At My Ear Seeds we love all things ear seeds, but there are some things you just don’t do with ear seeds. So we put together this list of 7 things to avoid with ear seeds to ensure you have the best ear acupressure experience possible.

Avoid with ear seeds #1: Not using precise ear placement charts

Does it matter where you put the ear seeds? Yes! There are many, many ear seed placement charts online, but they’re not all consistent, and it can be hard to know which ones are accurate and precise.

There’s a fascinating article called The History of Ear Acupuncture and Ear Cartography: Why Precise Mapping of Auricular Points Is Important, and it can best be summed up by the author’s quote:

Auricular medicine is an excellent method, but only if the ear points are located precisely.
Andreas Wirz-Ridolfi, MD

Avoid with ear seeds grabbing any old chart from the internet and thinking it will give you the guidance for placing the ear seeds where they should go. For best results, we recommend working with our ear seeds coach in a 30-minute virtual session to pinpoint the exact acupressure points for meeting your health and wellness goals.

Avoid with ear seeds #2: Not stimulating your ear seeds

While the ear seeds themselves apply a light pressure, it’s up to you to reinforce that pressure on the ear points by stimulating the seeds with your fingertips at least three times each day. Do this for a minute each time.

That routine, if it hasn’t become a habit yet, can be hard to keep up with if you have a busy schedule like we do (hello, mom of three kids here!). For that reason, we have an ear seeds tracker you can get that keeps you on track by being able to check off the boxes each time you press on the ear seeds. We recommend you do this morning, noon, and night to stretch out the benefits throughout the day.

Avoid with ear seeds #3: Using them for a couple of days and giving up

We believe that ear seeding should be a lifestyle. But if you’re not “all in” on the ear seeds and not calling it a lifestyle yet, at least know that committing at least four to six weeks to using them is essential. After all, you bought them in the first place to see some sort of results; therefore, you must give them time to work.

As with almost anything in the health, wellness, and body space, there are no quick fixes (and beware of anyone who is selling one). Avoid with ear seeds using them for just a couple of days, or using them sporadically or intermittently, and then throwing in the towel, complaining that “they don’t work.”

Avoid with ear seeds #4: Putting them inside the ear canal

Auricular acupressure with seeds is for the outer ear only. Nothing related to the ear seeds goes into the ear canal, and that includes tweezers, seeds, and the alcohol wipe.

We have heard of ear seeds falling into the ear canal and requiring medical attention to retrieve. To avoid with ear seeds, let’s be sure to keep them as away from the ear canal and inner ear. Key, too, is taking care of the seeds so they don’t start to become loose.

Avoid with ear seeds #5: Not cleaning your ears prior to seeding

It’s easy to assume that the alcohol wipe for rubbing down the ears prior to seeding is intended to disinfect the ears. But that’s not really the main benefit of the wipe. Instead, it’s to help remove oils from the skin so that your ear seed lasts as long as it should (the recommended four to six days).

If you want to go above and beyond, we recommend washing your ears with gentle soap and a warm washcloth. The initial wipe-down sets a nice, clean foundation for the ears. Following that, use the alcohol wipe on the external ears, starting from top and moving to the bottom, being sure to wipe the crevices (concha) as well. Allow your ears to air dry before applying the seeds. This quick-clean method sets up your seeds to successfully stay attached to your ears for the minimum number of days they should be able to.

Avoid with ear seeds #6: Putting them on pets or very small children

As tempted as we might be to help our sweet pets with their own set of conditions and ailments, ear seeds aren’t designed for animals; they’re for human use only.

Similarly, ear seeds should not be used on very small children, who would be likely to pull ear seeds off or allow them to fall into the ear canal. Worse, we don’t want young children ingesting any part of the seed, whether it’s the ceramic or metal bead or the adhesive sticker. You’ll know when your child is old enough, mature enough, and ready to use ear seeds. When in doubt, avoid with ear seeds until they’re a bit older.

Avoid with ear seeds #7: Keeping the benefits to yourself

Do you have a personal win with the ear seeds? We’d love to hear it (email us at info@myearseeds.com with your reviews and testimonials, please). Better yet, we’d appreciate it if you shared your ear seeds experience or testimony with a friend!

At My Ear Seeds, we rely heavily on word of mouth and referrals. Our mission to get “every ear seeded” (with a few exceptions) wouldn’t be possible without our awesome clients and customers. We appreciate you!

References:

Wirz-Ridolfi A. (2019). The History of Ear Acupuncture and Ear Cartography: Why Precise Mapping of Auricular Points Is Important. Medical acupuncture, 31(3), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2019.1349