Body of Research

Several studies investigating the use of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) for disorders tinnitus, migraine and pain show therapeutic effects similar to those produced by the more invasive direct vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Although VNS is an FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of both depression and epilepsy, it is limited to being a second or third-line treatment option for severe, intervention-resistant cases, due to risks involved with device implantation. In contrast, t...

Headache remains a frequent complaint for children presenting to a pediatric emergency departments and typical treatments such as oral or intravenous medications do not always relieve the pain. An alternative intervention shown to be effective is auricular acupuncture. This pilot study presents a cohort study of patients 8 to 18 years of age treated by ear acupuncture, with all showing improvement or resolution of their migraine headache, Read the entire pilot study (external link) Reference...

The randomized controlled trial from this study show that ear acupuncture can be a useful treatment approach to control migraine pain. It has been shown that active points on the ear — those as described as being tender by the patient when probed, a technique also known as Needle Contact Test (NCT) — identify the most efficacious ear acu- or stimulation-points to support the condition (e.g. migraine). From the randomized controlled trial completed by Allais, Romoli, Rolando et. al. you can le...