Posted on 12/11/2006 11:04:03 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666
Crash diets, plastic surgery, "miracle pills" and extreme workouts are the most common ways to shed off those extra pounds.
However, a new fad is gaining popularity and due to its price and supposed success, it is sweeping the nation one ear at a time.
Those who perform the acupuncture ear stapling procedure claim that by inserting a tiny, surgical staple into the ear, it will trigger certain pressure points that may curb appetites, reduce stress, relieve pain, and may even help one to quit smoking.
"I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first considering all the gimmicks that are out there. But once I had it done I couldn't believe it," says mother of two, Judy Kramer, 34, of Pittsburgh. Kramer explained how the staple helped her lose 15 pounds in two months.
For centuries, acupuncture has been a technique used by many to help certain symptoms. However, the process of traditional acupuncture, which places tiny needles along the body targeting pressure points, requires many visitations and can be very costly.
"With the 'Acu-staple,' it is a semi-permanent form of acupuncture which really increases its capabilities and maximizes your results," says certified ear-stapler and RN, Cindy Pace from Pittsburgh. According to Pace, the average price of this not-so-tedious procedure ranges from $60-$80, which generally includes both ears.
If one decides to take part in this new trend of ear stapling, the side effects and precautions are limited to but include infection and perhaps inability to work.
According to Acu-staple.com, auriculotherapy or ear puncture utilizes the body's micro system of the ear to treat the body. It has been scientifically shown that different points in the ear demonstrate higher electrical conductivity which will, in turn, increase energy to an area of imbalance and will potentially result in improvement in the physical as well as energetic state of the body.
Trevor Jarvis, 21, a Pittsburgh resident who received the procedure, said the feeling that overcomes the recipient is unexplainable. "I can't really describe it, but you feel a lot better about yourself and it looks pretty cool too," he said.
The centimeter or so staple is hardly noticeable in one's ear, but Jarvis says that many people ask him if it is some type of industrial piercing.
Results should be noticeable within seven to 10 days and most "staplers" offer free removal or free readjustment in case the staple isn't hitting the desired pressure points.
They're right! I saw that and now I don't want to eat!.........
New?????? I first heard about this in the 70s.
Just staple the pie hole shut
Heck, I remember that from 25 years ago. It didn't work then either.
Not new. I knew someone who had this done 30 years ago.
BTB, wasn't somebody hocking ear clips for the same thing a few years back?
I had one of those many years ago to quit smoking. Didn't work for me but it sure did hurt.
I couldn't hear back in the 70's..................
I just checked this idiot dog my daughter brought home and sure enough, his staples have fallen out - by now his brain must be somewhere around his ankles.
You too? I thought I'd heard about this before.
Staple your butt to one of these things for 45 minutes a day. It will work a lot better.
Sorry about the private reply, fat fingers....
LOL!
People will pay cash money for ANYTHING, as long as it's the easy way out.
Aaaahhhh, the miracle of the placebo effect!
I will stick with baked/brolied chicken and veggies, when I diet. thank you!
I'm working on a theory that weight loss is associated with food intake and exercise. Neither one involves the ear. Oh, yeah, call me a radical...
Blast from the Past, Man!
(If at first you don't succeed.................)
Why wouldn't it work? It's hard to hold either a cigarette or a fork when you're clutching your still-bleeding ear, whimpering in pain.
It's the same way the rest of acupuncture works - if you stick pins in a guy every time he complains, pretty soon he stops complaining.
Already a hit in the public sector...
OLD idea. This was a fad back in the 70's.
Everyone I knew who had it said you had to 'wiggle' it to activate it. Trouble is, no one wanted to wiggle and so no one lost any weight.
There is truly nothing new under the sun......
"if it works, it works."
It doesn't. According to my doctor they brought him lots of business via infection.
LOL.
Placebo effect.
Yeah, that the problem with a lot of things.......
This has been around for years and years and years. How stupid are these people and those who write about them.
Has anyone used Cow Magnets for weight reduction yet...
psuedoscience for the sheeple
Yeah, but I kept getting stuck to the rail around the salad bar. LOL
I'd give up Placebo, but it wouldn't do any good.
I wouldn't be surprised if real acupuncture could be effective for appetite suppression or quitting smoking, but it si contrary to the theories of real acupuncture (and concrete biological/medical science) that permanent installation of the "needle" would have a similar effect to periodic brief acupuncture treatment. The body quickly adjusts to the presence of an acupuncture needle, and stops responding at that site (though secondary effects may continue for days or weeks afterwards).
Having undergone electroacupuncture in the past, I can attest to this effect at least in that technique. It uses a TENS unit which generates a small electric current (these are also used in allopathic medicine) attached to the needles. At first you can feel a tingling at the puncture site (sensation strength depends how strong the current is set for), but after lying there for 20 minutes, even a tingling sensation strong enough to be bordering on pain at the outset has diminished to where you can't feel it at all. Your nerves figure out that the thing they were generating responses to is unimportant/unchangeable and no longer needs to be reported to the brain.
Of course there may be an extra placebo effect here. Not only does the person who had it done obviously think it may work, but it's so readily visible and odd that the stapled person inevitably has to explain it to his/her friends. Extra incentive to eat less and exercise more comes from the realization that you'll be the laughing stock of your social circle if you end up having to explain that it "didn't work" because it's clear you haven't lost any weight. In fact, it probably generates external reinforcement of this effect, by causing skeptical friends to periodically inquire "So is that staple in your ear working at all?", thus reminding the stapled person that "Oh sh!!, my friends think I'm really stupid and they're going to keep thinking that unless I lose a noticeable amount of weight".
I tried them on both of our vehicles for a friend in the repair business to test them. There was zero difference but he had customers swearing to him that they were miracle so he bought a case of them and charged big bucks to these believers and had them sign a disclaimer he had drawn up...
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