CLEVELAND -- Could a tiny staple in your ear be the key to losing weight?

NewsChannel5's Lee Jordan reported how dozens of people said that having the ear-stapling procedure has helped them shed those extra pounds.

Johnny Snipes said she has lost a total of 65 pounds in 18 months, something she never thought she'd be able to do.

And ear staple patient Robin Johnson said she has lost 32 pounds in the six months she's had the staple in her ear.

It also worked for Veronica Spurlock, who said she has lost 168 pounds in 13 months.

Elyria chiropractor Gary van Skyhock explained that the idea comes out of acupuncture and something called auricular therapy, or treatment based on nerve endings in the ear.

The staple is placed over the point that corresponds with the stomach.

"It normalizes your appetite … and when you normalize appetite, you'll eat as much as you need, not more," said van Skyhock.

Van Skyhock said the nerve endings in your ear have tone, and the device will find and diagnose the tone.

"If that tone is upset, it'll show up in auricular therapy test. That's the key, finding out which point is active and reaching that point," he said.

Van Skyhock has put staples in about 100 patients and said the biggest risk is infection. One out of five of his patients ends up with infected cartilage around the staple, and that type of infection can be difficult to treat.

The Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Tanya Edwards said while there are no studies on stapling, some studies on ear acupuncture have shown benefits for weight loss.

"My biggest concern is infection rate, and with this person getting a 20 percent infection rate, which could be devastating," said Edwards. "My preference would be since we do have trials on acupuncture in the ear that would be where recommend patients put their money instead of going through ear stapling that could have more devastating side effects."

Whether ear stapling is magic for weight loss may depend on the individual, but many people said that their tiny ear staples made a big difference.