Effect of auricular pellet acupressure on antioxidative systems in high-risk diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
Free radicals and lipid peroxides, both of which are easily formed in the diabetic state, play an important role in the development of diabetic complications. Antioxidative therapy may help prevent diabetic complications caused by lipoperoxidation and free-radical formation in diabetes mellitus (DM). A number of findings suggest that oxidative stress exists in persons with high-risk DM. Auricular pellet acupressure has reportedly been an effective treatment method for a variety of medical conditions, including anxiety, juvenile myopia, essential hypertension, and senile vascular dementia. However, its effects on antioxidative enzymes have not been elucidated. We therefore evaluated the impact of auricular pellet acupressure on antioxidative status in persons with high-risk DM.


METHODS
Our study involved 69 persons with high-risk DM, who were allocated either to undergo acupressure as active treatment for the experimental group or to a control group.


METHODS
The experimental group in the study received auricular pellet acupressure three times daily for 5 consecutive days. After a 2-day rest period, the procedure was performed on the contralateral ear. Acupressure was performed twice on each ear, with each application followed by its application to the contralateral ear, over a total treatment period of 20 days. The control groups did not undergo auricular pellet acupressure.


METHODS
At the end of the 20-day period of treatment of the experimental group, blood was collected from all of the study participants for assay of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase concentrations, as was also done for the control group.


RESULTS
Serum concentrations of SOD (p < 0.05) and catalase (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that auricular pellet acupressure can increase the concentration of antioxidative enzymes in persons with high-risk DM.
Liu
Chi-Feng
CF
National Taipei College of Nursing, Taipei, Pei Tou 112, Taiwan. chifeng@ctcn.edu.tw
Yu
Lee-Fen
LF
Lin
Chia-Hsien
CH
Lin
Song-Chow
SC
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001786:Blood Glucose; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase