Submitted by admin on Thu, 2006-11-23 08:00. ::
The Mississippi entrepreneur, owner of Staple Lean LLC, has scheduled a return trip to Florida for ear stapling sessions with dozens of weight loss hopefuls.
The problem: ear stapling for weight loss is illegal in Florida. The state Board of Acupuncture banned the practice because of the threat of infections and other health problems.
Despite the prohibition, ear stapling practitioners from across the country target Florida. They promise miracle weight loss by stapling an acupuncture point on the ear.
Staple Me Thin LLC, based in Mississippi, incorporated a Florida branch Oct. 25. Another Mississippi company, Staple Image LLC, incorporated its Florida operation in June.
"This is a big, growing problem in our state. It's ridiculous that people are doing it," said Amy Sear, president of the Florida State Oriental Medical Association, a nonprofit organization of licensed acupuncturists. Sear warned the state acupuncture board this summer that her organization was witnessing an increase in ear stapling activity.
Acupuncturists in Florida must be licensed with the state and can be fined up to $1,000 for practicing ear stapling. Unlicensed practitioners engaging in ear stapling could be charged with a third-degree felony.
The stapling method is based on acupuncture techniques that target the ear, a practice called auricular therapy. Unlike traditional acupuncture techniques that use needles during a 45-minute session, the surgical staples stay in the cartilage of the ear for days, weeks or months.
Certified acupuncturists note that the ear has pressure points that affect every area of the body; treating the right location can have a positive health benefit.
One pressure point relates to the stomach and appetite. Stimulated properly, acupuncturists say it reduces hunger and increases thirst for water, which is necessary for burning fat.
But they dismiss advertised claims of a "miracle" staple and say that "stapling" a pressure point in the ear alone will not lead to weight loss.
Moreover, stapling the ear can negatively affect the pressure point, she said. "Once a point is stimulated consistently, if anything, you shut it down."
Fallaw, 29, said the staples alone were effective for her. She said the problems that have been associated with the technique were related to issues in Mississippi, where underground operations thrived. She said people were stapling ears in parking garages, bathrooms, coin laundries and the back seats of cars.
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