How To Use Ear Seeds for Pain Relief

As a busy acupuncturist, I see many patients in clinic who need help with both chronic and acute pain, from head and neck pain, to shoulder and lower back pain, and even knee and ankle pain. In fact, any kind of pain is treatable in clinic - even menstrual cramps and other period pain!

But what if you just can’t make a session, or are fearful of needles? Or perhaps cost is an issue for you, and you need a quick fix at an affordable price? This is where our collection of AcuPips Ear Seeds comes into play. I have used my skills as an acupuncturist to design a protocol specifically for body aches and pains, so now you can treat yourself for pain relief from the comfort of your own home.

How does it work?

The practice of auriculotherapy, also known as ear acupressure or ear seeding, is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which dates back thousands of years. More recently, neurologist Dr Paul Nogier noted that the ear is seen as a microcosm or microsystem of the body. The theory is that anything you can treat on the body, both physical and emotional, you can also treat on the ear. Think of it like reflexology for ears!

Specific pressure points on the ear are stimulated using either very fine needles (if you are in clinic) or ear seeds (also known as acuseeds), which then send messages to the brain to balance the body. The pain you experience will diminish as the body is balanced.

Ear Seeds were traditionally tiny plant based vaccaria seeds attached to an adhesive sticker, and these are still very much in use today. They are a favourite of acupuncturists who use them to prolong the effects of a treatment. We sell them in all our protocols. However, if you are looking for something a little prettier then our luxe versions use tiny metal balls instead and aesthetically look like either crystal or gold earrings. Physically they all play the same role, it’s just personal choice on how you would like them to look.

The practice of auriculotherapy has been studied for many decades, and there are a number of peer reviewed studies relating to the use of ear seeds and its effectiveness on pain. Here we look at one in particular, which talks about the benefits of ear seeds for chronic pain, acute pain and perioperative pain. The results are promising.

An article published in the National Library of Medicine shows a study called ‘Auriculotherapy for Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials’.

This trial looked to establish the effectiveness of auriculotherapy on pain management.

To summarise the article, seventeen studies were included (8 were perioperative, 4 were acute pain, and 5 were chronic pain). The article found that ‘auriculotherapy was superior to controls for studies evaluating pain intensity’. Separately, it reduced the need for analgesic use in perioperative pain, and it reduced the intensity of pain in both chronic and acute pain.

The conclusion to the trial was that; ‘The evidence from this review suggests that auriculotherapy may be effective for the treatment of a variety of types of pain, especially postoperative pain, and may be a reasonable adjunct for patients having difficulties with pharmacologic pain therapies.’

The link to this review can be found here.

Menstrual pain (which in Chinese Medicine is commonly linked to a stagnation of Liver Qi), can also successfully be treated using ear seeds and ear acupressure.

In another trial, conducted in 2021, it was found that ear seeds soothed menstrual pain and that every participant took fewer period pain drugs compared to those who did not wear ear seeds. The link to the article can be found here.

It is great to see trials for many different types of pain being commissioned. As a TCM and Five Element practitioner these trials bring to the fore what I have known for years – that ear seeds really do work for all types of pain relief.

Now all you need to do is decide which type of ear seed is best for you! If you're struggling, then ear seeds for knee pain, or ear seeds for neck pain could really help - our new 12 protocol packs contain all the information you need to help with pain, and we can offer advice on how to apply them to maximise relief.