Effect of self-acupressure on fasting blood sugar (FBS) and insulin level in type 2 diabetes patients: a randomized clinical trial
Background: Uncontrolled symptoms of diabetes can lead to irreparable damage to vital organs. Despite the global trend towards the use of complementary alternative therapies, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-acupressure in diabetes patients. Objective: The aim of this study wa...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Electronic Physician
2018-08-01
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Series: | Electronic Physician |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6122868/ |
Summary: | Background: Uncontrolled symptoms of diabetes can lead to irreparable damage to vital organs. Despite the
global trend towards the use of complementary alternative therapies, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness
of self-acupressure in diabetes patients.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of self-acupressure on FBS and insulin level in type
2 diabetes patients.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed from September 2016 to February 2017. A total of 60
diabetic patients were selected from diabetes clinic in Rafsanjan in Iran, according to inclusion and exclusion
criteria and then assigned to 2 groups (30 in acupressure and 30 in control) randomly by the minimization
method. The intervention group received acupressure at ST-36, LIV-3, KD-3 and SP-6 points bilaterally for five
minutes for each point in 10 seconds pressure and 2 seconds rest periods. Subjects in the control group received
no intervention. The FBS and insulin levels were measured before and after the intervention for both groups. The
data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 by the Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, and paired-samples ttest.
A level of 0.05 was considered significant for examining the hypotheses.
Results: There were no significant differences between the acupressure and control group regarding age, sex and
level of education. The insulin level significantly increased after treatment in the acupressure group (p=0.001).
There were no significant differences between the levels of insulin in study or control groups. Serum FBS level
decreased significantly after intervention in the acupressure group compared to the control group (p=0.02).
Conclusion: Self-acupressure as a complementary alternative medicine can be a helpful complementary method
in reducing FBS and increasing insulin levels in type 2 diabetic patients.
Trial registration: This trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with clinical trial
registration number: IRCT2016122131459N1.
Funding: This study was financially sported by Deputy of Research and Technology of Rafsanjan University of
Medical Sciences (Ref: 20.519). |
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ISSN: | 2008-5842 2008-5842 |