As a parent, navigating the journey of having a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be a challenge that comes with a wide range of emotions and feelings. Some days it might be frustration and exhaustion; other days it might be worry or guilt.

Or maybe it’s not our kids with ADHD — it’s also something we as adults deal with. Having ADHD as an adult brings its own set of challenges as we do our best to function in a world that doesn’t always take this disorder seriously (especially in adults) or know how to best support us.

No matter what types of experiences we and our children go through with an ADHD diagnosis, what we have in common is the desire to thrive no matter the circumstances. And for that, we seek treatments and tools that have worked for others, with hope that we, too, may see the benefits.

If you came here already knowing you want to purchase a set of ear seeds for ADHD symptoms, you can buy ear seeds here.

If you’re curious to learn more or still on the fence, we are excited to share some research on the effectiveness of auriculotherapy on reducing ADHD symptoms. Read on!

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Do ear seeds work for ADHD?

At My Ear Seeds, we love a good, easy-to-follow study, and when a natural treatment shows effectiveness with minimal side effects, that makes us all sorts of giddy.

Setting the stage: What is an ear seed?

We’re in the ear seeds business, so we live in this world day in and day out. But we know not everyone comes across this article already knows what an ear seed is. Let’s define it now so it’ll make sense in the study. An ear seed is a small pellet or bead that attaches to the ear with adhesive tape on specific acupressure points that correlate to systems or parts of the body.

The body is an interconnected system, so stimulating certain points of the ear can trigger responses in these corresponding parts of the body. It’s crazy to think about, but it’s not unlike reflexology, if you’ve heard of that.

Study overview and outcome

In a 2020 study, children ages 6 to 14 years old with ADHD in Iran were split into two groups: a treatment group and a control group.

The treatment group received electrical stimulation on specific neuropsychological acupressure points of the ear for 20 seconds per point (see the list of points in the “What are the acupressure points to target for ADHD?” section below). This was repeated once weekly for a period of 6 weeks. On the same schedule, right after stimulation, ear seeds were applied to those points. Participants’ caregivers were asked to stimulate the ear by applying medium pressure for one minute on each seed daily.

The control group simply received seedless tape on their ears. This is called “sham” therapy because it’s ineffective but keeps participants from truly knowing which group they’re in and throwing off the study.

What the researchers found was that the children in the acupressure group had significantly reduced ADHD symptoms compared to the children in the control group.

The results are exciting because we know that ear seed therapy is accessible, inexpensive, and easy to use. Now, with this study, there also seems to be a degree of effectiveness when people use ear seeds for ADHD.

Study limitations

Are there limitations to this study? Sure. Right off the bat, it’s easy to see that this is a small sample size of participants, and the authors acknowledge this. The study started with 50 participants, but only 44 ended up completing it.

Next, this is a single-blind study, not a double-blind study. This means that the researchers knew which participants were in which group, whereas the participants were “blind” to which group they were in. Double-blind studies might be the north star in research, but they’re almost impossible to pull off in an auriculotherapy study where the researchers have to apply the acupressure on exact treatment points.

Finally, with the participants being selected from Iranian wellness centers rather than living in homes with parents, the extent to which the daily manual stimulation of the ear seeds happening is questionable. Nevertheless, even if the caretakers didn’t achieve total compliance, the study still showed a positive outcome from auricular acupressure.

We’re just saying, who knows, maybe the outcome could have been even better.

Study advantages

A couple of bonus things we like about the study that we want to point out:

The practitioner applying the acupressure treatments for this study had almost a decade of experience
This study incorporated acupressure instead of acupuncture, so it’s more kid-friendly and still shows effectiveness

What are the specific ear seeds for ADHD acupressure points?

The neuropsychological points used by Binesh and the team of researchers in the 2020 study on ear seeds for ADHD included the following:

Shen Men
Point Zero
Hippocampus
Prefrontal cortex
Master Oscillation Point
Laterality Point

Most of these points are represented in the ear seeds for ADHD/ADD protocol in Auriculo 360, the leading app for auriculotherapy.

Auriculo 360 not only includes protocols for ADHD and ADD; it has over 480 points and protocols combined. Best of all, these are represented on a 3D ear that you can rotate, zoom, expand and move to get a really good sense of the precise points for your ear seeds.

Start Your Trial of Auriculo 360 Today!

You’ll see GREEN dots and WHITE dots in this ear diagram. The green dots represent the primary acupressure points, whereas the white dots represent the secondary acupressure points. Auriculo 360 utilizes both the Chinese and European frameworks for auriculotherapy charts. Therefore, when you use this tool, you can be confident that the points are precise and accurate.

Where to buy ear seeds for ADHD

If you or your older children (we don’t recommend ear seeds for very young children) is struggling with issues of attention, focus, or hyperactivity, we at My Ear Seeds invite you to start with a My First Ear Seeds Kit and a Virtual Ear Seeds Consultation.

The My First Ear Seeds Kit includes tweezers and alcohol wipes in addition to the ear seeds. The virtual consultation connects you with our ear seeds coach. This person can tell you, as best as possible over a video call, where to put the ear seeds for ADHD or other conditions or disorders. If you prefer a more DIY approach for ear seeds for ADHD, we are happy to refer you to the leading ear seeds software, which has a free trial.

Just know, too, that six weeks, including daily stimulation, was the length of the protocol in Binesh and team’s study. Ear seeds aren’t a “one and done” treatment modality. Part of the effectiveness is contingent upon consistent use. So if you need more ear seeds for ADHD, we have refill kits in our shop too.

Happy seeding!

Disclaimer: As always, be sure to consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting or stopping any treatments or therapies. The content in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition, including ADHD.

References:

Binesh, M., Daghighi, M. R., Shirazi, E., Oleson, T., & Hashem-Dabaghian, F. (2020). Comparison of Auricular Therapy with Sham in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 26(6), 515–520. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2019.0477