The effect of auriculotherapy on individuals with anxiety in follow-up in Primary Health Care.
José Henrique da Silva Cunha, Vandilson Pinheiro Rodrigues, Heloísa Cristina Figueiredo Frizzo and 4 others
PMID 40667896WHAT IT FOUND
In 60 primary care users with anxiety, ten needle sessions, taped cowpea seeds and daily seed pressing were followed by lower anxiety, stress and depression scores and better self-rated quality of life.
This before-after study cannot prove the treatment caused the change.
Key findings
01Mean anxiety score was 22.33 before and 2.90 after treatment.
02Mean stress score was 28.07 before and 8.50 after; mean depression score was 18.93 before and 3.67 after.
03Some participants did not observe any improvement in their quality of life or satisfaction with their health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no separate comparison group, and the authors note a possible placebo effect. The sample was a convenience sample of primary care users with anxiety, so it may not represent other groups. The intervention combined needles, cowpea seeds, tape and self-stimulation instructions, so the contribution of any single part cannot be separated. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which the authors say may have affected access, sample and generalizability. Follow-up was only after ten sessions, so medium and long-term effects were not measured. The protocol used a fixed set of ear points, not individualized Traditional Chinese Medicine assessment.
Declared interests
Funded by CAPES, Brazil.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that auriculotherapy caused the improvement. Participants received needles, cowpea seeds, tape and self-stimulation instructions together, and this was a before-after study without a separate comparison group. The authors also note possible placebo effects and pandemic-related limitations.