Short term acupressure therapy on weight-reduction in adolescence: A randomized controlled trial

Aim: Common treatment options for obesity include a reduced-calorie diet, increased physical activity, behavioral modification, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. Ear acupressure may also be an effective adjunct therapy. Methods: This study used a randomized controlled design to test the effectiveness of auricular acupressure for weight reduction in young, Taiwanese adults with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m. Sixty-eight participants aged 18 to 20 years were recruited from Taiwanese universities at the beginning of the study. After four weeks of auricular therapy, the total sample included 57 young adults. All participants met one time per week for ten minutes. The treatment group received ear acupressure treatment with Semen Vaccariae sticks on auricular acupoints while the control group had adhesive tape placed on ear acupoints, change in BMI from baseline to trial completion. Results: BMI in controls increased significantly by +0.0133 kg/m (P = 0.000) while the intervention group BMI decreased significantly by −0.8022 kg/m (P ≤ 0.0001). Conclusions: Just four weeks of auricular acupressure by Semen Vaccariae, sticks may significantly help to decrease BMI among young adults.