Ear stapling: Miracle diet or dangerous fad?
“Oh …,” Angie Hooker says as her physician punches a small, surgical staple into the upper cartilage of her left pinna (visible part of ear).
Angie’s ear isn’t bleeding, but from her countenance it’s clear to those in the room that little about the operation is pleasant. But Hooker, like many other Independence County residents, wants to lose weight enough to undergo the unproven and potentially dangerous procedure known as ear stapling.
While the origins of the procedure are debatable, the widely-held belief is ear stapling carried over from Eastern acupuncture, an ancient practice which consists of piercing the body with numerous fine needles in certain areas known as meridian (or simply acupuncture) points. [Acupuncture for Everyone: What It Is, Why It Works, and How It Can Help You]
The points are believed to affect and heal various muscles, nerves and organs. For example, an acupuncturist may treat a patient experiencing pain in his or her head by inserting a series of needles along the back of the neck or around the temples.
Stapling the ear through the upper cartilage, some believe, provides constant stimulation for the vagus or pneumogastric nerve, a very lengthy (the word vagus means wandering) nerve that supplies motor and sensory information from the mouth and larynx down to the large intestine and colon.
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Stapling proponents believe stimulating the vagus nerve through the ear not only causes a decrease in appetite but also an increase in metabolism and a total rejection of certain foods such as sweets. [How to Think About Weird Things : Critical Thinking for a New Age]
“The staple applies pressure to the stomach point, and when clients rub the staples they tell us they have a noticeable decrease in sugar cravings. … We have had clients tell us some of their favorite foods now have a metallic taste … their bodies completely reject everything about it,” Shawna Culp, president of Miracle Staple LLC., told the Guard. “If it doesn’t work it is usually the user’s fault and it is more than a mental placebo. Just try it; it is amazing.” 
Culp and her mother, Glenda Vaughn, began their business in August 2005. Vaughn, a former medical professional, learned the technique from a fellow nurse and began offering the service herself in the Enid, Okla. area. According to the company’s Web site, Miracle Staple now conducts seminars and stapling sessions across the country, charging $30 to $50 for the procedure. Culp maintained the staples remain effective for two to three months and most patients lose from 3 to 5 pounds a week without exercise.
“Some lose 40 pounds in three months. After that we sometimes have to remove the staple and do the procedure again. We always encourage our clients to eat healthy and exercise, but it works regardless of diet and exercise,”
Culp said, adding the staple has been used for smoking cessation as well with a near 80 percent success rate. [Change One: The Breakthrough 12-Week Eating Plan: Lose Weight Simply, Safely & Forever - avaialble at Amazon.com]
Clients are instructed to rub the staples five to 10 times a day and clean them regularly. Reportedly the more the patient rubs the staples, the more success he or she will see.
The science behind the staple isn’t as far fetched as it may seem. According to Wikipedia.org, the vagus nerve does receive some sensation from the outer ear through the Auricular branch, also known as the Alderman’s nerve. Interestingly, the nerve was so-named because Anglo-Saxon aldermen would habitually eat (binge) and then stimulate the nerve in the ear to induce vomiting, so, reportedly, they could eat more.
So while Culp said ear stapling is an acupuncture technique which traces it roots back to the Far East, the origin of the procedure as a weight loss treatment could be much more Western.
But does it work?
Yes it does, according to the recently stapled Anna Beams.
“I’ve tried the Weight Watchers, low carb, the grapefruit diet and everything in between, but nothing worked. With the ear staple, I’ve had no problems. I stay real thirsty. I used to drink six or seven Cokes a day; now I’m down to one or two. I’m cutting back on my portions and staying away from sweets,”
Beams said, adding she has lost a total of 14.5 pounds since November.
“I was one of the first to get it done around here (Batesville). … The best part is you can eat a little and feel full.”
Ear stapling is similar to true acupuncture in that its goal is to stimulate a nerve through piercing, but the similarities end there. Most acupuncture techniques make use of 10, 20 or even 100 needles and only stimulate the targeted meridian points for a few hours, not constantly. Also, a staple is relatively large when compared to an acupuncture needle and could do more damage to the flesh than is intended. Acupuncturists never pierce cartilage. The chance of serious infection is much higher with the stapling as well, and clients could experience nausea and other side effects.
“There’s a serious medical risk here. The cartilage does not replace itself, meaning those who get the ear staple will have permanent holes in their ears. Why would you want to let someone with no medical background place a foreign object in your ear,”
Betsy Day, clinic coordinator for the weight loss clinic at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, told the Guard.
“It would seem rather suspect if medical physicians are performing the operation.”
But real medical professionals are stapling ears in Independence County. Several doctors in the Batesville area are offering the procedure with prices ranging from $50 to $75 for both ears. Along with the stapling, the doctors are instructing patients to keep a 1,800-calorie diet and exercise 15 to 20 minutes a day. Most ear staplers say patients can expect a weight loss of 3 to 5 pounds a week. Those who are pregnant or have health problems such as recurring staph infections should not get the staple.
Interestingly, the projected weight loss for an unstapled person on a low calorie diet is about 3 to 5 pounds a week, a figure consistent with what staple proponents claim is result of vagus nerve stimulation. That similarity calls into question the staple’s effectiveness, according to JoBeth McElhanon of the Arkansas Dietetic Association. [How to Think About Weird Things : Critical Thinking for a New Age]
“The ADA does not endorse the ear stapling. There is no scientific evidence for the procedure. The best plan for weight loss is a 1000 calorie or 1200 to 1250 for women diet and exercise,” McElhanon, spokesperson for the ADA, said. “There is no easy way out.”
Licensing the procedure is also a difficult subject. Since the procedure is relatively new, laws vary greatly from state to state. According to Culp, Oklahoma law requires ear staplers to have just an ear piercing license.
But, according to Becky Binz of the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Arkansas practitioners need to be licensed acupuncturists. [The American Holistic Medical Association Guide to Holistic Health: Healing Therapies for Optimal Wellness]
“The ADHHS (the state board of health) does not license ear staplers. If the procedure is offered as a treatment for weight loss or to treat any other condition then they would need to be licensed as an acupuncturist, but we don’t handle that,”
Binz said, adding her office had received calls from licensed ear piercers and cosmetologists who wanted to offer the service.
But according to Dr. Michael Ranft, a doctor of oriental medicine, DOMs and other holistic healers are prevented by law from performing the procedure.
“Licensed oriental doctors cannot do it. Medical doctors have a universal license which allows them to perform such procedures,” Ranft said. “Acupuncturists don’t do it because it requires piercing the cartilage, and we don’t do that; we work with soft flesh. We don’t use staples in our practice, and you can run into problems when you leave what is supposed to be a temporary staple in someone’s ear for months … People want to leave these in for months, but I would want to check it every week or so.”
Ranft said the procedure is especially dangerous in warmer climates.
“In the South, you have a real chance for infection in the cartilage, which can lead to surgery. It is very hard to treat an infection in the cartilage.”
So far there has been no response from the Arkansas Medical Board as to the legality of medical physicians offering the service. Additionally, all local physicians offering the service the Guard contacted either did not return phone calls or declined to comment publicly about the service.
And as for Hooker? She couldn’t be happier with her procedure. In the nine days since getting her staple, she has lost 5 pounds. She says she hasn’t been exercising, but has been drinking plenty of water and eating smaller portions.
Source: Good News Blog
