The Efficacy of Acupressure at the<i>Sanyinjiao</i>Point in the Improvement of Women's General Health

Kashefi, Farzaneh; Khajehei, Marjan; Ashraf, Alireza; Jafari, Peyman

doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0589

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…26 27 Indeed SP6 acupressure has been considered Original paper as a self-management approach to improve women's general health. 28 EA at SP6 has been shown to improve oocyte quality and pregnancy outcome in patients with PCOS, 29 and can generate a significant analgesic effect in primary dysmenorrhoea. 30 Our experimental results also show that acupuncture (at SP6 and ST36) can significantly improve disorders of the ovarian cycle induced by continuous light exposure.…”

Section: Ea Simultaneously Improved Ovarian Cycle and Glucose Metabolismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture Attenuates Hyperglycaemia and Improves Ovarian Function in Female Rats Subjected to Continuous Light Exposure

Kang

et al. 2017

Acupunct Med

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Objective Exposure to unnatural light cycles is increasingly associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on glucose metabolism and ovarian function in female rats subjected to longterm continuous light exposure. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=24) were divided into three experimental groups: an LD group that was maintained under a normal light-dark cycle (healthy control); an LL group that was exposed to continuous light for 21 weeks but remained untreated; and an LL+EA group that received EA at ST36 and SP6 during weeks 17 to 21 of continuous light exposure. Results Oestrous cycles of female rats kept in a continuously lit environment for 21 weeks were disordered and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)-like changes occurred, accompanied by increased fasting blood glucose (6.23±0.33 vs 5.27±0.40 mmol/L in week 17, p=0.015) and reduced fasting levels of serum testosterone (0.07±0.018 vs 0.12±0.058 ng/L, p=0.043) and insulin (0.89±0.20 vs 1.43±0.46 ng/L, p=0.006). After 5 weeks of EA treatment at ST36 and SP6, ovarian cycle disruption was mitigated and blood glucose levels showed a gradual decline (5.18±0.37 vs 5.80±0.55 mmol/L, p=0.017; and 5.73±0.31 vs 6.62±0.13 mmol/L, p=0.004; in the fourth and fifth weeks of EA treatment, respectively). EA also attenuated the reductions otherwise seen in serum insulin and testosterone levels. Conclusion Prolonged exposure to light can lead to a decline in ovarian and pancreatic function. EA at ST36 and SP6 may reduce abnormally elevated blood glucose levels and improve ovarian and pancreatic hormone levels. InTRoduCTIonHuman circadian rhythms are synchronised to light/dark cycles. Over time, organisms have adapted to diurnal variations in their physiology and metabolism. These rhythms are regulated by molecular circadian clocks. However, in recent years, humans have shifted away from the naturally occurring solar light cycle in favour of artificial, irregular light schedules produced by electrical lighting. Disruption of the core clock genes secondary to interference with these environmental considerations may lead to an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease.1 2 Genetic disruption of clock genes in mice induces metabolic dysfunction at distinct phases of the sleep/ wake cycle.3 Constant exposure to light induces alterations in melatonin levels, food intake, visceral adiposity and circadian rhythms in rats. 4 Exposure of adult female rats to continuous light leads to the gradual development of chronic anovulation.5 6 However, it remains unknown how continuous light exposure affects glucose levels in female rats.As contemporary exposure to artificial light environments is unlikely to change, there may be a potential role for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in allowing humans to enjoy the convenience of artificially lit environments, while reducing the potential side effects of light exposure to a minimum. Acupuncture is now widely practised in both East Asian an...

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Section: Ea Simultaneously Improved Ovarian Cycle and Glucose Metabolismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture Attenuates Hyperglycaemia and Improves Ovarian Function in Female Rats Subjected to Continuous Light Exposure

Kang

et al. 2017

Acupunct Med

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“…Acupressure involves the application of pressure on the traditional acupuncture points instead of puncturing the skin, and aims to correct such imbalances. Previous studies have suggested that acupressure is an effective method for reducing stress [8]; anxiety [9]; depressive mood [10] as well as improving general health [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a Four-Week Self-Administered Acupressure Intervention on Perceived Stress over the Past Month

Honda¹,

Tsuda²,

Horiuchi³

2012

OJMP

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The use of relaxation techniques in daily life is an effective means for the self-management of stress. Acupressure is a traditional technique where pressure is applied to acupuncture points instead of puncturing the skin. Self-administered acupressure is a potential method for dealing with stress. The effect of self-administered acupressure on anxiety has been examined but whether it can reduce perceived stress over longer periods is unknown. This study aimed to examine whether a self-administered, four-week acupressure intervention would reduce perceived stress over the past month. Fifteen male and nine female college students (age, 28.9 ± 8.51 yr) majoring in acupuncture and moxibustion medicine were randomly assigned to self-acupressure (AG) and control groups (CG). AG participants were instructed to conduct five sessions of acupressure in the morning, midday, and night. Each session included pressing six acupressure points on the neck (three points on the left and right side each) for five seconds. CG participants were asked to spend their daily life as usual. The outcome was the perceived stress level during the past month, which was assessed using a reliable and valid four-item scale. Perceived stress was measured at baseline, two weeks later, and after intervention. The stress level did not significantly differ between the two groups at baseline. In the AG, the stress level decreased from baseline to two weeks later and remained constant until the end of intervention. The stress level was significantly lower in the AG than in the CG only after intervention. These results provided initial evidence that self-administered acupressure reduces perceived stress over the past month.

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“…Of the 867 articles retrieved, 33 studies [2, 4–35] met the inclusion criteria for the current analysis (Figure 1). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along with the development of evidence-based medicine, international clinical trials on acupuncture have been increasing in number and raising greater controversies on whether or not acupuncture is effective. While the majority of international clinical trial reports on acupuncture have demonstrated that acupuncture therapy is indeed effective, some research has shown that acupuncture therapy benefits patients, but is equivalent to the placebo effect [1], and some people consider acupuncture therapy to be ineffective [2]. Currently, it is widely believed that such a result is a product of the higher-quality methodology for international randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis and Thoughts about the Negative Results of International Clinical Trials on Acupuncture

Liu

Yang

et al. 2015

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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An increasing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture have proved the clinical benefits of acupuncture; however, there are some results that have shown negative results or placebo effects. The paper carried out an in-depth analysis on 33 RCTs in the 2011 SCI database, the quality of the reports was judged according to Jadad scores, and the “Necessary Information Included in Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA 2010)” was taken as the standard to analyze the rationality of the therapeutic principle. The difference between the methodology (Jadad) scores of the two types of research reports did not constitute statistical significance (P > 0.05). The studies with negative results or placebo effects showed the following deficiencies with respect to intervention details: (1) incompletely rational acupoint selection; (2) inconsistent ability of acupuncturists; (3) negligible needling response to needling; (4) acupuncture treatment frequency too low in most studies; and (5) irrational setting of placebo control. Thus, the primary basis for the negative results or placebo effects of international clinical trials on acupuncture is not in the quality of the methodology, but in noncompliance with the essential requirements proposed by acupuncture theory in terms of clinical manipulation details.

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The Efficacy of Acupressure at theSanyinjiaoPoint in the Improvement of Women's General Health

Cited by 16 publications

References 35 publications

Acupuncture Attenuates Hyperglycaemia and Improves Ovarian Function in Female Rats Subjected to Continuous Light Exposure

Acupuncture Attenuates Hyperglycaemia and Improves Ovarian Function in Female Rats Subjected to Continuous Light Exposure

Effect of a Four-Week Self-Administered Acupressure Intervention on Perceived Stress over the Past Month

Analysis and Thoughts about the Negative Results of International Clinical Trials on Acupuncture

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