The Effect of Acupressure on Daytime Sleepiness and Sleep Quality in Hemodialysis Patients

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of acupressure applied to hemodialysis patients on the level of daytime sleepiness and sleep quality. The data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. In the study, a total of 12 sessions of acupressure were applied to the Shenmen (HT7), Sanyingjao (Sp6), and Yungquan (KI1) points in the experimental group for 4 weeks. No intervention was applied to the control group. After the acupressure, it was determined that the sleep quality of the experimental group was better than that of the control group and that daytime sleepiness was less compared with the control group. After the acupressure, it was determined that the sleep latency of the experimental group was statistically significantly less and their total sleep duration was higher compared with the control group (P < .05). Although there was a decrease in the sleep quality of the experimental group 1 month after the cessation of the acupressure, it was determined that the sleep quality of the experimental group was better than that of the control group (P < .05). It was concluded that acupressure was an effective nursing intervention in increasing sleep quality and decreasing daytime sleepiness of hemodialysis patients.

The Effect of Acupressure on Blood Pressure Level and Pulse Rate in Individuals With Essential Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A total of 91 people including 47 in the intervention group and 44 in the placebo group were included to a randomized controlled study. It can be asserted that acupressure, applied to the Neiguan (PC 6) acupuncture point in individuals with essential hypertension, provides blood pressure regulation and is effective for management of numerous hypertension-related symptoms.

Effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 points on the anxiety level of soldiers in the Iranian military

INTRODUCTION

Military service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for relieving anxiety. Acupressure is one of them. Hence, this study was carried out to explore effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 acupressure points on the anxiety level of army soldiers.

METHODS

A randomised double-blind design was undertaken. A total of 120 Iranian army soldiers were randomly assigned to three groups, namely P6, LI4 and control. The P6 and LI4 acupressure points are effective in lowering the anxiety level. In the intervention groups, acupressure was applied at the P6 and LI4 points three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals. In the control group, the thumb pad, which is not an acupressure point, was pressed. The anxiety level of the subjects was measured before the intervention and 30 min after the last intervention. The instruments included a demographics questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the three groups with respect to the anxiety level in the preintervention phase. However, the mean anxiety score in the P6 group decreased significantly from 53.35±9.7 to 49.02±9.3 (p=0.005). The mean anxiety score in the LI4 group also decreased significantly from 53.37±8.39 to 45.47±8.16 (p<0.001). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the preintervention and postintervention phases (p=0.16). In the postintervention phase, the analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the anxiety level (p=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Acupressure can reduce soldiers' anxiety at the acupressure points, especially at the LI4 point. It is recommended that this simple and cost-effective intervention be used to relieve soldiers' anxiety in stressful situations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

20150715023216N4.

The efficacy of acupressure for decreasing agitated behaviour in dementia: a pilot study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate the efficacy of acupressure in decreasing agitated behaviours associated with dementia.

BACKGROUND

Agitated behaviour is found in nearly half of all patients who have dementia. The presence of these behaviours increases the likelihood of injury, weakness, dehydration and lack of sleep and contributes to caregiver frustration and fatigue.

DESIGN

This pilot study was designed with subjects receiving both acupressure and the control treatment. Each subject served as his or her own control. Subjects received four weeks of acupressure protocols; to avoid a carry-over effect there was a treatment-free period of one week. Subjects then were visited by one of the investigators for a six-week period.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from a nursing home caring specifically for patients with dementia. Twenty of the 31 subjects (64.5 %) completed the study, while 11 were discharged or hospitalized. All the subjects were assigned to an experimental protocol and had a six-week acupressure treatment program. Baseline data were collected in the first week. Individual treatment sessions began at the second week of the study and lasted 15 minutes, twice a day, five days a week for four weeks. After a treatment-free period of one week, all the subjects served as controls undergoing a four-week control protocol consisting of companionship and conversation.

RESULTS

Comparison between the control and experimental phases indicated significant differences between the two groups on all outcome measures (Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, daily agitation records about physical attack, verbal and non-verbal attack and non-physical attack) with better results found during the acupressure phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Acupressure is recommended as an efficacious and non-intrusive method for decreasing the agitation behaviours in patients with dementia.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Conducting the acupressure treatment takes 15 minutes. It could provide caregivers with a viable alternative to deal with patients with dementia.

The Effect of Acupressure With Massage on Fatigue and Depression in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Fatigue and depressive mood are the most significant symptoms experienced by patients with end-stage renal disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acupressure with massage in fatigue and depression in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving hemodialysis treatment. The study applied an experimental pretest and posttest design. Sixty-two hemodialysis patients participated in the study. Data were collected from two hemodialysis clinics in major hospitals in southern Taiwan. Following consent to the study, subjects were randomly assigned to an acupressure group or a control group. Patients in the acupressure group received acupoint massage for 12 minutes per day, three days per week, for four weeks. Subjects in the control group only received routine unit care. The measures included the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale, and Beck ' s Depression Inventory. Descriptive statistics, chi 2 tests, t-test and analyses of covariance were used for data analysis. The results indicate that subjects experienced a moderate level of fatigue. Nearly 65 % of hemodialysis patients had a depressed mood. ANCOVA results indicated that fatigue (F((1.54)) = 9.05, p =.004) and depression (F((1.54)) = 4.20, p =.045) among patients in the acupressure group showed significantly greater improvement than patients in the control group. The findings of this study provide an interventional model for nurses taking care of ESRD patients.

The effects of shiatsu: findings from a two-country exploratory study

OBJECTIVES

To provide insight into client and practitioner perceptions of the effects of shiatsu, in the short and longer term, and positive and negative in nature.

DESIGN

A two-country, exploratory study was undertaken in the United Kingdom and Germany. In-depth interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 14 shiatsu practitioners and 15 clients. Client interviews focused on the experience of shiatsu and perceptions of its effects, both positive and negative. Practitioners were also asked about factors that enhanced or inhibited successful treatment. The taped and transcribed data were analyzed using grounded theory, assisted by NVivo (QSR, Markham, Ontario, Canada) software. To enhance generalizability, the findings from the alternative country data set were presented to a further set of practitioners in each country and as a whole to an international meeting of practitioners from seven European countries.

RESULTS

There was similarity in the perspectives of the clients and practitioners and participants from the United Kingdom and Germany. Both described a wide range of common, immediate and longer term effects. These included effects on initial symptoms, relaxation, sleeping, posture, and experiences of the body. A category of transitional effect arose, describing an effect that was not particularly positive and did not last long. Practitioners characterized this as being part of the healing response. Only a few negative effects were described by clients. One mentioned a negative physical reaction and two indicated difficulties coping with emotional reactions. While most practitioners conceived negative effects to be possible, these were more likely to be described as negative reactions.

CONCLUSION

This exploratory study has shed greater light on the effects of shiatsu. The sample findings provide a user and practitioner grounded base for the design of appropriate questions for exploration in a larger and more generalizable study of the effects of shiatsu.

A randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of an acupressure device (relief brief) for managing symptoms of dysmenorrhea

OBJECTIVES

To develop and test the safety and effectiveness of an acupressure garment (the Relief Brief) in decreasing the pain and symptom distress associated with dysmenorrhea.

DESIGN

A randomized clinical trial applied a 2 (Relief Brief use or control group) x 3 (baseline and two treatment measurement occasions) mixed factorial design.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-one (61) women with moderately severe primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to the standard treatment control group or the Relief Brief acupressure device group after one pretreatment menses, with 58 women reporting the effect on their pain during two post-treatment menstrual cycles. The acupressure garment: The Relief Brief is a cotton Lycra panty brief with a fixed number of lower abdominal and lower back latex foam acupads that provide pressure to dysmenorrhea-relieving Chinese acupressure points.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Menstrual pain severity (worst pain and symptom intensity), pain medication use, and adverse effects were analyzed using between-groups and repeated measures analyses of treatment effects. Statistical and clinical significance criteria were applied a priori.

RESULTS

For pain measures and pain medication use, the group main effect, time main effect and group x time interaction were statistically significant. Median pain medication use, the same for both groups at baseline (6 pills per day), dropped to 2 pills per day for the Relief Brief group but remained at 6 pills for the control group at the second treatment cycle. Predicted clinical significance criteria were surpassed: almost all (90%) women wearing the Relief Brief obtained at least a 25% reduction in menstrual pain severity (a 2-3 point drop) compared to only 8% of the control group (z = 6.07; p < 0.05). Relief Brief use was associated with at least a 50% decline in menstrual pain symptom intensity in more than two thirds of the women.

CONCLUSIONS

An acupressure device is an effective and safe nonpharmacologic strategy for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. With design modifications, it could serve as a main treatment modality for women who suffer from primary dysmenorrhea and do not wish to or cannot use the conventional pharmacologic agents. In addition, this acupressure device may serve as an adjuvant therapy to medication in more severe cases of dysmenorrhea.

Acupuncture and Oriental body work: traditional and biomedical concepts in holistic care: history and basic concepts

Acupuncture and related forms of Oriental body work, such as shiatsu and acupressure, have become increasingly part of the complementary and alternative health care in the last twenty years in the United States. Yet most consumers and professionals, nurses included, know little or nothing about the philosophical and diagnostic underpinnings of these forms of treatment. The frameworks underlying these modalities are intrinsically holistic, and provide an interesting model for nurses and others who are looking for different ways to think about data from patient care. Part I of two articles presents descriptions of practices, and an introduction to the history and basic concepts underlying Chinese acupuncture and related forms of Oriental body work.

Acupressure as an adjunct to a pulmonary rehabilitation program

BACKGROUND

Acupressure is a therapy in which gentle pressure is applied with fingers at specific acupoints on the body. It is reported to relieve pain and have other beneficial effects. This study was designed to ascertain the value of self-administered acupressure as an adjunct to a pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) for relief of dyspnea and other symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

METHODS

A single-blind pretest-posttest, cross-over design was used. Thirty-one new patients beginning a 12-week PRP at two private hospitals were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients in group 1 were taught acupressure and practiced it daily at home for 6 weeks, then sham acupressure for the following 6 weeks. In group 2, the order of acupressure and sham acupressure was reversed. During weeks 1, 6, and 12, patient dyspnea, other symptoms associated with COPD, activity tolerance, lung function, and functional exercise capacity were assessed.

RESULTS

Real acupressure was more effective than sham acupressure for reducing dyspnea as measured by a visual analog scale (P = .009, one-tailed), and was minimally effective for relieving decathexis (P = .044, one-tailed). Sham acupressure seemed to be more effective than real acupressure for reducing peripheral sensory symptoms (P = .002, two-tailed), but the presence of these symptoms may also be an indication that the acupressure is affecting the body.

CONCLUSIONS

Acupressure seems to be useful to patients with COPD as an adjunct to a PRP in reducing dyspnea. Some persons who are not initially familiar with traditional Chinese medicine can learn and will accept self-administered acupressure as part of their self-care.