Acupressure in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled exploratory trial

Abstract

Background Acupuncture has shown beneficial effects for seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR); however, it is time and cost intensive. We investigated feasibility and effects of self-administered body acupressure as a self-care technique that stimulates acupuncture points with manual pressure in SAR patients. Methods We conducted a two-armed randomized controlled exploratory trial to compare effects of self-administered acupressure over 4 weeks at five acupuncture points plus rescue medication (RM) with cetirizine compared to RM alone in SAR patients. Among other outcome parameters, we assessed disease-related quality of life (Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire [RQLQ]), overall SAR symptoms by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a rescue medication score (RMS) after 4 and 8 weeks. Results Forty-one SAR patients (mean age 38.5 ± 10.0 years, n = 21, 51.2% women) were randomized. Compared to RM alone (n = 21), acupressure plus RM (n = 20) was associated with relevant improvements after 4 weeks, shown by the difference between groups in adjusted means of RQLQ: − 0.9 points (95% CI − 1.6 to − 0.2; p = 0.011) and VAS overall SAR symptoms: − 21.6 mm (95% CI − 36.3 to − 6.8; p = 0.005). The RMS was lower in the acupressure group than in the control group: 1.9 points (95% CI − 3.8 to − 0.1; p = 0.120). Group differences decreased slightly until week 8. The acupressure was feasible and safe. Conclusion Results of this exploratory study indicate that self-applied acupressure is feasible, may improve disease-specific quality of life and reduce disease-related symptoms as well as anti-allergic medication intake in SAR patients. High-quality confirmatory studies including a sham-control group are needed in the future. Trial registration DRKS-ID: DRKS00014310. Date of registration in DRKS: 2018/04/24. Investigator sponsored/initiated trial (IST/IIT): yes. Ethics approval/approval of the ethics committee: Approved (leading) Ethics Committee No. EA1/033/18, Ethik-Kommission der Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin. URL: https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00014310

Allergische Rhinitis und Akupunktur

“…Akupunkturpunkte können jedoch nicht nur genadelt werden. Der Einsatz von Akupressur zeigte in einer Pilotstudie gegenüber der Warteliste erstaunlich gute Effekte, wenn eine Kombination aus Di 4, 11, 20, Gb 20 und Ex 1 über 4 Wochen täglich insgesamt 15 Minuten durch Patient*innen selbst akupressiert wurden 18 .…”

Hydrotherapy and acupressure in restless legs syndrome: A randomized, controlled, 3-armed, explorative clinical trial

“…Self-administered acupressure and hydrotherapy, according to the German non-medical naturopath and priest Sebastian Kneipp, showed little to no side effects. [35,36,[43][44][45] As there is good evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with RLS, and some pilot studies have shown that acupressure and cold applications can reduce RLS-and sleep-related symptoms, we hypothesized that self-administered acupressure and Kneipp hydrotherapy with cold affusions could be a potential therapeutic option for patients with RLS.…”

“…Self-administered acupressure and hydrotherapy, according to the German non-medical naturopath and priest Sebastian Kneipp, showed little to no side effects. [35,36,43–45]…”

Characteristics of Patients Presenting at a University Outpatient Department for Complementary and Integrative Medicine

“…From the beginning, a combination of research, clinical practice, and teaching was endorsed. Therefore, many high-quality randomized controlled trials, such as on acupuncture [11, 12], acupressure [13], and osteopathic medicine [12, 14], were conducted in the OPD. The designated studies investigated treatment options for chronic conditions including chronic musculoskeletal pain and atopic conditions.…”