Thats the finding from a pilot research study published last month in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Author is Rachel E. Borlack, medical assistant professor of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo and a physician with UBMD Pediatrics.
The present study is the first to examine in kids with FAPD auriculotherapy, an acupressure treatment including stimulation of particular pressure points in the ear that correlate with specific signs and disorders throughout the body.
Borlack conducted the study through the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in her previous appointment as a gastroenterology fellow at Columbia Universitys College of Physicians and Surgeons.
” FAPD is a group of conditions triggered by dysfunction of the brain gut axis, consisting of neurotransmitters, hormone signaling and the microbiome, which causes persistent abdominal pain,” stated Borlack. There is no laboratory test for FAPD, so it is diagnosed clinically.
Borlack discussed that since no single treatment for FAPD is consistently efficient, clients with this diagnosis might be recommended a range of non-pharmacologic treatments or pharmacologic agents, varying from probiotics and antidepressants to dietary modifications and cognitive behavior modification.
Patients and households, therefore, typically look for nontraditional, adjunct therapies, including those involving acupressure. Borlack kept in mind that current research has actually shown that signs substantially improved in the short-term in kids with FAPD when a neurostimulation device was placed into the ear.
The current research study is the first to examine in kids with FAPD auriculotherapy, an acupressure treatment including stimulation of particular pressure points in the ear that associate with specific symptoms and conditions throughout the body.
Rachel Borlack, MD, Clinical assistant teacher, Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
This kind of acupressure is based on the concept that people with certain conditions will exhibit different electrodermal activity– the variation in electrical conductivity in the skin after stimulation– at certain pressure points. Higher present shows lower resistance and therefore a more active acupressure point.
In the pilot research study, Borlack and associates compared auricular acupoint activity in 22 individuals with FAPD with that of 24 healthy controls; in each group the typical age was 15 years.
Borlack and her coworkers discovered that a few of the auricular acupoints used in dealing with generalized pain and gastrointestinal signs are not active in FAPD, suggesting that it is very important to utilize disease-specific acupressure points.
” Our goals with this study were to determine the level of auricular acupoint activity in FAPD and also to evaluate how participants felt about this type of treatment,” said Borlack.
More than 85% of the FAPD clients in the study reported interest in using self-administered acupressure to manage their signs, and more than 40% stated they would certainly have an interest in taking a trip to a clinic just for auriculotherapy.
” Our research study shows that patients and households are not just interested in acupressure as a treatment option, but they want to travel to a clinic entirely for this treatment,” said Borlack. “In addition, we have proposed a protocol for dealing with FAPD with acupressure of the ear; nevertheless, extra information from bigger studies is required to evaluate the effectiveness of this procedure to enhance symptoms.”
The research study also demonstrates various methods that can be used by other private investigators thinking about performing rigorous research into the field of acupressure.
Recommendation: “Electrodermal Activity of Auricular Acupoints in Pediatric Patients With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders” by Borlack, Rachel E.; Shan, Sophie; Zong, Amanda M.; Khlevner, Julie; Garbers, Samantha; Gold, Melanie A., August 2021, Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.DOI: 10.1097/ MPG.0000000000003137.
The work was funded by Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Co-authors with Borlack are Sophie Shan, Amanda M. Zong, Julie Khlevner, MD, Samantha Garbers, PhD, and Melanie A. Gold, DO, all of Columbia University.
Pilot study exposes client and household interest in checking out acupressure as a potential treatment for a tough group of abdominal disorders.
A type of acupressure concentrated on pressure points in the ear might be a promising treatment for practical stomach discomfort condition (FAPD), a challenging group of disorders that cause persistent stomach discomfort in 13.5% of kids and teenagers.
