Location and designation of certain points of the auricle

According to the International Classification, on the surface of the auricle there are software points, which make up 18 zones. In addition, a further 60 points are determined in part on the front( 8) and mainly( 42) on the back surface of the auricle.

Normally, the skin of the auricle is painless, and the points do not show up. In other words, in a healthy person these points are as if latent, but in acute diseases they become painful when pressed, and in chronic diseases the skin over the corresponding points changes( most often in sequence: hyperemia, the appearance of tubercles, spots or scaling, the formation of nodules, sores andscars).Points in diseases have a lower resistance to direct current and a higher electrical potential. When recovered, the pathophysiological properties of the points disappear, and they again become latent.

Thus, the points on the auricle can be used not only for treatment, but also for diagnosing diseases. Therefore, the technique of auricular reflexology can be divided into auriculodiagnostics( the detection of the points of the auricle reflecting one or another pathological process) and to auriculotherapy( the effect of

on the points of the auricle in order to eliminate pathological changes in the body).

In the first case, except for anamnesis, clinical examination and visual examination, the search for points with a changed sensitivity is made by a special probe or device. For the therapeutic effect, short needles or pointed tips are used.

In the practice of massage it is advisable to talk not about the points, but about their zone projection. The fact is that it is difficult, and often impossible to massage one point with a finger, since its area on the auricle does not exceed 1-2 mm2, and a large number of them indicate a dense representation on a small surface.

In Fig.84 circles indicate the different zones. Zone 1 on the earlobe is the innervation of the cervical plexus( C2-C3).Zones from 2 to 11 belong to the somatosensory representation of the upper and lower extremities. Zone 2 is the projection of the neck area to the occiput, 3 - the shoulder, the shoulder joint, the scapula and the five upper ribs. Zone 4 belongs to the forearm and elbow joint, which passes into the wrist and fingers( 5 and 6).Functional differentiation of the foot zone is less pronounced than brushes, so the foot is integrated with the zones of the fingers and ankle( 7).Then follows the zone of the shank and knee joint( 8), then the thigh, hip joint, gluteal region( 9), lumbosacral and abdominal area( 10), and finally the upper lumbar and epigastric region( 11).

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Fig.84. Scheme of zones of projections of somatic sensitivity of individual areas of the body.

All somatosensory zones relate not only to skin sensitivity, but also to deeper tissues - muscular, articular and bone. However, all these zones are not related to radicular pain( radiculitis), and therefore, in the osteochondrosis of the spine, one should not only act on them, but also necessarily on the corresponding spinal segments.

In Fig.85 shows the auricular projections of the spinal and stem nervous structures of the central nervous system: 1 - cervical, 2 - thoracic, 3 - ventral( solar), 4 - ventral lower, 5 - pelvic sympathetic nodes. The segments and roots of the spinal cord are located in the region of the anticancer: C - cervical, T - thoracic, L - lumbar and S - sacral vertebrae of the spine.

In addition, the figure shows the zones of the thalamus and the point SHEN-MEN.In the zone of the thalamus there is a system of influence on the overall sensitivity, therefore, for the treatment of pain syndromes it is necessary to use this zone. In addition, exposure to the thalamus zone is advisable in the treatment of insomnia. The masseur must teach the patient to massage the area in addition to the special corporal points( see the next section).

Fig.85. Scheme of projections of individual structures of the central nervous system.

Popular anti-stress point SHEN-MEN, located in the corner of the triangular fovea, is widely used to eliminate excessive excitation of the psychoemotional sphere of the person with simultaneous massage of the edge of the earlobe, where the zones of the limbic system, frontal lobes, motor and somatosviteral cortices are located.