Aryana Libris

Author : Oleson Terry
Title : Auriculotherapy manual Chinese and Western systems of ear acupuncture
Year : 2003

Link download : Oleson_Terry_-_Auriculotherapy_manual.zip

Foreword. I have known Dr Terry Oleson for a number of years and I am very pleased to have been asked to write some lines of introduction for the third edition of the Auriculotherapy Manual: Chinese and Western Systems of Ear Acupuncture. I have very high regard for the advanced level of information contained in this book. Dr Oleson states extremely well that there are two very different approaches to understand about auriculotherapy. One approach is Oriental, the other one is Occidental. The Oriental approach calls upon the basic concepts of classical acupuncture. Most prominent are the concepts of yin and yang. In this Eastern approach towards auriculotherapy, the notion of 'energy' is omnipresent. The metaphysical view of the world and of man is the primary focus, even more prominent than the doctrines of physiology and anatomy. The Western approach towards auriculotherapy, that which Paul Nogier first proposed, rests upon the scientific method of observations, and the repetition of such observations. It is also grounded upon the basic foundations of anatomy and physiology. In the Western approach, there is no notion of energy and no metaphysical philosophy that underlies this technique. In fact, without going into details, the external ear has particular diagnostic and treatment properties because of its innervation and because of the presence of neuro-vascular complexes. These complexes are small, actual entities consisting of micro-hormones dispersed under the skin of the external ear. There are actually two juxtaposed somatotopic systems which explain auriculotherapy as it is practiced today in Europe. The first system is based on nervous fibers distributed throughout the auricle and is purely a reflex. It is with this system that one uses auriculotherapy to alleviate pain. The second system rests upon the existence of the neuro-vascular complexes discovered by the team of Pr Senelar: Odile Auziech, Claudie Terral. On the external ear. there exist cutaneous points of reduced electrical resistance that correspond to histological microformations made up of a nerve, a lymphatic vessel, a small artery, and a veinule. It is these microformations that are called neuro-vascular-complexes. Stimulation of these complexes by infra red light modifies the temperature and the thermal regulation of internal body organs, thus modifying their function. Schematically, the external ear is like a computer keyboard which acts on the whole organism through the intermediary of the central nervous system and the auricular micro-hormonal system. This auricular system has two types of computer keys, one set connected to the spinothalamic system that modulates pain perception and another set which initiates the release of active hormonal substances which modify specific internal organs. When looking at the ear, one will obtain a different effect if a needle is used, or a laser light, or a magnetic field. As with everything in medicine, great skill is required to master this technique. The computer keyboard on the ear allows clinicians to effectively treat pain, functional disorders, addictive problems, and minor psychiatric disorders. It is well known that Paul Nogier, my father, discovered the somatotopic properties of the external ear. There are just a few fortunate people who not only dream, but who are able to carry out their dreams and bring them into reality. Paul Nogier was at the same time a man of innovative thoughts and a man of productive action. He was a gifted clinician of exceptional abilities who attentively listened to his patients, respected what they had to say, and thoroughly investigated their maladies. Tirelessly, he examined patients from Monday morning to Saturday evening, trying to understand and to cure their illnesses. One cannot understand the work of Paul Nogier without knowing his character. He was a man who spent much of his time proposing sometimes contradictory new ideas, the majority of which fell by the wayside. Nevertheless, his most original ideas remain: the somatotopic representations on the ear, the vascular autonomic signal, and the treatment effect of specific frequencies. It is for these discoveries that many students followed him so devotedly. At the same time, confronted with so much apparent inconstancy, much of the teaching by this great master was not understood or fell out of favor This third edition of the Auriculotherapy Manual strives to bring closer together Western neurophysiological concepts and Oriental energetic concepts as they relate to auriculotherapy. Dr Oleson lives in a state in the USA which also assimilates Western and Eastern cultures. Perhaps only in California could one be able to do the work that he has done. In the third edition of this book, the origins of auriculotherapy are traced to historical sources in the West as well as China. The use of acupuncture points on the external ear has had a long tradition in Oriental medicine, which expanded in a different direction with the introduction of the somatotopic ear charts developed by Paul Nogier. At the same time, interest in auricular medicine brought greater attention to the practice of classical acupuncture in Europe. This book explores a broad range of theoretical perspectives that have been developed to understand the underlying bases of auriculotherapy. The somatotopic features of multiple micro-acupuncture systems, the relationship of ear acupuncture to other concepts in Oriental medicine, and holographic models are all described in a comprehensive manner. Neurophysiological investigations of auricular acupuncture, and the role of hormonal substances such as endorphins, are substantiated with numerous scientific studies. Artistic illustrations revealing the anatomical regions of the external ear facilitate greater comprehension of the correspondences between the ear and the body. The auricular zone system developed by Dr Oleson provides clinically useful reference guidelines for conducting auricular diagnosis and auriculotherapy treatments. The predominant portion of this book presents several hundred ear acupuncture points organized by major anatomical systems. Auricular representation of the musculoskeletal system, visceral organs, endocrine glands, and the nervous system are differentiated by their anatomical location and clinical function. The treatment plans presented at the end of this book integrate car acupuncture points discovered in the West as well as in China. In European applications of auricular medicine, greater emphasis is placed upon palpation of the vascular autonomic signal to determine the reactivity of an ear point and its appropriateness for treatment. This book is a very important contribution to the field of health care in the West and the East. Dr Oleson's work is significant. Even if I ardently defend the Western conceptualizations of auricular acupuncture based upon the ear's unique physiology, I wish that his book meets the success which it well deserves. Lyon, July 2003. Raphael Nogier MD. ...