The Mindful Migraine

A little while ago I posted notes from an interview I heard with Dr Berk about migraine facts and fiction (here). During the interview, I heard mention of something completely new (to me): “ear seeds”. When I heard the phrase, my mind did a whole “WTF” backflip… I mean, what exactly are you planting or growing in your ear that could help a migraine??

Now, in the previous post, this “solution” to your migraine pain was given a super-low success rating. In other words – they probably won’t help your migraine, and might cause harm, so…

Disclaimer – important! – I am not a doctor or scientist – please consult a trained medical professional before making any changes to your treatment program.

So, what are “ear seeds”?

They are an alternative therapy, also known as “auricular therapy” which relies on acupressure for particular points of your ear. 

Several sites claim that ear seeds can help reduce migraine pain. However, they don’t really offer any scientific evidence on why or how…

Cleveland Health Clinic explains ear seeds this way: “They’re small latex stickers — about the size of a fingernail — that contain a ripe seed from the Vaccaria plant. Your acupuncturist places each ear seed carefully on your ear in specific acupressure points that correspond with the conditions you’re experiencing.”

First of all – what is a Vaccaria plant and why would it help reduce pain? Wikipedia says it is a plant native to Portugal, Morocco and the Himalayas, and is similar to prairie carnations – you can see the little black rounds seeds labeled “3” below. I couldn’t see any medical benefits of the plant, so presumably it is the small, round, hardness of the seed that counts.

[Image source: Wikipedia]

Anyway – turns out you don’t have to go to the Himalayas for your small, round dots – you can also use gold, silver, magnets, stainless steel, titanium, or ceramics… hmmm…

So how does it work? Like Foot Reflexology (see my post here), the points of the ear are supposed to correspond to places in your body. Push the right spot, and you relieve pain in the corresponding body part. Push the right spot, and your qi energy will be redirected, its flow improved, and your health will apparently benefit.

[Image source: Benefits of Ear Seeds – Hornburg Holistics Acupuncture]

[How the sticker seed applies enough pressure though, I could never really understand, except on one site which mentioned you rub the spot… but not too hard or you might knock the sticker off!? That said – I have worn a loose laundry peg pressed onto the acupressure spot between my thumb and pointer finger as a means of reducing stress – but the pressure applied is literally spring-loaded… I’m still not certain how the seed itself applies pressure.]

[I’d also like to say that I practice my own version of home-made Tai Chi, and find the mindful movement incredibly helpful to my healing journey, and it too, is supposed to activate and improve qi movement… so, I’m not saying qi-health isn’t a thing, only that I’m not sure about the stick on version of it.]

According to the Cleveland Health Clinic, risks of wearing ear seeds include allergies, skin irritation, nausea, and (my first thought) the seed coming loose and falling into your ear canal, which will then require medical intervention of a different sort… shiver!

They recommend that you don’t try this treatment option at home.

One of the websites I visited, McGill University, had an article titled “Bad Science” and noted that all the trials done to test the benefits of ear seeds used too few participants, “which means the results are little more than random noise.” Apparently, almost all the tests were done in China, which is traditionally very receptive to the value of acupressure and acupuncture, whereas tests in the West might generate a different set of results. Interestingly, it was also noted that for many people, massage is “old hat” whilst acupressure is “exotic”, and as such, “Novelty can increase expectations and perceptions” of success.  In other words, cures need to be cool, because being hip helps you heal.

[Image source: McGill University]

The article ends pretty bluntly: “I don’t want to dismiss the temporary empowerment we can feel by doing something, anything, to address illness. But ear seeds, the new kids on the acupuncture block, are little more than a security blanket for the Instagram generation.”

(You can read the whole article here: Bad Science Lends a Friendly Ear to Ear Seeds | Office for Science and Society – McGill University)

Turns out the controversy doesn’t just sit in the technical realm of universities… TV had a barney over them too. In an article on TheConversation.com (here: Ear seeds) the author noted that an entrepreneurial mom called Gisel Boxer presented her business opportunity of selling ear seeds on the UK’s TV show The Dragon’s Den. In a history making moment, apparently all 6 of the judges agreed to invest in her offer after hearing her claim that, within 12 months, ear seeds had cured her of M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)).

Over 500 viewers wrote in to complain about her anecdotal claims of being cured – medical practitioners, ME patients, charities – so much so, that the BBC took the episode off its streaming service. I fell down a seriously deep rabbit hole of articles relating to the issue, in which Ms Boxer noted she never referred to the seeds as a singular “cure” only that they had helped her, and that she had in fact been recruited to appear on the show rather than her approaching them… and… and…

I’ve never tried ear seeds, so I can’t give you feedback on whether they may or may not really work for migraines. There is, however, a reference on Ms Boxer’s sales site that gives me a serious tinge of the heebee-geebees and suggests I should save my money: “The seeds were traditionally from the flowering herb vaccaria, but our luxe, modern version uses gold or silver plated seeds that are attached to a clear adhesive sticker. So not only are they known for their healing benefits, but they look incredibly cute too!”

OK, then… cute.

The word reminded me of the McGill University reference to ear seeds being a “bedazzled” form of acupressure for the “Instagram Generation”. (Even the online craft site Etsy sells ear seed kits “for wellness and beauty” purposes).

Oh, and the University article also lends one last twist to the whole ear seed saga. Almost every site I read, including Ms Boxer’s sales site, refers to ear seeds under the umbrella of “TCM” – Traditional Chinese Medicine… but when I circled back to the Bad Science article from McGill University, I read: “Ear acupuncture is not Chinese; it was conceived in 1957 by a French neurologist, Paul Nogier.”

[Wikipedia credits Nogier and TCM for the idea of ear seeds. They also refer to the lack of scientific trials, patients who developed NEW referred pains after using ear seeds, and end by suggesting ear seeds are “not an effective therapeutic procedure for chronic pain”.]

Anyway – I’ll leave it to you to do your own homework, but I’m calling “NO THANKS” on this form of migraine treatment for myself.

[As an aside – I was rubbing my ears throughout the research-writing of this post and gained no obvious upside!]

If you do decide to fork out what appears to be a fair chunk of money for some bling-stickers, can I suggest you book an appointment with someone who applies them for a living, and don’t just try a cheap DIY version at home – ear drums weren’t meant to be bedazzled!

Take care taking care (of your ears), Linda xx

PS – if you have tried ear seeds, leave me a note in the comment section; I’m opened minded enough to be fascinated to know how you went.