Relax the Nervous System, Regulate the Body, Reduce Anxiety
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the ear is a microsystem of your whole body with hundreds of acupressure points ready to transform your body and mind.
Try rubbing your ear right now. It feels relaxing, right? Now imagine that stimulation on carefully pined points that send signals to different areas and organs of the body.
Ear seeds are tiny beads or metal balls placed on one of your ear’s acupressure points. By applying stimulation to the acupressure points, signals are sent to the reflex centers of the brain, telling the nervous system to relax and self-heal. Read on for ear seeds: the ultimate feel-good bling.
EAR SEEDS: THE ULTIMATE FEEL-GOOD BLING
HOW DOES IT WORK
The body has two modes of the nervous system that need to work together - the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system direct’s the body’s rapid involuntary response to dangerous or stressful situations - it prepares our body for the “flight or fight” response during potential danger.
The parasympathetic nervous system inhibits the body from overworking. When the body is in a parasympathetic state it restores balance, meaning we digest food better, sleep better, and think more clearly.
When our nervous system is imbalanced, it can lead to health issues such as back pain, neck pain, weight loss, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, depression, and stress to name a few.
This is where ear seeds come in. The ear is innervated - meaning they have lots of nerves - by four main nerves that go directly to the brain. Applying pressure to the external ear stimulates these nerves, which relay to the central nervous system, stimulating neurotransmitters that relax and reduce pain.
HOW TO APPLY EAR SEEDS
To being, swab one ear with alcohol to remove all of the excess oils, allowing the seeds to stick nicely for five days. It’s recommended to do one ear at a time because it’s more gentle on the nervous system.
Next, place one ear seed on each of your selected points. If this is your first time, a good place to start is targeting these five protocol points from Vie Healing - Shen Men, Point Zero, Heart Point, Brain Point, Endocrine Point.
SHEN MEN
Grounds the patient and calms the spirit, thus putting the patient into a state of receptivity.
POINT ZERO
Brings the entire body into balance. It balances energy, brain activity, and hormones.
HEART POINT
Perfect for energy while also calming anxiety and relaxing muscles. Regulates blood flow and balances emotions.
BRAIN POINT
Balances our brain chemistry and controls pain perception, movement, and the proper functioning of all organs.
ENDOCRINE POINT
Also known as our hormone regulator, regulates the endocrine glands needed for homeostasis of the internal bodily environment.
Throughout the day press on your ear seeds to stimulate your pressure points, essentially giving yourself a mini-acupressure treatment.
You can keep the ear seeds on for up to five days. They may stay on for longer than five days, but after that point, they could start to get unsanitary. To remove the seeds, simply peel them off.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH EAR SEEDS
While I have experienced some methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine - acupuncture and cupping - this was my first encounter with ear seeds. Applying the seeds myself at home, I selected three remedy points - Shen Men for grounding, Point Zero for balance, and Sympathetic which covers a little bit of everything.
The five days I rocked my ear seed bling I noticed I had more energy and less anxiety.
If you’re looking for an easy, noninvasive way to empower your health, I recommend giving ear seeds a try. You seed me?
