Abstract
BackgroundUncontrolled symptoms of diabetes can lead to irreparable damage to vital organs. Despite the global trend towards the use of complementary alternative therapies, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-acupressure in diabetes patients.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of self-acupressure on FBS and insulin level in type 2 diabetes patients.MethodsThis randomized clinical trial was performed from September 2016 to February 2017. A total of 60 diabetic patients were selected from diabetes clinic in Rafsanjan in Iran, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and then assigned to 2 groups (30 in acupressure and 30 in control) randomly by the minimization method. The intervention group received acupressure at ST-36, LIV-3, KD-3 and SP-6 points bilaterally for five minutes for each point in 10 seconds pressure and 2 seconds rest periods. Subjects in the control group received no intervention. The FBS and insulin levels were measured before and after the intervention for both groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 by the Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, and paired-samples t-test. A level of 0.05 was considered significant for examining the hypotheses.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the acupressure and control group regarding age, sex and level of education. The insulin level significantly increased after treatment in the acupressure group (p=0.001). There were no significant differences between the levels of insulin in study or control groups. Serum FBS level decreased significantly after intervention in the acupressure group compared to the control group (p=0.02).ConclusionSelf-acupressure as a complementary alternative medicine can be a helpful complementary method in reducing FBS and increasing insulin levels in type 2 diabetic patients.Trial registrationThis trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with clinical trial registration number: IRCT2016122131459N1.FundingThis study was financially sported by Deputy of Research and Technology of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (Ref: 20.519).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
