Despite its long track record in aiding recovery, auriculotherapy has fallen out of favour in recent years – the victim of restrictive byelaws and other factors.
But it’s a simple, effective and easily deliverable tool, says Nick Shough.
Auriculotherapy, or ear acutherapy, was introduced to the UK in 1988 at the Gateway Clinic at Lambeth Hospital and was used widely across drug and alcohol services, including prisons, for more than two decades. In recent years, however, its use has declined. This is due to the difficulty practitioners face in presenting clinical evidence to funders, as well as restrictive local authority byelaws designed to regulate body acupuncture.
Prick Up Your Ears (PUYE), a new Community Interest Company (CIC) in the West Midlands, has set out to expand the use of acutherapy in treatment services and make it more widely available for the general public in community settings. This year we’ve given over 350 free ear seeding treatments at local community events and at recovery events – including the DDN conference, Recoverfest, and the UK Recovery Walk – where few people had even been aware of acutherapy, and those who were often remarked that it was something they’d had years ago in services but was no longer available.
So what is auricular acutherapy? The modern mapping of the auricle (the outer ear) was pioneered by Dr Paul Nogier in France during the 1950s. Nogier observed that patients with scars on their ears from cauterisation had experienced relief from sciatica. His findings, published in 1957, mapped the ear as a microsystem of the body.
Auriculotherapy works by stimulating specific points on the ear using acupuncture needles or acupressure seeds, with more than 250 points identified by Chinese and Western systems. These points connect to major nerves that run through the ear, including the vagus nerve, which links the brain and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Clearer thinking
Auriculotherapy doesn’t directly cure conditions, instead activating the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Patients worldwide use it to support mental and physical wellbeing – benefits include reduced anxiety, improved mood, clearer thinking, and better sleep. Research also indicates that chronic pain can be reduced by 20–30 per cent with regular treatment.
In recent decades, its use has expanded beyond addiction services. Auriculotherapy is now used in NHS mental health services, women’s health programmes, and oncology, helping with menstrual issues, menopause symptoms, and psychological challenges. For cancer survivors, treatment eases anxiety, fatigue, swelling, and hot flushes in a non-toxic way. Physiologically, auriculotherapy has been shown to release endorphins, regulate hormones, lower cortisol levels, and strengthen the immune system.
In the 1970s Dr Michael Smith at the Lincoln Clinic in the Bronx, New York developed the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol. This five-point system is central to auriculotherapy, particularly in addiction treatment.
The NADA protocol was designed to help individuals experiencing withdrawal, cravings, and sleep disturbances. The first point, the ‘Shenmen’ or ‘spirit gate’, calms the mind and spirit, relieving stress, tension, and anxiety, clearing ‘brain fog’, aiding emotional regulation, and enabling relaxation; the ‘sympathetic’ point balances sympathetic nervous system arousal with parasympathetic sedation, it promotes rest and digestion, has a strong pain killing action, and reduces sweating. The next three points are the kidney, liver, and lung points, targeting the organs of elimination which each play a role in regulating the body’s systems and expelling toxins, making this a powerful tool in addiction recovery.
Over the last 40 years NADA has spread globally, and evidence shows that when consistently integrated into programmes, acutherapy improves attendance, reduces relapse, and increases abstinence rates among stimulant users.
Supporting recovery
Giving auricular acutherapy is an intimate intervention that helps people begin to build trust in others and learn that among all the stress and chaos in their life, they do have access to peace and calm within themselves. They are told that acutherapy is simply stimulating the body to heal itself, and many are amazed that there is nothing in the needle or seed and realise, as Michael Smith put it, ‘if there’s nothing good in the needle, then there must be something good in me’.
Facilitating at least a weekly acutherapy session is a useful way to engage people in a non-verbal group situation, requiring no story retelling or even the removal of any clothing, and it can help individuals engage more fully in structured treatment programmes. Participants often report increased self-awareness, distraction from cravings, and a sense of calm. Importantly, auriculotherapy supports patients at every stage of recovery, from initial detox to long-term maintenance by reducing discomfort, calming the mind, and strengthening resilience.
Limitations and restrictions
Although many patients experience immediate benefits, responses can vary. For some, the effects are subtle and may only become noticeable after several sessions, as factors such as high toxicity levels or severe anxiety can delay results. Auriculotherapy is cumulative – the more treatments a person receives, the greater the benefits, so simply trying it once will not be a fair measure of its effectiveness.
Auricular acupuncture is a straightforward skill that healthcare workers can learn quickly, requiring no prior therapy experience. However, environmental health byelaws – which date back to 1981 for full body acupuncture and impose restrictions such as an exclusive treatment room – are impractical for many organisations with limited space.
Licensing costs to register premises and practitioners also vary significantly by local authority, and when services operate across multiple sites these costs can quickly accumulate. These restrictions do not apply to NHS premises or staff, so partnerships with NHS organisations could provide a pathway to implementation.
Acutherapy for all
Ear acupressure offers an even simpler alternative to acupuncture. Instead of needles, small seeds or beads are placed on ear points and worn for up to five days, providing continuous stimulation. With ear seeding, a wider range of points are available, with simple protocols to follow for a wider range of conditions. Seeds are used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, night tremors, bed wetting, and aggression.
This method requires no licensing and can be taught to service users, carers, families, and young people. With clear guidelines and diagrams, ear acupressure is safe and accessible. The aim of PUYE is to make acutherapy open for anyone with a little training, offering continuous support, and progression opportunities for professionals.
As well as training and supervising staff in commissioned addiction services and NHS mental health teams across the West Midlands, PUYE has also developed ear seeding workshops for staff and the public, running them with groups of cancer survivors, a menopause group, and mental health support groups. PUYE is working with partners to develop and test new protocols to support people with neurodiversity, and protocols for use in gambling services.
Auriculotherapy has a rich history and a long track record in supporting recovery and wellbeing, and its benefits are well evidenced. With easily accessible methods like ear acupressure, auriculotherapy can still play a vital role in helping individuals on their journey to recovery.
Nick Shough is a NADA-GB registered trainer and the founder of Prick Up Your Ears CIC, www.puye.co.uk