Auricular acupuncture can help shed pounds, indicates in the
first prospective, randomized, double-blinded study published recently in
journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
Auricular acupuncture is based on the understanding that entire body is represented on the outer portion of the ear. It was first developed in 1957 by French neurologist Paul Nogier who noticed that a patient’s back pain was cured after being sustained a burn on the ear. Although ear map was later developed according to the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Paul Nogier is still regarded as “Father of Auricular acupuncture” in China.
Austrian researchers investigated whether auricular
acupuncture combined with moderate diet recommendations based on TCM can
produce body weight reduction in female patients compared with placebo
treatment. It is the first study using P-Stim® auricular electroacupuncture
device in obese study. Three auricular acupoints (hunger 18, stomach 87 and
colon 91) were selected. The treatment was performed once a week for 6 weeks. Body
Mass Index (BMI) and body fat were measured at the beginning and at the end of
the treatment. The results showed that auricular acupuncture produced
significant reduction in body weight in treatment group (n=28, -3.73%) compared
with placebo group (n=28, -0.70%). A significant reduction in BMI was observed
in auricular acupuncture group (-3.62%) compared to placebo group (-0.82%). No adverse
effect was reported. A follow-up 4 weeks after treatment showed a sustained
reduction in all parameters. The authors
conclude that auricular acupuncture is a safe, effective therapy in obesity.
Reference:
Schukro RP et al., The effects of auricular
electroacupuncture on obesity in female patients--a prospective randomized
placebo-controlled pilot study. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Feb;22(1):21-5. doi:
10.1016/j.ctim.2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24559812
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