Definitions of Auricular Acupuncture

*Active reflex points are points which become tender with palpation or have changed electrical resistance and which represent the organ or part of the body troubling the patient. * The sacroiliac joint is the barely moveable joint at the base of the spine between the sacrum and ilium and associated ligaments. * The Auricular medicinal terminology VAS should not be confused with a scale used in Western medicine to measure the degree of pain, which is also often shortened to VAS, standing for visual analogue scale. * The refle theory established by !aul "ogier is not based on T#$. * %ody points are easily located with a point detector, at any time. The refl e points in the ear are only active and possible to find when there is something wrong with the corresponding part of the body. * De qi is a sensation produced by an acupuncture needle, a feeling that the &i, or energy, is moving. 't can be e perienced as a pressure, or as energy radiating or streaming beneath the s(in. $any ear acupuncture patients find that the ear feels warm during treatment. This is also a form of )de &i*. * ADA is a standardi+ed form of ear acupuncture given to treat addiction, "A,A using ear acupuncture to fight addiction in the beginning. * !eta"Analysis is a compilation of data from several independent e aminations. * #ndorphins are substances produced by the bodies that are sometimes referred to as the body*s own morphine. There are more than .// endorphins. ,uring the early days of acupuncture in the West, a great deal of its effects was ascribed to the release of endorphins. "ow we (now that endorphins are released mostly as a result of strong stimulation 0as used in e perimental acupuncture1 while, in the milder form of acupuncture more common in clinical pra is, other mechanisms come into play. * The hormones adrenaline, noradrenalin and dopamine. #atecholamines are transmitter substances in the central and peripheral nervous system. A neurotransmitter which plays an important part in alleviating pain, the ability to sleep, our emotional state, aggression and appetite. ,iminished levels of serotonin are thought to produce depression and increase the ris( of suicide. "ewer antidepressant medicines, such as selective serotonin reupta(e inhibitors 0SS2's1, the so3called )happiness pills*, help to resume production of serotonin. 4amma 3 amino butyric acid, which has an inhibiting effect on the central nervous system.

'nsufficient levels of 4A%A can be a cause of worry, an iety and neuromuscular diseases. Oxytocin is known as the feel well hormone. It is important for lactation but is also released to give two examples when we laugh or are given massage$ #ortisol is a stress hormone which has an important effect on, among other things, levels of sugar and insulin, and the body*s defense against infections and allergies. 'n cases of long3term stress, the cortisol levels raise, which, among other things, has a negative influence on the ability to sleep, the walls of the blood vessels, the function of the pancreas, immune defense and production of abdominal fat. * The hypothalamus is a part of the brain*s limbic system which plays a decisive role in the regulation of the autonomous nervous system. The pituitary lies in the midbrain and influences the entire inner secretion system by controlling the secretion of a large number of hormones. Adrenal in this case refers to the adrenal glands, which produce, among other things, cortisol. * Su%stance & is a transmitter substance for pain, among other things. * 'rady(inin is an amino acid which, among other things, influences muscle contraction and the e periencing of pain. * Somatostatin 3 A growth hormone release inhibiting hormone. * V)& 3 Vasoactive intestinal peptide, a tissue hormone which, among other things, widens the arteries and can inhibit the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. * *xytocin has received a great deal of attention in recent years. 't lessens an iety and is (nown as )the feel3good hormone*. 't appears to have a positive long term effect on conditions involving stress. 5 ytocin levels are not only heightened during acupuncture but also when we laugh, touch and are touched, or undergo heat treatment or massage. 'n order to ma imi+e the calming effect of acupuncture, the therapist should increase conditions for high o ytocin levels by touching the patient, placing a warm rice pillow over the shoulders and giving non3painful acupuncture.