Purpose: During the last 30 years, auricular acupuncture has been used as complementary treatment of cancer pain when analgesic drugs do not suffice. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in decreasing pain intensity in cancer patients. Patients and Methods: Ninety patients were randomly divided in three groups; one group received two courses of auricular...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure on relieving menstrual symptoms and decreasing nitric oxide (NO) for women with primary dysmenorrhea. DESIGN This was a randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of auricular acupressure by seed-pressure method and placebo adhesive patch. SETTING Settings included colleges in northern and central Tai...

Cartilage injury remains a challenge in orthopedic surgery as articular cartilage only has a limited capacity for intrinsic healing. Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) is a suitable technique for cartilage repair, but requires articular cartilage biopsies for autologous chondrocyte expansion. The use of heterotopic chondrocytes derived from non-articular cartilage sources such as auri...

A new disease, the slippery scar, was investigated in cultivated bags of Auricularia polytricha. This fungus was isolated from the infected mycelia of cultivated bags. Based on morphological observation, rDNA-internal transcribed spacer and 18S sequence analysis, this pathogen was identified as the Ascomycete Scytalidium lignicola. According to Koch's Postulation, the pathogenicity of S. lignic...

Polyotia is an extremely rare type of the auricular malformation that is characterized by a large accessory ear. A 3-year-old girl presented to us with bilateral auricular abnormalities and underwent two-stage corrective operation for polyotia. In this report, we present the surgical details and postoperative outcomes of polyotia correction in the patient. Relevant literature is reviewed.

background unlike congenital auricular malformations which are identified by underdevelopment of dermal and cartilaginous tissues, deformed ears are less sever congenital anomalies characterized only by a misshaped pinna structure and can be improved with acceptable cosmetic results and minimal cost through ear molding if treated in early neonatal period. in this study, authors present the firs...

ear candling is an alternative medicine practice alleged to enhance general health by putting an end of a hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting up the other end of it. it also is advertised for cerumen and debris (bacteria and fungi) removal. ear candling is claimed to create negative pressure for drawing cerumen from the ear and to benefit the ears in many ways. it is however not free of...

Purpose. Since auricular acupuncture is a diagnostic and treatment system based on normalizing the body's dysfunction, auricular acupuncture has been applied for pain relief, relaxation, and so on. These techniques would modulate the autonomic nerve system, thereby inducing the above-mentioned effects. The aim was to see the effect of auricular acupuncture applied to the "Shenmen" and "Point Ze...