Auricular Acupuncture, also known as Auriculotherapy, is a form of alternative medicine that has roots in the Chinese medical practise of acupuncture. Where acupuncture is performed by inserting thin needles at certain points all over the body for healing effects, auricular acupuncture takes place only in the ear. This is based on the idea that the ear, and in particular the outer portion of the ear (the auricle) is representative, or a micro-system of, the entire body. Therefore sickness of any part can be treated just by stimulating its surface, as it is thought to contain a huge number of very important acupuncture points that reference other parts of the human anatomy.

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Autogenic training is a relaxation technique involving a series of physical exercises. Developed by German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz in 1932, it involves around three daily sessions of about 15 minutes each. These can be either sitting down or lying in a number of different postures, during which the practitioner will repeat sets of visualisations. The aim is to achieve deep relaxation and reduce stress by regulating the autonomic nervous system through breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat and body temperature control. Many of the techniques mirror yoga and meditation, and can be used to relieve stress-induced psychosomatic illness.

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Aurotherapy describes the process of applying gold compounds to medicine. First reported in 1935, apparently used to reduce the inflammation of and slow the growth of rheumatoid arthritis in patients, aurotherapy uses gold salts, which are an ionic chemical compound found in gold. However, the chemical compounds used in aurotherapeutic drugs are not actually salts. They have been known to, however, accumulate in the body over time and reduce the symptoms of a range of different ailments, including: rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, membranous nephritis, lupus erythematosus and, infrequently, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

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