SEEDS OF WELLNESS

As the world embraces age-old ways of healing, the practice of ear seeding is gaining popularity. BAYAR JAIN demystifies the ancient therapy for the modern era.

- BAYAR JAIN

EAR SEEDING—A FORM of auriculotherapy— is believed to have roots in Chinese medicine. While in the acupuncture procedure, different kinds of seeds— natural or metallic—are non-invasively punctured to the exterior of your ear to apply pressure, relieving pain in different parts of your body, the acupressure method involves massaging seeds onto the ear for the same results. “There are two methods of acupressure: one that stimulates points throughout the body, and the second is a microsystem where you map points on a small region of the body like the palm, soles of your feet, or scalp,” says Antriksh, the founder of Adyant Health (adyant.business.site), an acupuncture clinic in Delhi. “Auricular acupressure, such as ear seeding, maps just the ear and treats the whole body through it,” he adds. The oldest record of auricular acupuncture is found in Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine), the earliest and most important written work of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A chapter in the book written around 100 BC talks about a physician who blows air through a tube into the ear to revive an unconscious patient. In another book, Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang, a mention of using gladiolus and sesame oil to treat ear pain has been made. However, in modern science, the journal Medical Acupuncture credits a French doctor, Dr Paul Nogier, for bringing forth the connection of the ear to other parts of the body.

WHERE?

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (sgrh.com), New Delhi, India; Dr. Orawan Holistic Dermatology and Anti-Aging Institute (drorawan.com), Bangkok, Thailand; Eu Yan Sang Integrative Health Pte Ltd (sg.euyansangclinic. com), Singapore.

HOW MUCH?