Dear Editor:
In response to our colleague Dr. Barnum's letter, please find the following text.
The Two Types of Ear-Points
The occurrence and localization of two different types of ear-points did not come about by accident.
It comes from the fact that there are two types of detection in auriculotherapy: firstly, mechanical detection, when searching for painful points on the ear1 —this involves using 250g/mm2 pressure probes; secondly, electrical detection which looks for points of lower cutaneous resistance.2,3 In the 1980s, Professor Rabischong's team (Montpellier, France) performed a detailed study of these points of lower impedance which histologically correspond to neurovascular bundles, composed of a nerve, a veinule, an arteriole, and a lymph vessel.4
For more than thirty years, painful points and points of lower impedance were mistaken for each other, and it was noted that one could look for an ear-point, either by locating the pain or by detecting a fall of impedance, regardless of the patient's pathology.5
Studying the points of lower impedance more closely, it appears that only 10% of them are painful when pressure is applied.6 It is therefore difficult to analyze painful points and points of lower impedance as one.
Furthermore, not all these ear-points have the same therapeutic effects. Some points react to pain, and others react to functional disorders. In other words, some points act on the cerebrospinal nervous system; others, on the autonomic nervous system.
In 1977, Paul Nogier published a book, L'Introduction à l'auriculothérapie (Introduction to Auriculotherapy), in which he differentiated between organ-points whose therapeutic action was limited to an organ or on an articulation, from master-points, or points whose action was very general.5 Nevertheless, Paul Nogier did not take his analysis further, and did not associate either the organ-points with painful detection or the master-points with electrical detection.
After further observations, as early as 1977, I raised awareness about the possible existence of two types of ear-points.7 Thereafter, I have always recommended choosing auriculotherapy treatment depending on the applied detection mode.
Painful points are opportunistic points connected to the spinothalamic tract through c-fibers or A-delta fibers as are all skin-points. If, on or in the body, there are zones which have previously been subjected to a nociceptive stimulation, some ear-points then become painful when pressure is applied. This is commonly known as a convergence effect which is well documented in physiology.8 These painful points are CNS-dependant, and mechanical stimulation is necessary to obtain a therapeutic analgesic effect: needle, cauterization, or massage.
Points of lower impedance, generally not painful, are observed in functional disorders.9 According to several authors, these points would have an effect on the thermoregulation of organs and would be present when there are changes in relevant parts of the body.10–14 From a therapeutic point of view, it would appear that these neurovascular bundles are sensitive to photonic radiation. These are the points of organs to be stimulated by means of light beams or frequencies. They act on function of organs, and therefore on the autonomic nervous system (Table 1).
Table 1.
Characteristics of Painful Points Versus Points of Lower Electrical Impedence
| Painful points | Points of lower electrical impedance | |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | Pressure probe | Device for electrical detection |
| Physiology | Points become painful if there exists a nociceptive stimulaton somewhere on or in the body: these points are points related to a lesion | Neurovascular bundle can be detected if there is a functional disorder: these points are functional points |
| Treatment | Needle, cauterization or massage | Infrared; A, B, C, D, E, F, G, L frequencies |
| Indications | Pain | Nonpainful disorders: smoking withdrawal, anxiety, depression, allergies, intestinal disorders, fertility disorders, etc. |
| Results | Immediate | Delayed (several days) |
Acknowledgments
Translated and revised by M.-L. Paufique-Vallet and R. Marlin-Sutton.
References
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