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Stapling ears may shed unwanted pounds |
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Tuesday, 20 February 2007 |
 Active Image | David Mulvaney|Chief Photographer
Freshman Elise P. Goodrich is one of many students to try a new ear-stapling procedure that is used to control appetite.
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by LINDSAY TIGAR
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
A group waits in line. They go up one by one, close their eyes and wait for the staple to pierce their ear.
It may be a herd of cattle, or Appalachian State University students investing in a weight-loss procedure with the hope of shedding a few pounds.
Elise P. Goodrich, a freshman political science and English double major, attended an ear stapling party Feb. 11.
Goodrich, along with 15 to 20 other Appalachian State students, paid $75 to have their ears stapled.
Ear stapling, a procedure where a small surgical steel staple is
inserted into the lower cartridge of the ear, is a not-so-new weight
loss concept.
“Ear stapling has been around for at least two decades,” Ronnie Carter,
registered nurse and co-founder of Staple Magic, a store that
specializes in ear stapling, said.
The surgical steel staple combines acupuncture and acupressure together
to target over 400 pressure points in the ear, including zones that are
directed to appetite and weight loss, Carter said.
These zones send messages and endorphins to the brain causing the person to not feel as hungry, Carter said.
The staple can also help with stress, anxiety, acid reflux and smoking
habits. A person can choose to have one or two staples placed in their
ear for 30 to 90 days and then have it removed and replaced.
Staple Magic currently has a success rate of over 93 percent in weight
loss, and 80 percent in smoking cessation, according to staplemagic.com.
However, the staple comes with risks.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit medical services institute,
“ear stapling is a largely unregulated practice and can be dangerous if
performed by an untrained practitioner in unsanitary conditions.”
To become an ear stapler, a person does not have to acquire a medical
license or have a medical background. They only have to go through
training.
Ear stapling is also not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, Carter said a medical background would make learning the procedure easier.
“Several states have stopped doing ear stapling due to infection,”
Carter said. “But I have seen a less than 1 percent infection rate in
my clients.”
Dr. Mary Dean Coleman, a registered dietician and assistant food and
nutrition professor at Appalachian State, does not recommend the
procedure.
“Having non-qualified people stapling your ear could run a higher risk of infection,” Coleman said.
Carter said a person does not have to change their diet or exercise
habits to lose weight with ear stapling. However, Coleman found that
some ear stapling companies recommend cutting calories to 1,800 per day
and exercising 15-20 minutes.
“Anytime someone exercises 15-20 minutes a day and cuts calories, they
will lose weight,” Coleman said. “With or without the staple.”
Goodrich decided to have her ear stapled to have more security with her weight and try something new.
“It’s discrete enough to where it’s not a big deal,” Goodrich said.
“It’s good to be open-minded of innovative weight-loss concepts.”
It is still too early to tell if the ear staple is proving successful for Goodrich.
“I think a lot of it is mental,” Goodrich said. “Someone has to think a
lot before getting this done and making that big of a decision.”
Goodrich was told to stimulate the staple 15-20 times a day and before
eating something with lots of sugar, carbohydrates or fat.
“Stapling isn’t for everyone,” Carter said. “If you are young and still
able to exercise to lose weight, I would say do it without [the
staple], but if you are overweight and not able to get it off, like I
was, I would recommend it.”
Carter said he would recommend the procedure to college students as
long as they know what signs to look for when it comes to infection and
know that they must get in touch with whoever stapled their ear to have
it removed.
Coleman suggests sticking to the fundamentals of weight loss.
“Have a balanced diet,” Coleman said. “Participate in an activity that
increases your heart rate for 20 to 45 minutes a day, and you’ll lose
weight.”
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