The ear holds the key to stress

Twisting your child's ears may not have daunted him into burning the midnight oil and securing good marks in the board examinations or, in fact, shunning that smoking or drinking habit, but pricking a few needles in his ears might just be the cure you are looking for.

Auricular or ear acupuncture is not something that has been practiced in India for long, but it surely is being projected as the next big stress buster after meditation. Unlike acupuncture, which involves use of needles in various parts of the body, auricular acupuncture uses just five or three points in the ear.

And if specialists are to be believed, the method can be used for helping students get over post-examination anxiety and stress. With the CBSE results just out, the Caring Foundation, an NGO, organised a special counselling programme for students outside the CBSE building at Preet Vihar on Thursday.

``Our volunteers approached students and invited anxiety ridden students to try the method. Most seemed to be satisfied with it,'' says the director of Caring Foundation, Suneel Vatsyayan.

A 45-minute session of ear acupuncture helps balance the energy levels of the body by inserting the needles at five main points of the ear. ``The needles are inserted at the sympathetic, shen man, kidney, liver and lung points. While a five point method is used for de-addiction and rehabilitation, the three point treatment helps in reducing stress, normalising sleep and treating headaches, body aches and reducing anger,'' reveals Suneel Vatsyayan.

The frequency of the treatment, however, depends on the nature and need of a person. Of course, the initial discomfort for needles is natural, but these needles are different from hypodermic needles. For one, these needles are much thinner and hollow, and don't hurt.

Apart from providing the service at its Defence Enclave centre, the Caring Foundation is also planning to train students and volunteers from social organisations and institutes like the Delhi School of Social Work to spread awareness about ear acupuncture.

``Auricular acupuncture is a trust building exercise which is used as part of a comprehensive treatment. It works better when done as a group activity and has an effect similar to that of meditation,'' says Vatsyayan, himself an acupuncture detoxication specialist who learnt the art from the Chairperson of the National Acupuncture Detoxication Association (NADA), Dr. Michael Smith.

Those scared of needles can start by using the ear press seats that the Caring Foundation offers. These band-aid like stickers have small mustard seeds in them and have to be stuck behind the ears. ``These seats, too, help in reducing stress and helping a person keep cool,'' says Vatsyayan.

By Lakshmi Balakrishnan

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