We’ve all seen people do crazy things to try to lose weight. Eating baby food, Shake Weight, limiting calorie intake, and so much more. But, have you heard of stapling a part of your ear to help lose weight? It’s becoming more popular as the rumor says ear stapling can help with weight loss.
Ear stapling stems from ancient Chinese acupuncture. Claims have been made that staples surgically placed in the ear’s inner cartilage will release endorphins. (Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that affect a person’s stress and anxiety levels.) The ear staple in this location is said to target the stomach. It can decrease a person’s appetite, reduce stress, and increase the metabolism. The staple can be left in place for several weeks or even months.
I recently talked to Amy who got her ears stapled to help with her weight loss. She told me that she got her ears stapled because she didn’t want to do meal replacements; she wanted something that would help her behaviorally, let her mind make the right decisions for her body, not a pill.
As a massage therapist with nearly 20 years experience, Janelle Robertson of The Trove says, “It is my understanding and belief that unless a person is emotionally ready for weight loss, the application of needles or staples will not enhance any physical benefits toward weight loss.” She says that in managing a variety of illnesses and diseases for her clients, sometimes the referral to an acupuncturist is necessary; but even then she says, “I recommend the most qualified practitioners who will educate consumers on the benefits of acupucture for health and well being.”
On Tuesday, Amy paid 60 dollars to get each ear stapled and so far she has lost three pounds. Amy said she is watching what she eats on top of going to the dance studio. The person who performed the stapling for Amy said she should see results within one to two weeks. As Amy is getting older her metabolism is decreasing and she wants to get to a healthier weight, without doing anything mainstream. Hopefully, the ear staple helps with her weight loss journey. There is nothing like seeing average Americans lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, especially when they are aging.
However, we can’t help but think there’s a healthier, more proven way to lose weight. As well, not enough evidence exists to support ear stapling.
“Ear stapling for weight loss isn’t likely to work — and it poses a serious risk of infection,” states Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. at MayoClinic.com. She goes on to warn that, “the largely unregulated practice of ear stapling can be dangerous if done in unsanitary conditions or by an untrained practitioner. In fact, puncturing ear cartilage poses a risk of serious infection and permanent disfigurement.”
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image via cirp-hpc.org