Efficacy of auricular acupressure combined with transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for weight reduction in obese women

Abstract

Background: Obesity leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) and auricular acupressure (AA) are alternative treatments for weight reduction, however, there is no study of the combined treatments. Objective: To determine the efficacy of the combined treatment of TEAS and AA, compared with AA alone. Material and Method: A prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted in 40 obese women, aged 21-60 years, 20 were randomly assigned to receive either TEAS+AA or AA for 8 weeks. TEAS was performed using electrodes attached to the 10 acupuncture points and were electrically stimulated with 0.2 ms pulses, at 40 Hz for 30 minutes per session. AA was performed using magnetic pellets attached to 3 auricular acupoints on each side. Self-pressure on the magnetic pellets 10 times per session, 3 sessions a day was assigned. Anthropometric parameters were obtained at the beginning and the end of the present study. Results: Sixteen in the TEAS+AA and 13 in the AA group completed the present study. Weight and BMI were significantly decreased in TEAS+AA group compared to the AA group (1.91 vs. 0.42 kg and 0.76 vs. 0.18 kg/m2, respectively). After adjustment of the covariance, the treatment protocol was the only variance which had significant effect for weight reduction (F = 4.62; p = 0.04). Conclusion: The combined treatment of AA and TEAS achieved higher weight reduction than the single treatment of AA in obese women during an 8 week period.