- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Question
Ear stapling for weight loss: Does it work?
I'm considering having my ears stapled to help me lose weight. Does this work?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Ear stapling for weight loss isn't likely to work — and it poses a serious risk of infection.
Ear stapling is based loosely on the principles of auricular acupuncture, which involves stimulating certain points on the ear with fine needles. With auricular acupuncture, the needles are typically left in place for only a short period of time — sometimes up to one week. With ear stapling, small surgical staples are placed into the inner cartilage of each ear. The staples are left in place for several months. Proponents of ear stapling for weight loss claim that the staples stimulate a pressure point that controls appetite.
Although some studies suggest that acupuncture can reduce appetite, ear stapling hasn't been proved effective for weight loss. And 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.
If you're overweight, don't depend on ear stapling for weight loss. Instead, discuss proven weight-loss strategies with your doctor.
Next questionCoconut oil and weight loss: Does it work?
- Burkhead SK, et al. Auriculotherapy complications: Ear stapling gone bad. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. 2007;137(2)(suppl):215.
- Yeh C, et al. Effects of ear points' pressing on parameters related to obesity in non-obese healthy and obese volunteers. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2008;14(3):309-314.
- Cabioglu MT, et al. Serum IgG, IgA, IgM, and IgE levels after electroacupuncture and diet therapy in obese women. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2007;35(6):955-965.
- Richards D, et al. Stimulation of auricular acupuncture points in weight loss. Australian Family Physician. 1998;27(suppl 2):S73-S77.
