Fig. 3.1
1 Lung
2 Liver
3 Gall bladder
4 Pancreas
5 Stomach, esophagus, and duodenum
6 Intestine
7 Spleen
8 Kidney
9 Bladder
10 Heart

Location:

• In contrast to most internal organs the heart does not project onto the concha but is represented in the reflex area of the thoracic spine muscles (4th–7th ICS) because it is a special type of striated muscle.

• The motor portion is represented on the back of the ear and the sensory portion on the front of the ear.

Contrary to the usual forceps method, the motor portion of the Heart Zone is pricked with a gold needle (e.g., concomitant acupuncture therapy in case of myocardial insufficiency).

Blood Vessels

Location:

• The arteries and veins basically project near the structures that they supply (e.g., the femoral artery is represented in the Thigh Zone).

In ear acupuncture, the blood and lymph vessels rarely need to be treated. As the therapist can easily deduce their representations, these are not described here in detail. If a segment of a vessel is affected, the active points of the respective anatomical structure are searched for by means of point finder or VAS.

Lymph Vessels

Location:

Fig. 3.2
1 Heart (motor portion)
2 Heart (sensory portion)

Fig. 3.3
Blood vessels
Lymph vessels

Location:

• The reflex zone of the lung is located in the middle of the deepest site of the inferior concha.

• The reflex zones of bronchi, trachea, and throat (pharynx) are located in an obliquely superior direction toward the supratragic notch, with the trachea projecting parallel to the reflex zone of the esophagus.

Lung

Location:

• At the deepest site of the inferior concha (approximately in the middle of the inferior concha).

• The right lung projects onto the right ear and the left lung onto the left ear.

Fig. 3.4
1 Lung
2 Bronchi
3 Trachea
4 Throat (pharynx)

Fig. 3.5 Lung

Location:

• In the inferior concha, superior to the Lung Zone. Merges with the Trachea Zone.

When considering the bronchi as an organ or as a functional system in the sense of TCM, a gold needle is used on the dominant ear.

Trachea

Location:

Fig. 3.6 Bronchi

Fig. 3.7 Trachea

Location:

Fig. 3.8 Throat (pharynx)

The organs of the gastrointestinal system project onto the entire superior concha and the upper part of the inferior concha.

Depending on the position of the organs in the body, their reflex zones are found on either the right or the left ear, or on both ears (e.g., Stomach Zone, Pancreas Zone).

Again, sensory portions are represented on the front of the ear and motor portions on the back of the ear.

Esophagus

Location:

Fig. 3.9
1 Stomach, esophagus, and duodenum
2 Esophagus
3 Gall bladder
4 Pancreas
5 Liver
6 Spleen
7 Small/large intestine

Fig. 3.10
1 Esophagus
2 Stomach
3 Duodenum

Location:

• The Stomach Zone forms a crescent-shaped area around the root of the helix.

• There is a zone on the right ear and a larger zone on the left ear.

Duodenum

Location:

Fig. 3.11
1 Stomach (motor portion)
2 Stomach (sensory portion)

Fig. 3.12 Duodenum
1 Esophagus
2 Stomach
3 Duodenum

Location:

• Upper and middle region of the superior concha, occupying the larger part of the superior concha (the Colon Zone and Rectum Zone are superolateral to it).

Colon (Large Intestine)

Location:

Fig. 3.13
Jejunum/ileum
(small intestine)

Fig. 3.14
Colon
(large intestine)

Location:

• Underneath the root of helix in the corner formed by the helical crus against the concha, at the medial border of the superior concha.

• The zone’s location varies. This reflects the fact that the vermiform appendix extends upward behind the cecum in about 65 % of people, while it reaches into the small pelvis in about 30 %; it may also lie horizontally either in front of or behind the cecum.

• The size of the projection area depends on the size of the appendix in the body (2–20 cm in length).

•