Effect of Acupressure on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of acupressure on health-related quality of life in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. This study was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial with a control group. Ninety-six patients with polycystic ovary syndrome from Mofateh gynecological clinic in Yasuj in Iran were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, pressure on the points, Ren3, Ren4, Liv3, Sp6, and Sp10 and in the control group, pressure on sham points were performed for 6 weeks (2 sessions per week). The primary outcome was health-related quality of life, measured by the modified polycystic ovary syndrome health-related quality of life questionnaire (MPCOSQ). The secondary outcomes were total testosterone levels and clinical symptoms in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. The outcome variables were measured before the intervention at week 0 (baseline) and after the intervention at week 18 (12 weeks after the end of intervention). The results indicated that at week 18, the score of clinical symptoms and the total testosterone level of the intervention group were lower than those of the control group. The health-related quality of life score in the intervention group was higher than that in the control group, which was statistically significant (P < 0/05). Therefore, acupressure in these points is recommended as a practical and effective method of treating polycystic ovarian syndrome.

The effect of GB21 acupressure on pain intensity in the first stage of labor in primiparous women: A randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Labor pain is one of the most intensive pains experienced by women; it results in physical, emotional, and physiological changes in women's body. The present study aimed to examine the effect of GB21 acupressure on labor pain. DESIGN: In this randomized clinical trial, 174 primiparous women in their first stage of labor were selected and assigned to three groups: GB21 acupressure group (n = 58), sham group (n = 58), and control group (n = 58). INTERVENTIONS: The acupressure and sham groups received routine labor care and acupressure in three different phases of cervical dilations to 3-5 cm, 6-7 cm, and 8-10 cm. The control group received routine care in labor. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain severity was measured using a pain scale ruler in three cervical dilations before and after intervention. The collected data were analyzed using the ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, paired-t test and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: Pain reduction was significantly higher in GB21 groups compared with sham and control groups (P = 0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between the three groups in terms of delivery outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, GB21 acupressure was effective in pain relief during labor, hence recommended as a practical, effective, inexpensive, and accessible method for labor pain management.

Effect of LI4 and BL32 acupressure on labor pain and delivery outcome in the first stage of labor in primiparous women: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines and compares the effect of LI4 and BL32 acupressure with each other and control group on labor pain and delivery outcomes. DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial, 105 primiparous women in active phase of first-stage of labor were equally assigned to two experimental groups [acupressure on LI4 (n=35) or BL32 (n=35)] and a control group (n=35). INTERVENTIONS: The experimental groups received routine labor care and acupressure in LI4 or BL32 points in three cervical dilatations (4-5, 6-7, and 8-10cm). The control group only received routine labor care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain was assessed by numerical rating scale in three cervical dilatations, before and after intervention. Type of delivery (cesarean, vaginal or operative delivery) and neonatal Apgar score were considered as delivery outcomes, these data collected by a check list. Data were analyzed using Repeated Measurement, ANOVA, Chi-Square, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: Pain reduction was significantly greater in LI4 and BL32 groups compared with control in all periods of study. Also, acupressure on BL32 point was superior to LI4 point in pain relief in the first and second but not third intervention. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of delivery outcomes. CONCLUSION: Acupressure on BL32 and LI4 points are effective in reducing labor pain compared to control group with a slight superiority for BL32 points. Acupressure on these points could apply for relief pain in labor as an inexpensive and easy to administered method.

Effect of Acupressure on Cervical Ripening.

BACKGROUND: Cervical ripening is one of the main stages of initiation labor. Acupressure in Chinese medicine is considered as an invasive technique, which through reliving oxytocin ripens the cervix. Acupoint Sanyinjiao (SP6) was selected in this study because it is the acupoint selected in gynecology and it is easy for women to locate and apply pressure without medical assistance. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of acupressure on cervical ripening. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 150 primigravida with term pregnancy who had referred to Deziani hospital in Gorgan were chosen and divided to three groups: in the first group acupressure was done by the researcher while in the second groups this was performed by the mother her self, and the third group served as a control and only received routine care. For both intervention groups the pressure was applied on Sp6 for about 20 minutes during one to five days. Elements were checked from cervical ripening at 48 and 96 hours after intervention and at the time of hospitalization. The tools for gathering information included demographic characteristics and midwifery history questionnaire, daily records and follow up forms. Content validity was used for validity of tools. Reliability of the observation check-list and physical examination was confirmed by inter-rater scores (inter observer), and daily records by test-re-test. Data was analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-squared tests (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: There was a significant difference between mothers' educations in the three groups. Most of the mothers (59.5%) in the researcher-performed acupressure group had secondary education. Cervical ripening was significantly different between the three groups after 48 hours (P ≤ 0.05), yet there was no significant difference after 96 hours and at the time of admission. Mean Bishop score was enhanced after 48 hours in the researcher-performed acupressure group (P ≤ 0.021) and the self-performed acupressure group (P ≤ 0.007) in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that acupressure is a safe technique and leads to cervical ripening. Thus, regarding the desired results that were achieved when mothers applied acupressure themselves, it could be suggested that it is beneficial for mothers to be trained to apply this method at home.

The effect of acupressure on sanyinjiao and hugo points on labor pain in nulliparous women: a randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Most women have experienced child birth and its pain, which is inevitable. If this pain is not controlled it leads to prolonged labor and injury to the mother and fetus. This study was conducted to identify the effect of acupressure on sanyinjiao and hugo points on delivery pain in nulliparous women. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial on 84 nulliparous women in hospitals of Ardebil, Iran. The participants were divided by randomized blocks of 4 and 6 into two groups. The intervention was in the form of applying pressure at sanyinjiao and hugo points based on different dilatations. The intensity of the pain before and after the intervention was recorded by visual scale of pain assessment. To determine the effect of pressure on the intensity of labor pain, analytical descriptive test was conducted in SPSS (version 13). RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in mean intensity of pain after each intervention in the experimental group with different dilatations (4, 6, 8, and 10 cm). Moreover, the Student's independent t-test results indicated that the mean intensity of pain in the experimental group after the intervention in all four dilatations was significantly lower than the control group. Repeated measures ANOVA test indicated that in both experimental and control groups in four time periods, there was a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Acupressure on sanyinjiao and hugo points decreases the labor pain. Therefore, this method can be used effectively in the labor process.

The effects of acupressure on severity of primary dysmenorrhea.

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea constitutes one of the most frequent disorders in women of a fertile age. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of acupressure at Sanyinjiao (SP6) point and DiJi (SP8) point on pain severity of primary dysmenorrhea and the associated systemic symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this crossover clinical trial, 50 females aged 18-30 years old who met the study criteria and were under the care of Sarpolezahab Health Center were selected. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups and evaluated during three menstrual cycles. We evaluated pain severity using the McGill pain scale and associated systemic symptoms using a verbal multidimensional scoring system. Data acquired from 42 cases were analyzed using SPSS software, with a P value of <0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: The findings of our study indicate that the severity of dysmenorrhea pain diminishes significantly for up to 2 hours following treatment with acupressure at the SP6 and SP8 points (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the severity of associated systemic symptoms reduced significantly after acupressure at the SP6 and SP8 points, except for nausea and vomiting. Comparison of the severity of systemic symptoms with acupressure at the SP6 and SP8 points revealed no significant difference except for severity of fatigue, which was reduced significantly further with SP6 point compared to SP8 point (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Acupressure at the SP6 and SP8 points can reduce pain severity of dysmenorrhea for up to 2 hours after application, and these points may be used to alleviate the severity of systemic symptoms accompanying dysmenorrhea.

A Randomized Clinical Trial of the Efficacy of KID21 Point (Youmen) Acupressure on Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is a common complaint of nearly 50-80% of pregnant women. The problem begins around the 4th weeks of pregnancy and often stays up to the 12th weeks and may continue to the 16th week in a few patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study is to determine the effect of acupressure (on KID21 point) on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single blind clinical trial study was performed on 80 women with nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy. Women were randomly divided to two groups; study group with the acupressure on KID21 point and the placebo group with pressure on sham acupressure for 20 minutes per day in four consecutive days. The intensity of nausea was assessed by visual Analogue scale (VAS) and vomiting frequency was evaluated by counting during these four days. Then the results compared with each other. RESULTS: The intensity of nausea and vomiting between two groups on the fourth day was shown differences (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Acupressure on KID21 point is more effective than sham acupressure in reduction of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

The effect of reflexotherapy on patients' vital signs before coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND: Medical operation is an anxious factor that causes physiological reactions in body which consequently increases respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure. The aim of this study is assessing the effect of reflexotherapy on vital signs of patients before coronary artery bypass surgery in Shahid Chamran hospital of Isfahan. METHODS: Fifty volunteer patients candidated for coronary artery bypass surgery were enrolled in this clinical trial. They were divided in two (control and treatment) groups. Vital signs were measured pre and post 30 minutes reflexotherapy in treatment group. Vital signs were also measured in patients in control group at the same condition of the treatment group, but reflexotherapy was not performed. RESULTS: The mean differences of vital signs was not significant in control and treatment groups at the baseline. But post reflexotherapy intervention, systolic and diastolic blood pressure lowered significantly in the treatment group in comparison with control group (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed for other vital sign. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study shows that reflexotherapy is a safe, effective, cheep nursing intervention in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure of patients before coronary artery bypass surgery.

A randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of applying a simple acupressure protocol to the Taichong point in relieving dysmenorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether applying a simple acupressure protocol to the Taichong point is effective in relieving dysmenorrhea. METHODS: In this single-blind trial 194 students with dysmenorrhea were randomized to receive acupressure 5 days before menstruation for 3 months on either the Taichong or a placebo point. The severity of dysmenorrhea was assessed in the first and last of the 4 study cycles using the Andersch and Milsom scale. The χ(2) test, t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The difference in dysmenorrhea severity between the 2 groups was not significant in the first cycle but it was significant in the fourth cycle (U = 2377.00, P<0.001), and the decrease in dysmenorrhea severity was also significant in the study group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Applying a simple pressure protocol to the Taichong acupoint was an effective and inexpensive way of decreasing the severity of dysmenorrhea.

Comparing the effects of reflexology methods and Ibuprofen administration on dysmenorrhea in female students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain is one of the most common disorders experienced by 50% of women in their reproductive age. Adverse effects of medical treatments and its failure rate of 20-25% have caused many women to seek other complementary and alternative treatment methods for primary dysmenorrhea. Hence, this study aimed to compare and determine the efficacy of reflexology and Ibuprofen on reduction of pain intensity and duration of menstrual pain. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental clinical trial study on 68 students with primary dysmenorrhea living in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences' dormitories. Simple random sampling was done considering the inclusion criteria and then the students were randomly divided into two groups. In the reflexology group, the subjects received 10 reflexology sessions (40 minutes each) in two consecutive mense cycles. The Ibuprofen group received Ibuprofen (400 mg), once every eight hours for 3 days during 3 consecutive mense cycles. To assess the severity of dysmenorrhea, Standard McGill Pain Questionnaire, visual analog scale (VAS) and pain rating index (PRI) were used in this study. RESULTS: Findings of the study showed that the two groups had no statistically significant difference in terms of demographic characteristics (p > 0.05). Reflexology method was associated with more reduction of intensity and duration of menstrual pain in comparison with Ibuprofen therapy. Independent and Paired t-test showed that there was a significant difference in the two groups between intensity and duration of menstrual pain using VAS and PRI in each of the 3 cycles between reflexology and Ibuprofen groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the results of the study, reflexology was superior to Ibuprofen on reducing dysmenorrhea and its treatment effect continued even after discontinuing the intervention in the third cycle. Therefore, considering that reflexology is a non-invasive, easy and cheap technique, it seems that it can replace anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to avoid their adverse side effects.

The effects of massage therapy on dysmenorrhea caused by endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Studying women's quality of life, we come across some harmful effects that factor such as dysmenorrhea caused by endometriosis leaves on their lives, their ability to work, their familial relations, and their self-confidence. Due to the repeated medical follow-ups and the side effects of medical therapies and endometriosis surgeries, many patients tend to use less expensive, nonmedical, and nonaggressive methods. The present study aimed to assess the effects of massage therapy, one of the aforementioned methods on endometriosis caused dysmenorrhea. METHODS: This was a semi-empirical clinical trial. Considering inclusion criteria, 23 patients suffering from endometriosis visited the Infertility Center of Isfahan, who were later confirmed by laparoscopy or laparotomy were picked as the sample through a simple method. The visual analog scale and McGill questionnaires were used once before and twice after the end of intervention for each patient. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the intensity of pain before the intervention started, immediately after, and also six weeks after it (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study and confirmations of other ones, it seems that massage therapy can be a fitting method to reduce the menstrual pain caused by endometriosis.