The History of Auricular Medicine
The use of the pinnae (erternal parts) of the ear for medical treatments goes back a very long time in history. There are references attributed to Hippocrates (460 - 380 BC) who used a form of bloodletting on the ear as a treatment for impotence. The great polymath Avicenna (980 - 1037) is thought to have used the techniques of auricular medicine in the courts of the caliphes. Numerous articles appear in France and in the Mediterranean basin in the 17th - 19th centuries describing cauterizations of points on the ear for treatments of toothache, vision, and other ailments. Although these examples of bloodlettings, cauterizations and scarifications of the ear exist in past history, it is not until the work of Dr. Paul Nogier who discovered and synthesized a global comprehension of these techniques and developed it into the logical system that we now know as auricular medicine.
Dr. Paul Nogier was a French physician who worked as a general practitioner in Lyon. His first scientific education was in physics but he also came to study homeopathy and acupuncture as well as medicine. In 1951 he examined two patients who had received small burn scars in their ears as a treatment for sciatica by a Mrs. Barrin. Dr. Nogier expanded his interest in this treatment with a series of ingenious experiments and investigations over a few years to come up with his first "inverted fetus" somatic reflex map of the ear in 1956. This was the first time that specific points on the ear were mapped as reflex points corresponding to specific locations on the body.
In 1966, while investigating points on the ear while simultaneously monitoring the patient's pulse, Dr. Nogier noticed a distinct variation in the pulse. This led to the discovery of a new reflex now commonly referred to as the VAS (Vascular Autonomic Signal) or the Nogier Reflex Signal which is a crucial tool of diagnosis in auricular medicine.
In 1976 he discovered the Nogier frequencies. The skin is both an absorber and an emitter of radiant (light) energy and Dr. Nogier was able to define seven areas or territories of the ear which responded to specific frequencies. The use of specific frequency absorption and emission phenomena is very important in refining diagnosis and treatment.
Auricular medicine is a new and expanding science with valuable contributions, variations and refinements from multiple sources, but the fundamental tenets are scientifically validated and practically applied by tens of thousands of practitioners throughout the world.
Another excellent history which includes a history of laser applications is authored by Dr. Frank Bahr who is an early pioneer and co-researcher with Dr. P. Nogier and a giant in the field. Please follow the link in my "External Links" page to access this excellent article.
