The similarities between the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies' standards for auricular acupuncture points and the European System of Auriculotherapy Points according to Nogier and Bahr

IntroductionBasic and clinical research on auricular acupuncture points (AAPs) was performed in China, the United States, France and Germany. Clinical auricular acupuncture point (AAP) research was done in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the UK, Holland, Japan, Russia, and Africa. This paper is aimed at investigating the similarities of WFAS standard of auricular acupuncture points (AAPs) and European system of AAPs according to Nogier and Bahr.MethodsSimilarities were analyzed from the perspective of name and location of auricular acupuncture points, taking the standards of the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS)-Auricular Acupuncture Point, and the European system of auricular acupuncture according to Nogier/Bahr as a reference.ResultsThe location of the acupoints associated with the locomotor system, including shoulder, wrist, elbow, finger, pelvis and buttock, were similar. The reflexed gastrointestinal system on the auricle, including stomach, esophagus, duodenum, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, liver, gallbladder and pancreas were also similar, as were the mapping for the urogenital system, including the ureter, urinary bladder, prostate and urethra. For the head region, only the eye point is similar but for the nervous system, including the temple, occiput, sub-cortex and endocrine, locations were similar. An additional twenty-five sub-areas or points, named by the auricular anatomical name, can be listed internationally as more widely acknowledged points.ConclusionThere are twenty-four auricular acupuncture points sharing the same name and similar locations, and twenty-five sub-areas or points which share the auricular anatomical name with different reflexed parts of the body and different therapeutic effects.