Effectiveness of Auricular Acupressure for Post-Stroke Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The preliminary findings of this study concluded that auricular acupressure was an effective and safe measure of intervention for the management of post-stroke constipation. We are hoping to see more high-quality studies to validate this result to disseminate the evidence-based practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Auricular acupressure for adverse events following immunization related to COVID-19 vaccine injection: study protocol for a multicenter, three-arm, blinded randomized controlled trial

Background Some pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal adverse events were observed in potential association with injection of COVID-19 vaccines, while there was no preventive intervention for it. We aim to investigate the efficacy of auricular acupressure (AA) therapy in preventing and relieving AEFI after injection of COVID-19 vaccine. Methods The study design is a randomized, multicentre, three-arm controlled, single-blind trial. Participants meeting the inclusion criteria will be advertised and enrolled and assigned in the medical institutions randomly for post-injection observation. No less than 360 participants will be randomized into one of three groups: auricular acupressure group, sham auricular acupressure group, and wait-list group. Interventions will be performed immediately and will happen 4 to 5 times per day for 5 days. The primary clinical outcomes will be quality and quantity evaluation among participants who reported any AEFI and who reported local pain at injection site. Secondary outcomes will concern headache, muscle and (or) joint pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and other potential events. All the outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 days after the injection. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses will be performed, with significance level determined as 5%. Discussion Results of this trial will help to clarify the value of auricular acupressure therapy in preventing and relieving overall and certain adverse events following immunization after injection of COVID-19 vaccine. Trial registration China Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) (ChiCTR2100043210). Registered on 8 February, 2021.

Auricular Acupressure for Adverse Events Following Immunization Related To COVID-19 Vaccine Injection: Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Three-Arm, Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Some pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal adverse reactions were observed in potential association with injection of COVID-19 vaccines. However, there were no preventive intervention for it. We aim to investigate efficacy of auricular acupressure (AA) therapy in preventing and (or) relieving AEFI after injection of COVID-19 vaccine. Methods/design: The study design is a randomized controlled, multicentre, three-arm, single-blind trial. Participants meeting the inclusion criteria will be advertised and enrolled, and assigned randomly in the medical institutions for post-injection observation. No less than 360 participants will be randomized into one of three groups: auricular acupressure group, sham auricular acupressure group and wait-list group. Interventions will be performed immediately, and will happen 4 to 5 times per day for 5 days. The primary clinical outcomes will be quality and quantity evaluation among participants who reported any AEFI and who reported local pain at injection site. Secondary outcomes will concern headache, muscle and (or) joint pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and other potential events. All the outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 days after the injection. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses will be performed, with significance level determined at the 5 % level. Discussion Results of this trial will help clarify the value of auricular acupressure therapy in preventing and (or) relieving overall and certain adverse events following immunization after injection of COVID-19 vaccine. Trial registration: This trial was registered in the China Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) (ChiCTR2100043210) on 8th February, 2021.

Auricular Acupressure Therapy for Patients with Cancer with Sleep Disturbance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim. We aim to provide available synthesized evidence of the efficacy and safety of auricular acupressure for cancer patients with sleep disturbance. Methods. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, and Wanfang Data, and the search date ranged from the inception of the databases to May 2021. Literature screening and data extraction were independently performed by three researchers. The Cochrane collaboration’s tool for assessing the risk of bias was applied to evaluate the risk of bias of the RCTs included. The extracted data were analyzed using Rev-Man 5.4.1 software. Results. Nine trials involving 688 participants met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative analysis; 6 trials involving 485 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Synthesized results showed that auricular acupressure had a significant effect on reducing the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (MD = −3.88, 95% CI (−5.24, −2.53), P < 0.00001 ), and the scores of five PSQI components, sleep latency (MD = −0.53, 95% CI (−0.73, −0.32), P < 0.00001 ), subjective sleep quality (MD = −0.79, 95% CI (−1.05, −0.53), P < 0.00001 ), sleep duration (MD = −0.50, 95% CI (−0.69, −0.31), P < 0.0001 ), daytime dysfunction (MD = −0.53, 95% CI (−0.77, −0.29), P < 0.0001 ), and sleep disturbances (MD = −0.54, 95% CI (−0.60, −0.49), P < 0.00001 ), were also obviously decreased after the intervention of auricular acupressure. Shenmen and heart were the most commonly selected auricular acupoints, the main intervention durations ranged from 10 to 42 days, and the pressing times of auricular acupoints were 1–6 times a day, 1–5 min each time. One trial reported slight and transient pain caused by auricular acupressure, while the remaining 8 trials did not report obvious side effects. Conclusion. Auricular acupressure can significantly improve the sleep quality of cancer patients with sleep disturbance, with no obvious side effects. Rigorously designed clinical trials are necessary for the further support of the clinical application.

Effects of the Combination of Auricular Acupressure and a Fluid-Restriction Adherence Program on Salivary Flow Rate, Xerostomia, Fluid Control, Interdialytic Weight Gain, and Diet-Related Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Adherence to fluid-restriction is a clinical priority in nephrology care. This study examines the effects of a combination of auricular acupressure (AA) and a fluid-restriction adherence program on the salivary flow rate, xerostomia, fluid control, interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), and diet-related quality of life (DQOL) among hemodialysis patients in South Korea. Using a quasi-experimental design, 84 hemodialysis patients were assigned to the experimental group (AA + fluid-restriction adherence program; n = 29), the comparison group (fluid-restriction adherence program; n = 27), and the control group (usual care; n = 28). The program lasted 6 weeks, and data were collected at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 4 months post-intervention. There was a significant interaction between group and time for salivary flow rate, fluid control, IDWG, and DQOL (all p < 0.005). Compared with the control group, the experimental group had a significantly improved salivary flow rate, fluid control, IDWG, and DQOL at weeks 6 and 22, whereas the comparison group had improved fluid control and DQOL at week 6. The combination of AA and a fluid-restriction adherence program could be provided to hemodialysis patients as cost-effective, safe, and complementary interventions to promote sustainable patient adherence to fluid-restriction.

Auricular Acupressure Combined with Self-Help Intervention for Treating Chronic Tinnitus: A Longitudinal Observational Study

Tinnitus is a phantom sound perception in the ears or head and can arise from many different medical disorders. Currently, there is no standard treatment for tinnitus that reliably reduces tinnitus. Individual patients reported that acupressure at various points around the ear can help to reduce tinnitus, which was investigated here. With this longitudinal observational study, we report a systematic evaluation of auricular acupressure on 39 tinnitus sufferers, combined with a self-help smartphone app. The participants were asked to report on tinnitus, stress, mood, neck, and jaw muscle tensions twice a day using an ecological momentary assessment study design for six weeks. On average, 123.6 questionnaires per person were provided and used for statistical analysis. The treatment responses of the participants were heterogeneous. On average, we observed significant negative trends for tinnitus loudness (Cohen’s d effect size: −0.861), tinnitus distress (d = −0.478), stress (d = −0.675), and tensions in the neck muscles (d = −0.356). Comparison with a matched control group revealed significant improvements for tinnitus loudness (p = 0.027) and self-reported stress level (p = 0.003). The positive results of the observational study motivate further research including a randomized clinical trial and long-term assessment of the clinical improvement.

Auricular acupressure for treating early stage of knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, sham-controlled prospective study

Summary Objective We examined whether auricular acupressure (AA) at four specifically preselected AA points can alleviate knee pain and decrease non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) consumption and its adverse effects for osteoarthritis patients. Methods Sixty-two patients (more than 40 years) with knee osteoarthritis of Kellgren–Lawrence grades of I or II upon radiographic classification were enrolled in this randomized, sham-controlled prospective study, and divided into two groups (AA group and control group). The AA group received true AA by embedding vaccaria seeds at four specific AA points (knee joint, shenmen, subcortex and sympathesis) ipsilateral to the knee osteoarthritis site, while the control group received four nonacupuncture points on the auricular helix. Visual analog scale (VAS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score, the number of patients who needed celecoxib pills and adverse effects were recorded. Results VAS and WOMAC scores in the AA group were significantly lower than that in the control group (P &lt; 0.05) at Days 3 and 7 postsugery. The VAS and WOMAC score were significantly decreased after the treatment in the AA group compared with that before the treatment (P &lt; 0.05). The use of celebrex is significantly lower in the AA group than in the control group (P &lt; 0.05), no major side effects were observed during the auricular acupressure treatment. Conclusion Auricular acupressure plays a role in analgesic effect and can effectively decrease NSAIDs requirements without causing adverse events for the treatment of human knee osteoarthritis.

Kinesio Taping vs. Auricular Acupressure for the Personalised Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhoea: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Dysmenorrhoea is the medical term for menstrual pain. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 81% of women of childbearing age are affected by this condition, and it is one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work and school among women. Although there are pharmacological treatments available for menstrual-pain relief, they do not respond to all women’s needs. Therefore, there is a need to study and develop non-pharmacological alternatives to broaden the individualised treatment options for dysmenorrhea. There are scarce studies published on non-pharmacological treatments, such as kinesio tape and auricular acupressure for the relief of menstrual pain, but the scientific evidence available suggest that these techniques may be beneficial in addressing this problem. The objective of this pilot study was to assess and compare the effectiveness of kinesio tape and auricular acupressure to decrease pain and drug intake in women with primary dysmenorrhoea. Methods: This was a double-blind randomized clinical controlled trial. The period of study was from September 2017 to August 2018. Women enrolled in the University of Extremadura and who had primary dysmenorrhoea were randomized to five groups: control (n = 23), kinesio tape (n = 23), placebo kinesio tape (n = 23), auricular acupressure (n = 23) and placebo auricular acupressure (n = 22). Measures were taken during the pretreatment phase (at four menstrual cycles), during the post-intervention phase (at four menstrual cycles) and during the follow-up phase (at the first and third menstrual cycles after the treatment was completed). The primary outcome measures were mean pain intensity, maximum pain intensity, number of painful days and dose of drug intake during menstruation, measured with the Visual Analogue Scale. The secondary outcome measures were the length of the cycle, the length of menstruation, the drug intake and the type of drug. Results: In all, 108 participants completed the study. The statistical analysis (MANOVA, ANOVA, t-paired and McNemar tests) showed that kinesio tape and auricular acupressure have a beneficial effect on pain relief (mean pain intensity, p < 0.001; maximum pain intensity, p < 0.001; number of painful days, p = 0.021; dose of drug intake, p < 0.001). In addition, once the treatments were withdrawn, the auricular-acupressure group maintained lower scores during the first follow-up cycle (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Kinesio tape and auricular acupressure decrease pain and drug intake in women with primary dysmenorrhoea. The changes in the auricular-acupressure group seemed to last longer. The results suggest that these techniques could be used as complementary personalised therapies to the pharmacological treatment and not as a substitution.

Auricular Acupressure Combined with Self-Help Intervention for Treating Chronic Tinnitus: A Longitudinal Observational Study

Tinnitus is a phantom sound perception in the ears or head and can arise from many different medical disorders. Currently, there is no standard treatment for tinnitus that reliably reduces tinnitus. Individual patients reported that acupressure at various points around the ear can help to reduce tinnitus, which was investigated here. With this longitudinal observational study, we report a systematic evaluation of auricular acupressure on 39 tinnitus sufferers, combined with a self-help smartphone app. The participants were asked to report about tinnitus, stress, mood, neck and jaw muscle tensions twice a day using an ecological momentary assessment study design for six weeks. On average, 123.6 questionnaires per person were provided and used for statistical analysis. The treatment responses of the participants were heterogeneous. On average, we ob-served significant negative trends for tinnitus loudness (Cohen&rsquo;s d effect size: -.861), tinnitus dis-tress (d = -.478), stress (d = -.675), and tensions in the neck muscles (d = -.356). Comparison with a matched control group revealed significant improvements for tinnitus loudness (p = .027) and self-reported stress level (p = .003). The positive results of the observational study motivate fur-ther research including a randomized clinical trial and long-term assessment of the clinical im-provement.