Association of Auricular Reflective Points and Status of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Matched Case-Control Study

Correlations Between Auricular Tenderness and Symptoms in Korean Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between auricular tenderness and subjective symptoms. A descriptive correlational study design was followed, which was also the second analysis of a randomized controlled trial. This study was performed in the Republic of Korea from September 2013 to February 2017. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Constipation Assessment Scale, and the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale were used. One hundred thirty-three participants displayed ear tenderness, whereas 84 participants did not. Adults with auricular tenderness reported more symptoms, such as sputum, rhinitis, constipation, stress, mood swings, and depressive symptoms compared with adults without (with tenderness: 4.14 ± 2.94, without tenderness: 2.92 ± 2.45; t = 3.32, P = .001). Finally, auricular acupressure points were positively correlated with various symptoms such as sputum, constipation, nicotine addiction, stress, cough, and rhinitis. Auricular palpation could be used to detect a disease at an early stage.

Self-Administered Auricular Acupressure Integrated With a Smartphone App for Weight Reduction: Randomized Feasibility Trial

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a common global health problem and increases the risk of many chronic illnesses. Given the adverse effects of antiobesity agents and bariatric surgeries, the exploration of noninvasive and nonpharmacological complementary methods for weight reduction is warranted.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to determine whether self-administered auricular acupressure (AA) integrated with a smartphone app was more effective than using AA alone or the controls for weight reduction.

METHODS

This study is a 3-arm randomized waitlist-controlled feasibility trial. A total of 59 eligible participants were randomly divided into either group 1 (AA group, n=19), group 2 (AA plus smartphone app, n=19), or group 3 (waitlist control, n=21). A total of 6 reflective zones or acupoints for weight reduction were chosen. The smartphone app could send out daily messages to the subjects to remind them to perform self-pressing on the 6 ear acupoints. A "date picker" of the 8-week treatment course was used to enable the users to input the compliance of pressing and the number of bowel movement daily instead of using the booklet for recordings. The app also served as a reminder for the subjects regarding the dates for returning to the center for acupoint changing and assessments. Treatment was delivered 2 times a week, for 8 weeks. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the interactions among the groups before and after intervention.

RESULTS

Subjects in group 2 expressed that the smartphone app was useful (7.41 out of 10). The most popular features were the daily reminders for performing self-pressing (88%), the ear diagram indicating the locations and functions of the 6 ear points (71%), and ear pressing method demonstrated in the video scripts (47%). Nearly 90% of the participants completed the 8-week intervention, with a high satisfaction toward the overall arrangement (8.37 out of 10). The subjects in group 1 and 2 achieved better therapeutic effects in terms of body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and hip circumference and perceived more fullness before meals than the waitlist controls. Although no significant differences in the pairwise comparisons between the 2 groups were detected (P>.05), the decrease in body weight, BMI, body fat, visceral fat rating and leptin level, and increase in adiponectin level were notable in group 2 before and after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The high compliance rate and high satisfaction toward the trial arrangement indicate that AA can be used to achieve weight reduction and applied in future large-scale studies. AA integrated with the smartphone app has a more notable effect than using AA alone for weight reduction. Larger sample size should be considered in future trials to determine the causal relationship between treatment and effect.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03442712; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03442712 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/78L2tO8Ql).

Comparison of Magnetic Auriculotherapy, Laser Auriculotherapy and Their Combination for Treatment of Insomnia in the Elderly: A Double-Blinded Randomised Trial

Background

Insomnia is common amongst the elderly. With the adverse effects of prolonged use of hypnotics, the exploration of noninvasive and nonpharmacological complementary methods for insomnia is warranted. Auriculotherapy (AT) is a therapeutic approach where specific points on the auricle are stimulated to manage various physiological disorders. The purpose of this study is to determine the desirable treatment modality using AT to improve the sleep conditions of the elderly.

Methods

A three-arm double-blinded randomised trial was conducted on 145 eligible subjects. This study investigated three minimally invasive procedures, namely, laser auriculotherapy (LAT), magneto-auriculotherapy (MAT), and their combination. Seven auricular points were used. Treatment was performed three times a week, for six weeks. Subjects were assessed at baseline, six weeks, and follow-up after six weeks, three months, and six months. Generalised estimating equations were used to evaluate interactions amongst the groups over time based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleep parameters using actigraphic monitoring, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using SF-12, and PHQ-9 for depression status.

Results

The treatment effects of the three procedures were comparable. Significant improvements were found in all of the subjective measures (PSQI, HRQOL, and PHQ-9) for individual groups over time. Improvements in the objective sleep parameters using actigraphic monitoring were detected in subjects who received MAT procedures but not in those who received LAT. The combined MAT and LAT approach did not show any advantage over MAT.

Conclusions

The treatment effects of the three procedures were comparable in subjective parameters but not by objective measures using actigraphic monitoring. Longer therapeutic course and more frequent administration of LAT may be considered in future trials to achieve the optimal treatment effect.

Trial Registration

This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02970695, registered May 2016.

Association between Auricular Signals and the Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome

Objective: This study aims to determine the association between auricular signals and the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: A case-control study with an equal number of cases and controls matched by age group and gender was conducted. A total of 204 participants were recruited. Patients were verified as having MS based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Auricular assessment was conducted in the following sequence: visual inspection, electrical skin resistance test (ESRT), and pressure pain test (PPT). Results: MS+ patients tend to have much more oily auricle complexion than the controls. The ‘endocrine’ (right) of the participants with MS indicated a significantly higher electrical conductivity compared to that of the controls. The MS group participants experienced significant tenderness on the ‘heart’ and ‘endocrine’ acupoints. A number of auricular signals were also associated with the risk factors of MS, including age, gender, smoking status, family history of diabetes, and comorbid illnesses. Both the ‘heart’ and ‘endocrine’ acupoints showed the highest sensitivity to tenderness (60.8%), followed by the ‘endocrine’ (59.8%) and ‘pancreas and gallbladder’ (55.9%). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that electrical conductivity and tenderness of a number of auricular points, including the ‘heart’, ‘pancreas and gall bladder’, and ‘endocrine’, are associated with MS and its risk factors. Further investigations with a larger sample size could be conducted to verify the value of these auricular signals on MS risk prediction so that this method can be used as an early screening method for the population with a high MS risk.