scholarly journals Shu-mu point Catgut embedding therapy for abdominal obesity: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialei Feng ◽  
Yulan Ren ◽  
Yuhao Jin ◽  
Jiangqiong Meng ◽  
Qiming Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Obesity has become a multifactorial epidemic, affecting individuals, families, societies and countries. Abdominal obesity (AO) is the most harmful kind in obesity. Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE), one of an acupuncture therapy, has been widely used in China although it’s efficiency has not been tested by randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ACE on AO. Methods This is a blinding, RCT. A total of ninety-two patients who met the inclusion criteria for this trial will be enrolled from two independent hospitals and randomly assigned to shu-mu point group and non-acupoint group. ACE will be conducted once every two weeks, three times for one course. There will be a total of two courses in the whole treatment, and a follow-up will be performed in the fourth week after the end of treatment. The primary outcomes are weight and waist circumference (WC). The secondary outcomes are body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), Quality of Life Scale (SF-36), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Discussion The results of this study will be obtained by RCT, and the outcomes will be analyzed to prove that ACE is effective and safe for AO. The results of this study will be derived from RCT. We expect that this experiment will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ACE for AO, and will also observe the changes in the physical conditions of patients before and after the treatment from the two groups.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialei Feng ◽  
Yulan Ren ◽  
Yuhao Jin ◽  
Jiangqiong Meng ◽  
Qiming Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Obesity has become a multifactorial epidemic, affecting individuals, families, societies and countries. Abdominal obesity (AO) is the most harmful kind in obesity. Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE), one of the acupuncture therapies, has been widely used in China while its efficacy has not been tested by randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ACE for AO. Methods: This is a randomized, participant-blind trial. A total of ninety-two patients who met the inclusion criteria for this trial will be enrolled from two independent hospitals and randomly assigned to shu-mu point group and non-acupoint group. Treatment will be conducted once every two weeks, three times for one course. There will be a total of two courses in the whole treatment, and a follow-up will be performed after four weeks of treatment. The primary outcomes are weight and waist circumference (WC). The secondary outcomes are body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), Quality of Life Scale (SF-36), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Discussion: This trial will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ACE for AO, and will also observe the changes in the physical conditions of patients before and after the treatment. This trial will be first good quality clinical evidence of ACE for AO.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: China today has high occurrences of insomnia in perimenopausal women. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method/Design: In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in a 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive a total of 18 sessions of treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks, twice a week for the next two weeks and finally treatment once weekly for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, week four, week eight, and first and the third month following the end of treatment. Discussion: If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, this positive outcome could provide evidence for clinical application.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background China today has high occurrences of insomnia in women experiencing menopausal transition. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method/Design In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive 18 sessions of treatment in total for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks and then twice a week for the next two weeks followed by once a week treatment for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, four-week, eight-week, and first and the third month after the end of treatment. Discussion If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, they could provide evidence for clinical application.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Ping Yin ◽  
Xuan Yin ◽  
Anna Bogachko ◽  
Tingting Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: China today has high occurrences of insomnia in perimenopausal women. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating primary insomnia and insomnia related to depression and stroke. Although there are some programs supporting insomnia during the menopausal transition, there are few randomized controlled trials to provide evidence regarding their effectiveness. We design a randomized controlled trial of suitable sample size to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with insomnia during the menopausal transition and to form an optimized acupuncture treatment protocol. Method: In this randomized, single-site, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 84 eligible patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group (n = 42) or the sham control group (n = 42) in a 1:1 ratio. Participants will receive a total of 18 sessions of treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Treatments will be given three times per week in the first four weeks, twice a week for the next two weeks and finally treatment once weekly for the final two weeks. Treatment will utilize eight main acupoints (GV20, GV24, GV29, RN6, RN4, SP6, HT7, EX-HN22), and extra two acupoints based on syndrome differentiation. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes will be measured by sleep parameters recorded in the Actigraphy (SE, TST, SA), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QOL). The primary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, week four, week eight, and first and the third month following the end of treatment. Discussion: If the results confirm that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment on insomnia in menopausal women, this positive outcome could provide evidence for clinical application. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800018645, Date: 2018-10-01. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=31482. Keywords: Menopause; Insomnia; Acupuncture; Clinical trial.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peijing Rong ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Lingling Yu ◽  
Junying Wang ◽  
Yan Ma ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The global spread of the 2019 coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) has caused emotional distress. However, whether auricular vagus nerve acupressure (AVNA) is effective in improving emotional distress under the COVID-19 has not been well-documented. OBJECTIVE To confirm whether AVNA is effective in improving emotional distress under the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A smartphone-based online, randomized, controlled trial was designed in four study sites, including Wuhan, Beijing, Shenyang, and Guangzhou of China, from 26 February 2020 to 28 April 2020. Participants were randomly assigned to three times of AVNA (n = 191) or usual care (UC, n = 215) for 14 days. The primary outcome was the response rate, which was the proportion of participants whose Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score reduced from baseline by ≥ 50%. The assessment was conducted at baseline, 3 days, and 14 days. RESULTS The AVNA group had a markedly higher response rate than the UC group at 3 days (35.6% vs. 24.9%, P = 0.02) and at 14 days (70.7% vs. 60.6%, P = 0.02). The AVNA group showed significantly greater reduction in score of HADS at the two measurement points and BAI at 3 days (P ≤ 0.03), with average respective effect size of 0.217 and 0.195. Participants with AVNA spent less time falling asleep and rated their sleep quality being remarkably higher than those with UC at endpoint. CONCLUSIONS AVNA can be recommended for patients with emotional distress under the current COVID-19 pandemic and other emergent events. CLINICALTRIAL www.chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR2000030078.


Author(s):  
Ronnie L. Shammas ◽  
Caitlin E. Marks ◽  
Gloria Broadwater ◽  
Elliot Le ◽  
Adam D. Glener ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Psychosocial distress, depression, or anxiety can occur in up to 50% of women after a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of lavender oil as a perioperative adjunct to improve anxiety, depression, pain, and sleep in women undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Methods This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial of 49 patients undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Patients were randomized to receive lavender oil or placebo (coconut oil) throughout their hospitalization. The effect of lavender oil on perioperative stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and pain was measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale, Richards–Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, and the visual analogue scale. Results Twenty-seven patients were assigned to the lavender group and 22 patients were assigned to the control group. No significant differences were seen in the perioperative setting between the groups with regard to anxiety (p = 0.82), depression (p = 0.21), sleep (p = 0.86), or pain (p = 0.30) scores. No adverse events (i.e., allergic reaction) were captured, and no significant differences in surgery-related complications were observed. When evaluating the entire cohort, postoperative anxiety scores were significantly lower than preoperative scores (p < 0.001), while depression scores were significantly higher postoperatively as compared with preoperatively (p = 0.005). Conclusion In the setting of microvascular breast reconstruction, lavender oil and aromatherapy had no significant adverse events or complications; however, there were no measurable advantages pertaining to metrics of depression, anxiety, sleep, or pain as compared with the control group.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 646
Author(s):  
Han-Sol Kang ◽  
Hyung-Wook Kwon ◽  
Di-gud Kim ◽  
Kwang-Rak Park ◽  
Suk-Chan Hahm ◽  
...  

This study aimed to investigate the effects of suboccipital muscle inhibition technique (SMIT) on active range of motion (AROM) of the ankle joint, lunge angle (LA), and balance in healthy adults, according to the duration of its application. A total of 80 participants were randomly allocated to the 4-min suboccipital muscle inhibition (SMI) group (SMI_4M, n = 20), 8-min SMI group (n = 20), 4-min sham-SMI (SSMI) group (n = 20), and 8-min SSMI group (n = 20). Accordingly, the SMIT and sham SMIT were applied for 4 min or 8 min in the respective groups. AROM of dorsiflexion and LA were assessed, and a single leg balance test (SLBT) was performed before and after the intervention. AROM (4 min, p < 0.001; 8 min, p < 0.001), LA (4 min, p < 0.001; 8 min, p < 0.001), and SLBT (4 min, p < 0.001; 8 min, p < 0.001) significantly improved after SMI application. Compared with the SSMI group, the SMI group showed a significant increase in AROM (p < 0.001), LA (p < 0.001), and SLBT (p < 0.001). Except for SLBT (p = 0.016), there were no significant interactions between intervention and application duration. The results suggest that the SMIT, at durations of both 4 and 8 min, could be effective tools for improving AROM, LA, and balance.


Author(s):  
Asieh Mehdipour ◽  
Parvin Abedi ◽  
Somayeh Ansari ◽  
Maryam Dastoorpoor

Abstract Objectives Postmenopausal women are at greater risk of depression. Depression may negatively affect the quality of life of women. An emotional freedom technique (EFT) is an evidence-based therapy combining cognitive and exposure components with acupressure. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of EFT on depression in postmenopausal women. Methods This was a randomized controlled trial in which 88 women with mild to moderate depression recruited from a menopausal clinic in Ahvaz, Iran, and randomly assigned into two groups of EFT (n=44) and control for sham therapy (n=44). Women in the EFT group received two sessions of training and asked to continue EFT for 8 weeks, one time per day. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI2) completed by women before and after the intervention. The control group received training on sham acupressure points similar to the intervention group. Data collected using a demographic and BDI2. Women requested to complete the BDI2 before and after the intervention. The independent t-test, chi-square, and ANCOVA were used to analyze data. Results The mean depression score in the intervention group reduced from 20.93 ± 4.6 to 10.96 ± 4.38 in comparison to the control group that reduced from 19.18 ± 2.79 to 17.01 ± 6.05 after intervention (p=0.001). After the 8 week intervention, the frequency of moderate depression decreased from 56.8 to 9.35% in the intervention and from 50 to 29.5% in the control group. In total, 63.4 and 34.15% in the intervention and control groups were free of depression respectively after the intervention (p<0.001). Conclusions The results of this study showed that using EFT for 8 weeks could significantly reduce the mean score of depression in postmenopausal women. Using this method in public health centers for postmenopausal women is recommended.


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