Auricular diagnosis is valuable for preliminary screening of cancer survey and identification on the nature of the tumor. It also provides objective basis for early diagnosis and preliminary screening.
Traditional Chinese medicine has applied auricular point to diagnose and treat diseases for thousands of years. Auricular diagnostic and therapeutic methods were first documented in the Chinese extant and its earliest medical work Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine), which stated that the nature and location of various diseases could be determined by inspection of the shape, color, moistness, and collateral of the ear. Thus, different points on the external ear correspond with specific organs and body functions. Traditional Chinese medicine views the body and further, the whole person, as a unified organic whole. Spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects are all seen as interrelated and interdependent. Modern biological holographic law states that every individual organ contains holographic information. Applying the auricular diagnostic and therapeutic method to diagnose has received extensive attention and gained some achievement throughout modern medical studies. Research report shows that when the organs are diseased, the pathological change will be present on the auricular point on the external ear, such as change of shape and color, desquamation, papule, sensitive to pressing pain and low dermal resistance. These phenomena can be the basis for assistant diagnosis. The auricular diagnosis is of great value on a preliminary screening of cancer survey and identification of property of tumor. Moreover, it provides objective basis for the early diagnosis and preliminary screening. The local observation on the external ear and the information diagnosis are simple, time-saving and low-cost. They are worth promoting and popularizing and they are significant in early diagnosis and treatment of the tumor.
Auricular diagnosis can work as the assistant method for cancer diagnosis. Auricular diagnosis includes observation, pressing and determination on dermal resistance. Cancer patient’s positive characteristic of ear presents with the thickening and hump of the auricular area and the abnormal change in skin color. Therefore, the existence of the tumor can be determined through observation of the ear and information diagnosis.
At present, clinical report mainly focus on the auricular inspection, which are inspecting of the abnormal change on the ear and measuring the electric conductivity of the diseased part on the ear, and making a comprehensive diagnosis on the reaction of dermal resistance. This detection method is available for the general cancer survey among large-scale field and it can provide valuable evidence for suspected case and objective marker for cancer recurrence after surgery.
Studies show that seven external auricular points are found through studying large amounts of information about ear exam. These auricular points represent different properties, such as tumor specific areaⅠ, tumor specific area Ⅱ, endocrine, adrenal gland and sub-cortex. They reflect the existence of tumor and its property and they also indicate the stages of the tumor.
Auricular therapy in treating precancerous lesion.
Modern medicine attaches great importance to the prevention in cancer and treatment, which is “early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment”. While TCM proposes treating before the disease attack, that is, applying preventive treatment to precancerous lesion so as to reduce the cancer morbidity. Treating the chronic disease, which may develop into cancer, is the key to preventing cancer. Patients often have long-term medical history of chronic disease before their malignant tumor developes into cancer. These chronic diseases can be chronic gastritis (especially the atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia), gastric ulcer, severe hyperplasia in the esophagus and gastric mucosa cells, multiple intestinal polyps, cervical erosion, cystic hyperplasia of the breast, intraductal papilloma and hepatitis B.
The auricular diagnostic and therapeutic method has many characteristics. It can diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. Moreover, it is safe, effective, and free of side effects, easy to operate and patient-friendly, so it has a unique advantage in cancer prevention and recovery. The auricular therapy is featured with good regulation on overall function, which can promote cancer patient’s recovery of bodily functions after surgery, improve the overall condition and boost immunity.
Auricular acupuncture can regulate Qi and blood, balance yin and yang, benefit liver and kidney, tonify spleen and benefit Qi, consolidate the origin, strengthen the body resistance and the organ function to boost the internal ability to fight disease. Therefore, applying this green treatment in the early stage can prevent the precancerous lesions from transferring to cancer and restore some atypical cells back to normal cells, which is an important section for cancer prevention.
The auricular diagnostic and therapeutic method has a long history and it has developed rapidly in recent years. The auricular medicine has been a systemic and comprehensive disciplinary system and it will have special room for improvement in further clinical practice and study. In the future, with the development of cancer prevention and treatment and the further study on the principle of auricular point in treating disease, the auricular diagnostic and therapeutic method will play a progressive role in the Non-Toxic Integrative Cancer Treatment with its remarkable effect and promising development prospect. We expect that this green treatment can make a breakthrough in cancer prevention, rehabilitation medicine, and most importantly, make further contribution to health care of human beings.
