Ear

Organ of hearing; orifice of the kidney. The ear’s hearing ability depends on the state ofessence, marrow, qì, and blood.

Diagnosis: Ear diseases are largelyrelated to the kidneybut may also be related to the heart, liver, and spleen. The handgreater yáng (tài yáng) small intestine channel, foot greater yáng (tài yáng) (tàiyáng) bladder channel, and hand lesser yáng (shào yáng) triple burner channelall pass through the region of the ear. The withering of the auricles and shrinking of thelobes in the course of enduring or severe illness is a sign of qì and blood depletion andimpending expiration of kidney qì. In recent years, extensive research into ear acupuncturehas shown that some diseases of the bowels and viscera are reflected by changes in ear pointreactivity.