint tea

• 1/2 tsp. dried yarrow flowers

• 1/2 tsp. dried elderflowers

• 1/2 tsp. dried peppermint leaves

• 12 oz. boiling water

A small teapot is convenient, because it has two necessary items: a lid and an infuser. A large mug can be used as well, but you will need either a disposable tea bag or a tea ball, as well as a small plate to use as a lid. The lid is important, because it traps all the volatile oils and prevents them from evaporating into the air. These oils are the active ingredients that promote sweat and circulation, so don’t lose them! 

Place the dried herbs into the infuser, pour the boiling water into the pot, and cover. Steep for 20 minutes. Pour the tea into a mug and enjoy. Then wrap yourself up in bed and sweat out your cold. This can be repeated 2-3 times per day until you feel better.

Ginger and honey tea

• 4 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger

• honey, to taste

Follow the directions for the previous tea, placing the fresh ginger in the infuser. Stir in the honey after removing the infuser. The addition of honey to this tea is particularly soothing to a sore throat. 

If you’re in need of a good source of high-quality, organic, dried herbs, I suggest Mountain Rose Herbs.

What is unique about German auricular acupuncture?

In the last issue of the Red Clover Clinic Newsletter you learned about German auricular acupuncture and why the ear provides us with such a powerful landscape from which to treat the whole body. Here’s a quick review: 

• The brain projects a representative map of the entire body onto the ear. 

• Any injuries and illnesses are part of this projection. 

• Treating these areas has a healing effect on the related parts of the body. 

Now I would like to focus on the different types of points that can be found on the ear, as well as what makes the German system of auricular acupuncture unique among its other auricular counterparts (Chinese and French).

Types of points on the ear

There are three types of points we look for and use on the ear: 

1. Reflex points, also known as anatomical points, are the most basic, shared in all the systems of auriculotherapy. Each part of the body (knee, forehead, liver eye, etc.) has a corresponding point on the ear. If you put a needle in the liver point, you have a direct effect on the liver. 

2. Functional points exert a certain influence on the body systemically. There are functional points that calm the nervous system, lessen inflammation, alleviate pain, regulate hormone levels, and more.

3. Focus points are reflex or functional points that harbor a body/brain memory of a particular stress or trauma on one’s body. Injuries, illnesses, surgeries and emotional trauma can all cause focus activity in a point.

What makes German auricular medicine unique?

It is recognition and treatment of focus activity (#3, above) that makes  German auricular medicine unique among its other auricular counterparts. This is very important, because a failure to heal may be due to focus activity that is still plaguing the body. Once the focus activity is cleared, the body can heal. In other words, people suffering from longstanding afflictions that don’t seem to respond to other treatments may have the opportunity to heal if old focus activity is cleared.

The rain barrel theory

Focus activity tends to be a chronic burden on the system, preventing it from returning to its previous level of homeostasis. A great illustration of how focus activity overloads the body is the rain barrel theory. 

The body collects the impact of stress, injuries, and trauma as if it were a rain barrel. As the rainwater level reaches the top, there is a danger of it spilling over. Sometimes it takes just one or two drops too many to cause the barrel to overflow. Each individual has the capacity to handle only so many stressors before their rain barrel overflows and a cascade of symptoms appear.

In order to effectively recover from these types of scenarios, you must either make your rain barrel bigger, or drain it. It is possible to make your rain barrel bigger by reducing stress, improving diet, getting better sleep, exercising, meditating, and taking more vacations.  To drain your rain barrel, German auricular medicine is a good choice, because it offers methods to both identify and clear focus activity. 

How full is your rain barrel?

Blue Vervain - identification and uses

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) has many medicinal uses. I primarily use it to calm and ease all types of tension in the body. Tension can result in many conditions including spasms, tremors, pain, hypertension, headaches, dizziness, emotional tension, ADHD, menstrual and menopausal complaints, and more.

Blue Vervain is an attractive plant that produces spikes of small purple flowers. It is a North American native that grows abundantly throughout the Great Plains region and beyond. It is a close relative of its European cousin, Verbena officinalis.

It is important to distinguish Blue Vervain from another North American cousin, Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) when collecting for medicinal purposes. Even though these two plants have a lot in common, their medicinal effects are slightly different.  The most noticeable distinguishing characteristic is that Hoary Vervain has fuzzy leaves, and Blue Vervain doesn’t. Hoary Vervain’s flowers are also slightly bigger than Blue Vervain’s.

Blue Vervain – Verbena hastata

Hoary Vervain – Verbena stricta