A clinical trial (Fan et al., 2022) examining the effects of acupuncture for anxiety in patients with Parkinson disease found that patients treated with acupuncture 3 times per week experienced a significant decrease in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) after 8 weeks of treatment. ACTH is the hormone that releases cortisol (the “stress hormone“). Therefore, lower levels of ACTH is associated with less levels of stress.
Interestingly, while blood tests showed a significant decrease in the treated patients’ ACTH levels at their check up at 8 weeks, the patients did not self-report significant improvements to their emotional well-being until their check up at 16 weeks.
The study also found that the acupuncture treatment led to significant improvements in the patients’ anxiety levels, motor functions, and overall quality of life.
For Practitioners:
Points Needled: DU24, Yintang, HT7, SP6, and Si Shen Zhen (4 acupoints, including DU21, DU19, and 1.5 cun lateral to DU20 bilaterally).
After needle insertion, the needles were ”twisted” for 1 minute at a frequency of 180 to 200 rpm. Needles were retained for 30 mins.
Reference:
Fan, J. Q., Lu, W. J., Tan, W. Q., Liu, X., Wang, Y. T., Wang, N. B., & Zhuang, L. X. (2022). Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Anxiety Among Patients With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA network open, 5(9), e2232133.
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