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11 Current Research Studies
Listed below are the results of a number of research studies about the efficacy of auricular ac-
upuncture. This list does not claim to be systematic nor is it complete; rather it is intended as
an incentive for the reader to research further his/her own specific areas of interest with re-
gards to auricular acupuncture. The internet also provides countless sources in this respect.
Semi-permanent needles for Parkinson’s disease
Teshmar E (2004) Efficacy and safety of implant acupuncture for Parkinson’s
disease. Aku MED WISS. 32 (4), 231–234
Anecdotal evidence and a pilot study showed that a specific form of auricular acupuncture
(implant acupuncture) resulted in a longer lasting treatment effect for Parkinson’s disease.
These results demonstrate that treatments with semi-permanent needles are medically ad-
visable, providing a new treatment approach for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.
Evaluation by Prof. Jörg, Klinikum Barmen, Wuppertal; Aku MEDWISS 32 4 (2004)
235:
■ This study was neither double-blind nor single-blind.
■ The results mention neither the single values nor the calculated mean values so that the
statistical significance is not transparent.
■ An individual researcher treating 53 patients with several modalities per week is most
likely under extreme time pressure. This raises the question who paid for this study and
why there were not more researchers involved in it.
Postoperative analgesic requirement with and without auricular acupuncture
with semi-permanent needles
Mann C J (1999) Analgesic requirement following total endoprosthesis of the
hip and knee with and without semi-permanent needles. Inaugural dissertation,
Bochum 1999
Postoperative pain can be effectively treated with auricular semi-permanent needles. For
maximum effectiveness it is necessary to regularly stimulate the needles with a small dipole
magnet. This procedure saves considerable amounts of analgesic medication. The results of
the study show high patient satisfaction with this form of analgesic treatment. Furthermore
there was an increase of the patients’ general well-being. Postoperative analgesic therapy
with acupuncture needles has, among others, the following advantages:
■ less postoperative pain
■ significantly increased general well-being during the postoperative phase
■ considerably higher rate of satisfaction with this form of analgesic therapy
■ no risk of overdosing with analgesic medication; stimulating the needles increases the
analgesic effect.
Quantifying cerebral effects of auricular acupuncture
Litscher G (2002) Quantifying cerebral effects of auricular acupuncture with
innovative computer-aided procedures – comparison with traditional Chinese body
acupuncture and Korean hand acupuncture. Europ Z Akup/Der Akupunkturarzt/
Aurikulotherapeut. 4, 4–13
According to Paul Nogier and Oriental medicine the ear contains numerous acupuncture
points. Nogier hypothesised that the complete human anatomy is represented on the ear. By
