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Trials Jun 2021Nowadays, because of the increasing incidence, the prevention and control of myopia has become an urgent issue. In China, auricular acupressure has been commonly used in...
BACKGROUND
Nowadays, because of the increasing incidence, the prevention and control of myopia has become an urgent issue. In China, auricular acupressure has been commonly used in the clinical treatment of myopia in children, but the exact effectiveness remains unproven. The purpose of this trial is to observe the efficacy of auricular acupressure in myopia prevention and control, as well as its effect on the choroidal and retinal thickness.
METHOD/DESIGN
A total of 480 subjects at 8-9 years old will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention group versus a control group. The intervention group will receive auricular acupressure for 12 months, while the control group will be taken as a blank control. The primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at baseline, and again at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after recruitment. The myopia incidence (spherical equivalent ≤ - 0.50 D) and the mean change of spherical equivalent will be taken as the primary variables; the secondary outcome measures include axial length, uncorrected visual acuity, and choroidal and retinal thickness.
DISCUSSION
This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of auricular acupressure for myopia prevention and control with objective evidence and to preliminarily explore the plausible mechanism and provide reference for adopting this approach to retard the onset and control the progression of myopia.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000038456 . Registered on September 23, 2020.
Topics: Acupressure; Child; China; Choroid; Humans; Myopia; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Retina
PubMed: 34099018
DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05334-1 -
Contraception May 2021To measure pain during first trimester medication abortion using auricular acupressure or auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to pain management. We measured anxiety as... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVES
To measure pain during first trimester medication abortion using auricular acupressure or auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to pain management. We measured anxiety as a secondary outcome.
STUDY DESIGN
This randomized, double-blinded, 3-arm trial enrolled women seeking medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol. Participants received auricular acupressure, auricular acupuncture, or inert auricular placebo patches immediately after receiving mifepristone. In addition, all participants received ibuprofen to use at home as needed. The study started with 1:1:1 randomization, but later overenrolled into the acupressure group after retraining for greater fidelity to that intervention. Participants reported pain and anxiety using numeric rating scales via text message for 4 days, and using a visual analog scale at follow-up. Analyses compared median pain scores of those receiving acupressure, acupuncture, or placebo.
RESULTS
We randomized 136 participants of whom 57 received acupressure, 40 received acupuncture, and 39 received placebo. Groups had similar baseline characteristics. One hundred thirty-two participants (97%) reported outcomes by text message and 120 (88%) completed a follow-up interview. For acupressure, acupuncture and placebo groups the median maximum pain scores reported via text message were 60.0, 75.0, and 55.0 (p = 0.38); median maximum pain scores reported at follow-up were 76.5, 60.0, and 71.0 (p = 0.97), respectively. Acupressure results were similar before and after retraining. Maximum anxiety scores reported via text message were 10.0, 45.0, and 30.0 (p = 0.57). Maximum anxiety scores reported at follow-up were 10.5, 20.0, and 13.0 (p = 0.59).
CONCLUSIONS
Pain and anxiety during medication abortion were similar among women receiving acupressure, acupuncture or placebo.
IMPLICATIONS
We found no benefit in administering auricular acupressure or auricular acupuncture during medication abortion. These modalities are intended to be simple to use, but perhaps the brief provider training for this study was insufficient. These modalities should not be used in clinical practice without further study.
Topics: Acupressure; Acupuncture, Ear; Female; Humans; Pain; Pain Management; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First
PubMed: 33340496
DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2020.12.003 -
Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing Jun 2023Both acupuncture and acupressure have been suggested beneficial for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. While acupuncture is invasive involving needle... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Both acupuncture and acupressure have been suggested beneficial for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. While acupuncture is invasive involving needle insertion, acupressure is noninvasive. Their comparative effectiveness is unclear, hindering clinical recommendations.
AIMS
This study aimed to explore the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture and acupressure on sleep in cancer patients.
METHODS
This is a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. Eight key English and Chinese databases were searched. Twenty-four randomized controlled trials involving 2002 cancer patients comparing the effects of six treatments (manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupressure, sham, enhanced usual care, and no treatment) on sleep were found.
RESULTS
Compared with enhanced supportive care, acupressure demonstrated the largest effect size for reducing self-reported sleep disturbance (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -2.67, 95% CrI: -3.46 to -1.90; GRADE = moderate), followed by acupuncture (SMD = -1.87, 95% CrI: -2.94 to -0.81, GRADE = moderate) and electroacupuncture (SMD = -1.60, 95% CrI: -3 to -0.21; GRADE = low). The surface under the cumulative ranking curve indicates that acupressure is most likely to rank highest.
LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION
Based on available evidence, acupressure can be recommended as the optimal treatment for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. More rigorous trials are warranted to confirm whether different forms of acupuncture or acupressure have different effects on sleep in cancer patients. Particularly, studies examining acupuncture interventions alone instead of in combination with other therapies are needed.
Topics: Humans; Acupressure; Acupuncture Therapy; Bayes Theorem; Neoplasms; Network Meta-Analysis; Sleep
PubMed: 36541042
DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12617 -
BMJ Military Health Jun 2021Military service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for...
INTRODUCTION
Military service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for relieving anxiety. Acupressure is one of them. Hence, this study was carried out to explore effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 acupressure points on the anxiety level of army soldiers.
METHODS
A randomised double-blind design was undertaken. A total of 120 Iranian army soldiers were randomly assigned to three groups, namely P6, LI4 and control. The P6 and LI4 acupressure points are effective in lowering the anxiety level. In the intervention groups, acupressure was applied at the P6 and LI4 points three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals. In the control group, the thumb pad, which is not an acupressure point, was pressed. The anxiety level of the subjects was measured before the intervention and 30 min after the last intervention. The instruments included a demographics questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
RESULTS
There was no significant difference between the three groups with respect to the anxiety level in the preintervention phase. However, the mean anxiety score in the P6 group decreased significantly from 53.35±9.7 to 49.02±9.3 (p=0.005). The mean anxiety score in the LI4 group also decreased significantly from 53.37±8.39 to 45.47±8.16 (p<0.001). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the preintervention and postintervention phases (p=0.16). In the postintervention phase, the analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the anxiety level (p=0.04).
CONCLUSIONS
Acupressure can reduce soldiers' anxiety at the acupressure points, especially at the LI4 point. It is recommended that this simple and cost-effective intervention be used to relieve soldiers' anxiety in stressful situations.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
20150715023216N4.
Topics: Acupressure; Acupuncture Points; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Anxiety; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Iran; Male; Middle Aged; Military Personnel
PubMed: 32015185
DOI: 10.1136/jramc-2019-001332 -
Journal of Applied Gerontology : the... Oct 2020Acupressure is noninvasive, safe, and appropriate for use among older adults. However, there remains little evidence of the common elements that contribute to the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Acupressure is noninvasive, safe, and appropriate for use among older adults. However, there remains little evidence of the common elements that contribute to the effectiveness of acupressure in promoting the health of older adults. A systematic review using meta-analysis was designed to examine the effects of acupressure on the health promotion in older adults. Studies published between 2012 and 2017 were searched for in 11 electronic databases. Acupressure was highly effective for improving sleep quality and cognitive functioning (0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.49, 1.22]; 1.23, 95% CI = [0.88, 1.59]). A slight to moderate effect was found in alleviating constipation (0.37, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.71]), and a moderate effect was found for alleviating pain and improving quality of life (0.71, 95% CI = [0.09, 1.32]; 0.59 95% CI = [0.36, 0.82]).
Topics: Acupressure; Aged; Health Promotion; Humans; Quality of Life
PubMed: 31426687
DOI: 10.1177/0733464819870027 -
Pain Management Nursing : Official... Jun 2021This systematic review aimed to summarize and provide an update on clinical studies investigating the effects of auricular point acupressure (APA) on pain relief, in...
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review aimed to summarize and provide an update on clinical studies investigating the effects of auricular point acupressure (APA) on pain relief, in addition to the APA methods of delivery and operation.
DESIGN
A systematic review.
DATA SOURCES
A systematic review on literatures published on five English (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and Cochrane databases) and four major Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Data, Chinese Scientific Journals Database [VIP], and SinoMed) was conducted.
METHOD
We screened nine electronic databases from the time of their respective establishment until December 20, 2019. Randomized controlled trials and studies that defined an APA intervention measure and evaluated pain intensity were considered. We individually categorized and analyzed 46 studies considering the following: (1) acute or chronic pain and (2) whether the outcomes positively or negatively support the effectiveness of APA on pain intensity. We also summarized the methods of delivery used (including the acupoint selection, stimulator selection, method of taping seeds on the ears, frequency of replacing seeds, suitability of acupressure intensity, acupressure frequency, and pressing time) and APA operator.
RESULTS
Regardless of pain intensity, APA effectively treated most acute pain when combined with other interventions. Although it was used alone to treat low back pain and dysmenorrhea, other chronic diseases typically underwent a combination of APA with other interventions. The 43 positive studies revealed that acute pain required shorter APA intervention periods than chronic pain. Corresponding acupoints and nervous system acupoints were chosen. Vaccaria seeds, the single-ear method (including the alternate-ear method), and daily seed replacement were commonly adopted. Deqi was considered an effective signal for appropriate acupressure intensity. Additionally, the patients could effectively apply acupressure.
CONCLUSION
This systematic review revealed important trends in APA treatments, which could be essential in determining treatment efficacy.
Topics: Acupressure; Acupuncture Points; Chronic Pain; Ear Auricle; Humans; Pain Management
PubMed: 32950391
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2020.07.007 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... Feb 2024Labor pain is considered one of the most well-known types of severe pain. For this reason, non-pharmacological methods employed for managing labor pain are necessary to... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
CONTEXT
Labor pain is considered one of the most well-known types of severe pain. For this reason, non-pharmacological methods employed for managing labor pain are necessary to help pregnant women cope with labor pain and increase their childbirth comfort.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cold and warm acupressure applied to the LI4 acupressure point on childbirth comfort in primiparous women during labor.
DESIGN
This study was designed as a randomized controlled experimental trial.
SETTING
The study was conducted between August 2020 and March 2021 at 2 hospitals in northern Turkey offering similar maternity services.
PARTICIPANTS
The sample consisted of 129 healthy pregnant women: 44 in the warm acupressure group, 44 in the cold acupressure group and 41 in the control group.
INTERVENTION
Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The researcher applied cold or warm acupressure pouches, respectively, on the women in the 2 experimental groups on the LI4 acupressure point for 10 minutes during the active and transition phases of labor. The application was suspended for 1 hour, and then repeated 3 more times. No acupressure was administered in the control group.
OUTCOME MEASURES
The Personal Information Form (PIF), Labor Monitoring Form (LMF), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Childbirth Comfort Questionnaire (CCQ) were used to gather study data.
RESULTS
There was a statistically significant difference between both the intergroup and intra-group pain scores in the experimental and control groups (P < .05) and childbirth comfort scores in the experimental and control groups in terms of groups and timing (P < .05).
CONCLUSION
In this study, both warm and cold acupressure were found to alleviate labor pain. The warm acupressure, in particular, had a more positive effect on childbirth comfort. Thus, warm and cold acupressure can be recommended to relieve labor pain and increase childbirth comfort.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Acupressure; Labor Pain; Labor, Obstetric; Pain Management; Pain Measurement
PubMed: 38430172
DOI: No ID Found -
Complementary Therapies in Clinical... May 2017Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems in adults. The impact of LBP on the individual can cause loss of health status and function related to pain... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The effectiveness of acupuncture, acupressure and chiropractic interventions on treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems in adults. The impact of LBP on the individual can cause loss of health status and function related to pain in the back. To reduce the impact of LBP on adults, drug therapy is the most frequently recommended intervention. But over the last decade, a substantial number of randomized clinical trials of non-pharmacological intervention for LBP have been published.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture, acupressure and chiropractic (non-pharmacological) interventions on the treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain in Iran.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was completed without date restrictions up to May 2013 in five major databases (Medline, CINAHL, Science Direct, CAJ Full-text Database, and Cochrane databases). Only randomized controlled trials published in Persian (Farsi) or English languages were included. Two independent reviewers extracted the data. The quality of the papers was assessed using the Cochrane Back Review Risk of Bias criteria.
RESULTS
Initial searches revealed 415 papers, 382 of which were excluded on the basis of abstract alone. After excluding 23 papers due to duplication, the remaining 10 trial papers were subjected to a more detailed analysis of the full text, which resulted in three being excluded. The seven remaining trials had a lack of methodological and clinical homogeneity, precluding a meta-analysis. The trials used different comparators with regards to the primary outcomes, the number of treatments, the duration of treatment and the duration of follow-up.
CONCLUSION
This systematic review demonstrates that acupuncture, acupressure and chiropractic may have a favorable effect on self-reported pain and functional limitations on NSCLBP. However, the results should be interpreted in the context of the limitations identified, particularly in relation to the heterogeneity in the study characteristics and the low methodological quality in many of the included studies.
Topics: Acupressure; Acupuncture Therapy; Adolescent; Adult; Chronic Pain; Female; Humans; Iran; Low Back Pain; Male; Manipulation, Chiropractic; Middle Aged; Young Adult
PubMed: 28438274
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.11.012 -
Contraception May 2021To measure pain and anxiety during first trimester uterine aspiration when using auricular acupressure or acupuncture as an adjunct to usual care. (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Auricular acupressure and auricular acupuncture as an adjunct for pain management during first trimester aspiration abortion: A randomized, double-blinded, three-arm trial.
OBJECTIVES
To measure pain and anxiety during first trimester uterine aspiration when using auricular acupressure or acupuncture as an adjunct to usual care.
METHODS
This randomized, double-blinded, three-arm trial enrolled patients undergoing an aspiration procedure for an induced abortion, a miscarriage, or other abnormal intrauterine pregnancy. Trial participants received auricular acupressure, auricular acupuncture, or placebo immediately prior to their procedures. The study began with 1:1:1 randomization, but later overenrolled into the acupressure group after providing retraining for greater fidelity to that intervention. All participants received ibuprofen and a paracervical block. Participants reported pain and anxiety levels via visual analog scores (0-100). Our analysis compared pain scores of those receiving acupressure versus placebo, and those receiving acupuncture versus placebo.
RESULTS
We randomized 177 participants over nine months and excluded data from four participants. We analyzed data from 70 participants who received acupressure, 51 who received acupuncture, and 52 who received placebo. The groups had similar baseline characteristics, including baseline pain and anxiety scores. For acupressure, acupuncture, and placebo groups, respectively, immediate post-procedure median pain scores were 50, 55, 47.5 (p = 0.88); maximum pain scores during the procedure were 77, 79, 79.5 (p = 0.96); postprocedure anxiety scores were 26, 28, and 21 (p = 0.47). The acupressure group results were similar before and after retraining.
CONCLUSIONS
Receiving auricular acupressure or acupuncture did not result in lower pain or anxiety scores among women undergoing vacuum aspiration compared to a placebo group.
IMPLICATIONS
The results of this trial were null, thus differing from our previous study that had shown a benefit from auricular acupuncture. Given the conflicting results, incorporating these acupuncture techniques into abortion practice would be premature.
Topics: Acupressure; Acupuncture, Ear; Female; Humans; Pain Management; Pain, Procedural; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First
PubMed: 33607119
DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.02.005 -
Acupuncture in Medicine : Journal of... Oct 2015To evaluate the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quantify the effects of acupressure on anxiety among adults. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quantify the effects of acupressure on anxiety among adults.
METHODOLOGY
RCTs published between January 1997 and February 2014, comparing acupressure with sham control, were identified from the databases Science Citation Index/Social Sciences Citation Index, Scopus, PubMed and PsycINFO. Meta-analysis of eligible studies was performed and the magnitude of the overall effect size was calculated for the anxiety outcome. Revised STRICTA (the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture) criteria were used to appraise the acupressure procedures, and the Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.
RESULTS
Of 39 potentially relevant studies, seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria for review while five studies met the criteria for meta-analysis. All studies reported the positive effect of acupressure on relieving anxiety from the anticipation of surgery or treatment. EX-HN3 (Yintang), HT7 (Shenmen) were the commonest points selected and two studies used bilateral points. The acupressure procedure was generally well reported and studies had a low risk of bias. The combined results of the five trials showed a greater overall reduction in anxiety in the acupressure group than in the sham controls (standardised mean differences (SMD)=-1.11; 95% CI -1.61 to -0.61; p<0.0001 heterogeneity: I(2)=75%; χ(2)=16.17; p=0.003; r=0.485).
CONCLUSIONS
Acupressure seems to be effective in providing immediate relief of pretreatment anxiety among adults, and has a medium effect size. However, conflicting results were found for the improvements on physiological indicators. More rigorous reporting, including allocation concealment procedure, is needed to strengthen the results.
Topics: Acupressure; Adult; Anxiety; Humans
PubMed: 26002571
DOI: 10.1136/acupmed-2014-010720