Effectiveness of Acupressure at the Zusanli (ST-36) Acupoint as a Comfortable Treatment for Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study in Indonesia

Publication date: Available online 16 December 2016 Source:Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Fitrullah, Addison Rousdy Diabetes mellitus is a dangerous disease worldwide. Indonesia has 10 million diabetics and 17.9 million pre-diabetics. Unfortunately, less than half of diabetics are aware of their conditions and less than one percent of those receiving medical treatment achieve their healing targets. Because acupressure is believed to be an effective treatment without the use of drugs, this research investigated acupressure as a comfortable and effective way of treating patients with diabetes mellitus. This pilot study involved 30 participants that were split into two groups: 15 each in the experimental and the control groups. The experimental group underwent acupressure at the Zusanli (ST-36) acupoint for 30 minutes per visit for 11 weeks while the control group continued their normal treatment; both groups had their blood glucose randomly checked weekly. Data were analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equation model; the result showed that the two groups were significantly different (ρ-value = 0.331 > α = 0.05; mean difference = 99.14; benferroni sig. ρ = 0.000 < α = 0.05) and that acupressure at ST-36 was effective in reducing blood sugar. This research showed that acupressure was an effective method for reducing blood glucose and was helpful for reducing complications due to diabetes.
Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research