It is a common practice in India to have one’s child’s ears pierced when they are very young.
According to Vedic rites, parents usually get their child’s ears pierced when they are merely a few days old.
While the custom seems quite a painful process and it looks like quite a terrible thing to do to your baby, the tradition does have some health benefits for your child.
Here 5 facts about ear piercing that you should know.
1. Maintains the reproductive organs and helps in a healthy menstrual cycle
The lobe of the ear possesses a point found right in the middle of the lobe. This point, in Ayurvedic literature, is regarded as one of the most important areas for the health of one’s reproductive organs. Not only does this point help keep these organs robust in male children, it also helps regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle. Apart from that, piercing this point helps prevent a variety of infections and the onset of hydrocele (filling up of fluid in the testicles) and hernia in boys.
2. Helps in the growth of the brain
According to the great sage Shushruta, the ear lobes contain meridian points that connect to the left and the right hemisphere of the human brain. When this point is pierced it helps activate these parts of the brain. This theory can alsobe found in the principles of acupressure therapy, that states the when these meridian points are stimulated, it helps in the quick and healthy development of the brain and enhances memory. That is why if a child’s ears are pierced early on in life, especially when the brain is still developing, it is highly beneficial for the child. This also goes to prove the belief that a child must get their ears pierced within the first eight months of birth when their brains are developing.
3. Sharpens eye sight
According to acupuncture, the central point on the ear lobe is where the centre for vision lies. Therefore applying pressure to this point helps improve eyesight.
4. Keeps ears healthy
The point where a child’s ear is pierced is where two very essential acupressure points are present master sensorial and master cerebral points. These points are key players in maintaining the health of your child’s hearing. According to acupressure experts this is an especially good spot to help relieve the symptoms of tinnitus.
5. Prevents conditions like anxiety, OCD and nervousness
There are two schools that talk about the same benefit. According to experts, piercing a child’s ears not only helps making their brains function optimally, but it also keeps conditions like hysteria at bay. This theory is backed up by the principles of acupressure that state that this region is also the seat of the master cerebral, an area that governs the working of the brain. It is said that applying pressure on this point helps keep mental illnesses like OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), nervousness and anxiety at bay.
6. Can help keep one’s digestive system in order
Another great reason to have your child’s ear pierced is because stimulation of this point helps maintain one’s digestive system. More specifically this point is the seat of the hunger point (so called in acupressure). The hunger point mans the working of the digestive system, keeping it in check and reducing the chances of obesity.
7. Is specific to each gender
If you have noticed when a child has his/her ears pierced, the person doing so will always pierce the right ear of a boy child first, and the left ear of a girl first. This is because these specific points coincide with the feminine and masculine halves of a person. It is believed that the left side of the body is the feminine side and the right side of the body is the masculine one. There fore the left year is pierced to stimulate the Yin organs to treat diseases often seen in males, and the right side is pierced to stimulate the Yang organs for diseases commonly seen in women.
