Manual Auricular Acupuncture Research Articles

Kinetics of cardiovascular function changes elicited by auricular acupuncture in Heart point

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the effect of acupuncture in Heart auricular point on cardiovascular function in healthy subjects. DesignA kinetics cross-sectional experimental study was conducted at Clínica de Acupuntura, Unidad Iztapalapa, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Ciudad de México, México. ParticipantsEight healthy university students (four women) aged 21.12 ± 1.81 (mean ± SD) participated in the present study to investigate the kinetics of the acute effect of acupuncture stimulation at auricular point Heart. InterventionsThe study consisted of one session of manual auricular acupuncture in the Heart point in the right ear. The following data for every heartbeat: Cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were computed. Manual acupuncture was applied at the auricular point Heart. ResultsThis treatment showed an inhibitory effect on CO, HR, SV, and MAP; and stimulatory effect on SVR. Our results showed that acupuncture at the auricular point Heart initially produced a decrease in both HR and SV, therefore in CO; and secondly, a rise of SVR as a compensatory response. ConclusionsData suggest the possibility of vagal stimulation immediately after auricular acupuncture in Heart point with a secondary sympathetic response.

The use of auricular acupuncture in opioid use disorder: A systematic literature review

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease with significant personal, societal, and public health consequences. Even for the minority who receive the most effective evidence-based treatments, morbidity, and mortality remain significant. These facts, along with the recovery movement calling for individualized, holistic, culturally sensitive care, have led to the exploration of adjunctive interventions including acupuncture. Despite hundreds of international trials, however, there is a lack of consensus regarding its efficacy in OUD due in large part to methodological issues of trials to date. In response to these issues, the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) developed an operationalized manual auricular acupuncture protocol that has since become the most widely used in the US. This systematic review is the first to focus explicitly on randomized trials utilizing the NADA protocol as a complementary intervention to address OUD. The methods utilized to identify studies for inclusion are based on a 2009 protocol developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. Four trials met inclusion criteria. Despite methodological issues, results indicate that while the NADA protocol may not be effective in reducing acute opiate craving or withdrawal, it may be effectively utilized as an adjunctive treatment to increase treatment retention and decrease methadone detoxification and maintenance dosages in OUD. Incorporation of the NADA protocol into existing evidence-based treatment approaches may facilitate recovery and, through its impact on treatment retention and completion, indirectly impact morbidity, and mortality in individuals with OUD. Given the limitations of the current review, conclusions are tentative and directions for future research are discussed. (Am J Addict 2016;25:592-602).

Acupuncture-Point Stimulation for Postoperative Pain Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Acupuncture-point stimulation (APS) in postoperative pain control compared with sham/placebo acupuncture or standard treatments (usual care or no treatment). Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that APS interventions improved VAS scores significantly and also reduced total morphine consumption. No serious APS-related adverse effects (AEs) were reported. There is Level I evidence for the effectiveness of body points plaster therapy and Level II evidence for body points electroacupuncture (EA), body points acupressure, body points APS for abdominal surgery patients, auricular points seed embedding, manual auricular acupuncture, and auricular EA. We obtained Level III evidence for body points APS in patients who underwent cardiac surgery and cesarean section and for auricular-point stimulation in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that APS is an effective postoperative pain therapy in surgical patients, although the evidence does support the conclusion that APS can reduce analgesic requirements without AEs. The best level of evidence was not adequate in most subgroups. Some limitations of this study may have affected the results, possibly leading to an overestimation of APS effects.

463 Manual auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to exercise in people with chronic low back pain: A feasibility study

463 Manual auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to exercise in people with chronic low back pain: A feasibility study

Exercise and manual auricular acupuncture: a pilot assessor-blind randomised controlled trial. (The acupuncture and personalised exercise programme (APEP) trial).

BackgroundEvidence supports the use of exercise for chronic low back pain (CLBP); however, adherence is often poor due to ongoing pain. Auricular acupuncture is a form of pain relief involving the stimulation of points on the outer ear corresponding with specific body parts. It may be a useful adjunct to exercise in managing CLBP; however, there is only limited evidence to support its use with this patient group.Methods/DesignThis study was designed to test the feasibility of an assessor-blind randomised controlled trial which assess the effects on clinical outcomes and exercise adherence of adding manual auricular acupuncture to a personalised and supervised exercise programme (PEP) for CLBP. No sample size calculation has been carried out as this study aims to identify CLBP referral rates within the catchment area of the study site. The researchers aim to recruit four cohorts of n = 20 participants to facilitate a power analysis for a future randomised controlled trial. A computer generated random allocation sequence will be prepared centrally and used to allocate participants by cohort to one of the following interventions: 1) six weeks of PEP plus manual auricular acupuncture; 2) six weeks of PEP alone. Both groups will also complete a further six weeks of self-paced exercise with telephone follow-up support. In addition to a baseline and exit questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study, the following outcomes will be collected at baseline, and after 7, 13 and 25 weeks: pain frequency and bothersomeness, back-specific function, objective assessment and recall of physical activity, use of analgesia, perceived self-efficacy, fear avoidance beliefs, and beliefs about the consequences of back pain. Since this is a feasibility study, significance tests will not be presented, and treatment effects will be represented by point estimates and confidence intervals. For each outcome variable, analysis of covariance will be performed on the data, conditioning on the baseline value.DiscussionThe results of this study investigating the adjuvant effects of auricular acupuncture to exercise in managing CLBP will be used to inform the design of a future multi-centre randomised controlled trial.Trial RegistrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN94142364.

Exercise and manual auricular acupuncture: a pilot assessor-blind randomised controlled trial

Exercise and manual auricular acupuncture: a pilot assessor-blind randomised controlled trial

Exercise and manual auricular acupuncture: a pilot assessor-blind randomised controlled trial. (The acupuncture and personalised exercise programme (APEP) Trial)

Exercise and manual auricular acupuncture: a pilot assessor-blind randomised controlled trial. (The acupuncture and personalised exercise programme (APEP) Trial)

The Association Between the DRD2 TaqI A Polymorphism and Smoking Cessation in Response to Acupuncture in Koreans

The response to acupuncture is presumed to differ with the individual; this variation might be due to genetic differences. Therefore, we examined whether the DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism is associated with the response to acupuncture in the treatment of smoking cessation in a Korean population. A total of 231 healthy Korean male smokers participated in this study. The subjects underwent three manual auricular acupuncture treatments in one week. After 1 week, high and low responders to the acupuncture treatment were selected according to their cigarette consumption and the desire to smoke. A DRD2 TaqI A restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) study examined genomic DNA extracted from blood samples. The proportions of high, intermediate, and low responders were 28.6, 55.4, and 16.0%, respectively. The RFLP study showed that the distribution of the DRD2*A genotype and allele frequencies differed significantly between the high and low responders (chi(2) test, p = 0.031 and 0.016, respectively), and that high responders had a higher DRD2*A2 allele frequency than low responders. Our findings suggest that DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism is related to acupuncture response in smoking cessation treatment.

Acupuncture for Neck Pain – Review of Recent Randomised Controlled Trials

Summary A systematic review (White and Ernst) including 14 acupuncture trials did not find available evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in neck pain in 1999. Since the publication of this review nine randomised controlled trials have been published. Three trials used sham laser acupuncture as control, three trials used needle acupuncture at non-classical sites as control, two trials compared acupuncture to standard treatment (physiotherapy, medication) and one trial compared auricular acupuncture with electrical stimulation to conventional manual auricular acupuncture. Detailed analyses of trials show a diversity of study designs regarding inclusion criteria, mode of acupuncture, control groups and outcome measures. The majority of acupuncture trials have included only a limited number of patients, a sample size calculation is rarely performed. Most trials show clinically relevant effects of acupuncture, but results of trials comparing acupuncture at classical sites according to traditional Chinese acupuncture to acupuncture at other sites gave contradictory results. In summary, recent results of trials in chronic neck pain may shift towards to more evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment for chronic neck pain. The evidence of superiority of acupuncture at classical points compared to acupuncture at non-classical points seems to be modest.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PAIN ABSTRACTS: 11 . Anesthesia (11)

In this prospective, randomized, double‐blind, controlled study, the authors tested the hypothesis that auricular electroacupuncture relieves pain more effectively than conventional manual auricular acupuncture. They studied 21 chronic cervical pain patients without radicular symptoms and with insufficient pain relief. All patients were treated with disposable acupuncture needles on the dominant side at the following acupuncture points: cervical spine, shen men, and cushion. In 10 patients, needles were continuously stimulated (2‐mA constant current, 1 Hz monophasic) by using the electrical point stimulation device P‐STIM. In 11 control patients, no electrical stimulation was administered. Acupuncture was performed once a week for 6 weeks. Patients had to complete a questionnaire assessing pain intensity, psychological well‐being, activity, sleep, and demand for rescue medication (lornoxicam and tramadol). The reduction in pain scores was significant in the electrical acupuncture group. Similarly, psychological well‐being, activity, and sleep were significantly improved in patients receiving electrical acupuncture, and consumption of rescue medication was significantly less. These results demonstrate that continuous electrical stimulation of auricular acupuncture points by using the new point stimulation device P‐STIM improves the treatment of chronic cervical pain in an outpatient population. Continuous electrical stimulation of auricular acupuncture points by using the new point stimulation device P‐STIM significantly decreases pain intensity and significantly improves psychological wellness, activity, and sleep in chronic cervical pain patients.

Manual auricular acupuncture is ineffective in alcohol dependence

Focus on Alternative and Complementary TherapiesVolume 7, Issue 3 p. 271-272 Manual auricular acupuncture is ineffective in alcohol dependence First published: 14 June 2010 https://doi.org/10.1211/fact.2002.00331Read the full textAbout ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume7, Issue3September 2002Pages 271-272 RelatedInformation