Keynote speakers

Introduction: Historically, auriculotherapy has been linked to efficient pain management, probably because it impacts both somatosensory and emotional components of pain. However, the emotional state of the patient is not always enough taken into account, an omission which may favor the development of chronic pain. An easy and affordable way to avoid this would be to systematically use auriculotherapy alone or in combination with analgesic agents or other relevant interventions.

Method: First, the mechanisms of action of auriculotherapy on pain will be reviewed, emphasizing the vagus nerve-mediated information processing. Then, focus will be put on Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a reflection of the vagal tone, and its connections to both endogenous pain modulation and resiliency. 

Result: The optimization of body-brain communication by auriculotherapy can undoubtedly decrease pain and suffering.

Conclusion: Auriculotherapy can positively impact the evolution of mankind, according to Darwin’s Origin of Species, as pain is regarded as one of the most effective alarm signals. Indeed, “it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself”.