Auricular

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• Research Summary

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Executive Summary

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Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Auricular" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Auricular" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Auricular" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2026 in the journal Pain Medicine found that Left-sided ear-based vagus nerve stimulation leads to a reduction in symptom severity in fibromyalgia patients and influences the immune system and neuroplasticity. The experiment was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial format, including 51 women diagnosed as fibromyalgia sufferers. The participants were split into three groups: sham, right-sided auricular vagus nerve stimulation, or left-sided auricular vagus nerve stimulation. Over a period of four weeks, these women partook in weekly sessions and were surveilled for 12 weeks. The intensity of pain was the main outcome measured, along with various secondary outcomes such as psychological symptoms, sleep, functional status, quality of life, and specific circulating biomarkers. Although there wasn't a significant difference in pain intensity between the groups, the left-sided stimulation had a significant and modest reduction in overall symptom severity. The left-sided stimulation also had consistent effects on the immune system, reducing some inflammatory markers and increasing anti-inflammatory and neuroplasticity marker concentrations. However, these clinical pain relief effects were not superior to the control group, showing that this approach might be more useful for its immunity effect and neuroplasticity influence.

A published in 2025 in the journal The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine found that Auricular acupressure may reduce negative psychological indications such as depression and anxiety in women undergoing the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation phase of in vitro fertilization. In this study, infertile women going through in vitro fertilization were enlisted and randomly divided into three separate clusters: a control group, an auricular acupressure treatment group, and a sham acupoint group. The participants were unaware of their respective group allocations. The treatment group was administered auricular acupressure at four specific points namely: Shenmen, Kidney, Endocrine, and Internal genitalia. The sham acupoint set was treated with acupressure at four irrelevant points. The control group was given only the routine in vitro fertilization treatment. The intervention was performed from the first day of hyperstimulation until the day prior to ovum retrieval. The psychological state of the women, measured using the Symptom Checklist 90, found significant increases in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety within the control and sham acupoint groups. The sham acupoint cohort additionally indicated a rise in somatization symptoms after undergoing ovarian hyperstimulation. In contrast, the auricular acupressure group recorded reduced scores for somatization symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive indications, depression, and anxiety after the hyperstimulation process. Importantly, the auricular acupressure correlated with improved success in in vitro fertilization.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2023 in the journal Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies found that Systemic electroacupuncture associated with Nogier frequency improves some aspects of quality of life in fibromyalgia patients, but not pain intensity, diagnostic criteria and heart rate variability. Randomized clinical trial methodology was used in this pilot study in which eighteen volunteers (both control and experimental) participated. The experimental group underwent six twenty minute systemic electroacupuncture sessions coupled with auricular acupuncture twice a week, for six weeks. The intensity of pain, diagnostic criteria of American College of Rheumatology, effect on life by fibromyalgia, and changes in heart rate variability were measured using specific instruments such as the Numerical Pain Assessment Scale, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and HRV analysis. In terms of the results, the primary outcome, i.e., Numeric Pain Assessment Scale showed no significant difference. However, in the secondary outcomes, distinct improvements were noted in the total score and certain domains of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire such as pain and anxiety. Nonetheless, no significant changes were observed for the diagnostic criteria or HRV variables.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2023 in the journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation found that Auricular acupuncture relieved pain and decreased disability more effectively than physiotherapy for frozen shoulder treatment. The research was conducted through a randomized clinical trial involving three parallel groups in an outpatient clinic at a university hospital. The 116 participants, suffering from a frozen shoulder, were randomly allocated to three groups where they underwent treatments of physiotherapy, local acupuncture, or auricular acupuncture. Assessment tools like the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index questionnaire and measures of the shoulder's active and passive ranges of motion were used to evaluate the effects of treatments both before and after their implementation. The results of the study revealed that the most substantial improvements in active and passive ranges of motion including abduction, flexion, and passive external rotation were brought about by physiotherapy. Despite this, instances of pain reduction were more successfully achieved with acupuncture treatments, with auricular acupuncture leading the pack. In addition to this, auricular acupuncture made significant strides in improving the functional abilities of patients when compared to its counterpart treatments. Throughout the study, there were no reported side effects from any of the treatment approaches used.

A Systematic Review published in 2022 in the journal Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience found that Meta-analysis of TCM non-drug treatments like acupuncture and massage improved primary insomnia, reducing PSQI scores, and easing anxiety and depression. The effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) non-drug therapies (acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, and auricular point pressing) were evaluated in treating primary insomnia. Results showed that TCM non-drug therapies significantly improved the PSQI score in insomnia patients, with a higher effective rate compared to the control groups. These therapies also demonstrated improvements in anxiety and depression.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2022 in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that Auricular acupuncture was found to improve physical and emotional aspects in patients with temporomandibular disorders, with similar results to occlusal splint treatment. In the study, patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders were allocated into three groups - those who received auricular acupuncture (AA), those treated with occlusal splints (OS), and a sham group. The patients were evaluated and monitored over an eight-week period using axes I and II of the RDC-TMD according to CONSORT guidelines. The findings revealed significant improvements in both the emotional aspects and physical aspects amidst the auricular acupuncture group and occlusal splint group. The sham group showed no improvements in the emotional aspect and only a few in the physical aspect. The comparison between the auricular acupuncture group and the occlusal splint group revealed similar number of variables with improved outcomes, indicating that the auricular acupuncture treatment was as effective as the occlusal splint treatment. On the other hand, the sham group presented a significant difference when compared to the other groups. These results strongly suggest the potential of auricular acupuncture as a treatment option for temporomandibular disorders.

A Systematic Review published in 2022 in the journal Sleep Medicine found that Multiple acupuncture therapies, particularly acupoints catgut embedding, auricular acupressure + manual acupuncture, and electroacupuncture + acupoint application, significantly improve insomnia symptoms. In this research, a systematic literature search was conducted to extract data from 57 randomized controlled trials involving 4678 patients who underwent various acupuncture therapies for primary insomnia. The researchers independently screened the literature and performed a risk of bias assessment. Data from the trials were analyzed using R and Stata software, followed by an evidence assessment using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. Results showed that various acupuncture therapies, particularly acupoints catgut embedding, auricular acupressure or auricular acupuncture plus manual acupuncture, and electroacupuncture plus acupoint application, showed better effectiveness in improving insomnia, compared to the usual treatments. However, differences between the therapies were considered small or insignificant. The most common minor adverse events reported were hematoma, pain, headache, and bleeding.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2021 in the journal Journal of Trauma Nursing found that Auricular acupressure may be a safe and effective technique for reducing burnout and secondary traumatic stress in healthcare workers. In this prospective randomized trial with an open, parallel-group design, participants were randomized to receive one of three interventions: auricular acupuncture, auricular seed acupressure, or auricular massage. Interventions took place over a period of 3 weeks at a 334-bed Level II pediatric trauma center. Using a pre-/posttest design, the researchers analyzed self-reported scores from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Professional Quality of Life scale, and the Caring Ability Inventory. The study found that auricular seed acupressure was associated with a reduction in burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Importantly, this effect remained even after adjusting for individual pretest scores. Attempts at achieving significant effects on anxiety levels, professional quality of life, and caring ability, however, did not yield any significant improvement. Overall, the data suggest that auricular acupressure is a very effective strategy for reducing work-related stress among health care staff.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Integrative Medicine Research found that The effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when acupuncture treatment is combined with lifestyle management in patients with overweight. We found 27 trials involving 32 intervention arms and 2,219 patients. Acupuncture plus lifestyle modification (LM) was more effective than LM alone and sham acupuncture plus LM, whereas acupuncture alone was not more effective than sham acupuncture alone and no treatment. Auricular acupuncture, manual acupuncture and pharmacopuncture favoured weight loss. Finally, acupuncture treatment was effective only in subjects with overweight, not in subjects with obesity (body mass index ≥30). Our study suggests that the effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture or pharmacopuncture treatment is combined with LM in patients with overweight.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal European Journal of Integrative Medicine found that Auricular acupressure combined with acupuncture showed the highest effectiveness in reducing post-hemorrhoidectomy pain. A systematic review and network meta-analysis was used to identify the comparative efficiency of various acupuncture-related techniques for pain relief following hemorrhoidectomy. Searches were conducted across several databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library Chinese biomedical database, and China journal full-text database, from January 1, 1996, to February 1, 2020. The search targeted randomized controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture and related techniques. The Cochrane risk of bias instrument and GRADE were used to determine the quality of the included trials, and the data were processed using a random-effects model. The study analyzed 107 randomized controlled trials, assessing the relative effectiveness of 40 treatments technique and 48 randomized controlled trials were used to analyze a responder rate. The results showed that Auricular acupressure plus acupuncture, acupuncture, other acupuncture techniques and auricular acupressure were significantly more effective than usual care. Furthermore, auricular acupressure plus acupuncture emerged as the most effective treatment. An additional round of analysis that focused on pain intensity was carried out, using 72 of the original randomized controlled trials. This study found that offering eight treatments had a higher effectiveness compared to usual care, with auricular acupressure plus acupuncture emerging as the most potent relief method.

A Systematic Review published in 2018 in the journal Obesity Reviews found that Unlike herbal medicine and lifestyle modification, acupuncture treatment may be more effective in patients with overweight than in patients with obesity. This systematic review and meta-analysis involving 32 intervention arms and 2,219 patients suggests that the effect of acupuncture on obesity may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture, pharmacopuncture or catgut embedding treatments is combined with lifestyle modification. Acupuncture treatment alone may be not effective on weight loss. Unlike herbal medicine and lifestyle modification, acupuncture treatment may be more effective in patients with overweight than in patients with obesity. Further studies are required to overcome the limitations of small number of RCTs, short-term effect and low methodological quality.

A Systematic Review published in 2018 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Acupuncture has similar efficacy compared to pharmacotherapies for acne vulgaris, however acupuncture interventions reported less adverse effects and may be a treatment option. There was no statistical difference in the efficacy of acupuncture compared to pharmacotherapies for acne vulgaris; however acupuncture interventions reported less adverse effects. Poor methodological quality of trial design and lack of consistent reporting of outcome measures from some trials were found in this review; therefore results should be interpreted with caution. Future trials should include rigorous methodological design and reporting should follow standard reporting conventions such as CONSORT and STRICTA. Quality of life measures and further understanding of the mechanisms of acupuncture on acne should also be considered for future studies.

A Systematic Review published in 2011 in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that Acupuncture shows potential for reducing dysmenorrhoea scores in endometriosis patients. Endometriosis is a prevalent gynaecological condition that significantly affects women's lives, often leading to chronic pelvic pain and dysmenorrhoea. However, the current management of pain in endometriosis is inadequate. Acupuncture has been studied in gynaecological disorders, but its effectiveness for pain in endometriosis remains uncertain. Researchers conducted a systematic review to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for pain in endometriosis. Out of twenty-four identified studies on acupuncture for endometriosis, only one trial met the inclusion criteria. The study showed that acupuncture, particularly auricular acupuncture, may reduce dysmenorrhoea scores and be more effective than Chinese herbal medicine. However, due to the limited evidence from only one study, more well-designed, double-blinded, randomized controlled trials comparing various types of acupuncture with conventional therapies are needed to draw stronger conclusions about acupuncture's efficacy in managing pain in endometriosis.

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