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Background The role of current pharmacological treatment after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is limited. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after LSG remains high. Auricular acupressure (AA) is believed to relieve PONV after laparoscopic surgeries, but its role in patients with obesity after LSG has yet to be confirmed. Methods Ninety-five female patients who underwent LSG were randomized into two groups: AA combined with conventional anti-nausea medication (AA group, 47 patients) or conventional anti-nausea medication group (control group, 48 patients). Index of nausea and vomiting and retching (INVR) scores, postoperative anti-vomiting medication use, time of first anus exhausting, time of first fluid intake, and time of first to get out of bed were collected within 48 h after surgery. Results Demographic data of patients in both groups were balanced and comparable. INVR score ( F = 7.505, P = 0.007), vomiting score ( F = 11.903, P = 0.001), and retching score ( F = 12.098, P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the AA group than that in the control group within 48 h postoperatively. Use of metoclopramide was significantly less in the AA group than in the control group (4.7 [5.5]) vs. 8.8 [7.6], P = 0.004); time to first anus exhausting was significantly less in the AA group than in the control group (17.50 [6.00] vs. 20.42 [8.62], P = 0.020). Conclusions AA combined with conventional anti-vomiting agents can alleviate PONV in female patients after LSG, and AA can promote gastrointestinal exhaustion. Trial Registration The trial has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) with the registration no. ChiCTR2100047381 on June 13, 2021. Graphical Abstract

Night-shift work is associated with cognitive impairments, but convenient, effective, and acceptable traditional Chinese medicine-based interventions remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure combined with auricular acupoint massage on cognitive function in night-shift nurses, using P300 wave parameters from electroencephalography analysis as objective metrics. Eighty nurses (40 days-shift, 40 night-shift) participated. The intervention included auricular acupressure and massage targeting six points, performed daily for 4 weeks. Cognitive function was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). P300 amplitude and latency were measured. Night-shift nurses had significantly higher ISI scores and lower MoCA attention, memory, and total scores compared to day-shift nurses (all < 0.05). Before the intervention, After FDR correction for multiple comparisons, P300 amplitude was significantly lower at the T4 electrode site (q = 0.020) in the night-shift group. P300 latency remained significantly prolonged at sites Fz (q = 0.020), F3 (q < 0.001), F4 (q = 0.035), and T5 (q = 0.033). Post-intervention, the night-shift group demonstrated significant increases in P300 amplitude at F3, F4, T3, T4, T5, and T6 (all q < 0.05) and significant reductions in P300 latency at Fz, F4, F7, T5, and T6 (all q < 0.05). Notably, several sites with affected P300 amplitude and latency before the intervention showed significant improvement following intervention. Auricular acupressure and massage significantly improved cognitive function in night-shift nurses, evidenced by enhanced P300 parameters. This non-invasive, cost-effective intervention shows promise for alleviating cognitive impairments from shift work.

Objective: Chemotherapy-associated insomnia is a highly prevalent complaint in breast cancer patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of electroacupuncture plus auricular acupressure for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: In this randomized, wait-list controlled trial, thirty breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy with insomnia were randomly allocated to the acupuncture or wait-list control group. Participants in acupuncture group received electroacupuncture plus auricular acupressure treatment twice weekly for 6 weeks. Participants in wait-list group received the same regimen of treatment after 6-week of waiting period. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) served as the primary outcome measurement. Secondary outcomes were sleep parameters recorded with sleep diary and actiwatch, as well as the scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer (FACT-B). Results: Twenty-eight participants completed study (13 in the acupuncture group vs 15 in the wait-list control group). At week-6 post-intervention, ISI score change from baseline showed significant between-group difference favoring acupuncture group of −2.9 points (95% CI: −5.2 to −0.6, P = .014). The acupuncture group showed greater improvements in the total sleep time recorded by sleep diary (P = .026), scores of PSQI (P = .012), HADS-depression (P = .020), and FACT-B (P < .001) compared with the control group. Improvements were maintained at week-10 and week-14 follow-ups. Conclusions: Acupuncture is safe, feasible, and effective for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. A larger sample size randomized clinical trial is warranted to confirm the present findings. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03762694.

Introduction Constipation can be one of the biggest health problems for the older people that has negative effects on their quality of life. Some studies have reported that new non-pharmacological interventions such auricular acupressure have promising results in the management of constipation. This study was performed to investigate the effect of auricular acupressure on constipation and health-related quality of life in the older people living in the residential care home. Methods Sample of this randomized clinical trial consisted of 53 older people with chronic constipation living in a residential care home in the southeast of Iran (Kerman city). The participants were randomly assigned to intervention ( n  = 27) and control ( n  = 26) groups. Auricular acupressure was applied to seven auricular acupoints (large intestine, rectum, San Jiao, spleen, lung, sympathetic, and subcortex) using Vaccaria seeds for the intervention group and for the control group, seedless auricular plasters were used at the seven auricular acupoints for 10 days. Data were collected before the intervention, end of the intervention, and 10-day follow-up using demographic and clinical, Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptom, and Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life questionnaires. The SPSS-22 software was used for data analysis. Results The difference between groups and times was significant in constipation and related quality of life and scores. The mean score of constipation at the end of intervention was 0.41 less in the intervention group than the control group ( P  < 0.0001). This mean score, in the intervention group also on the 10-day follow-up was 0.09 less than the control group ( P  = 0.004), which indicates a decrease in the severity of constipation symptoms. In the intervention group, mean score of quality of life related to constipation at the end of intervention and the 10-day follow-up was 0.56 and 0.19 less than the control group (Decrease in the mean score of quality of life related to constipation indicates an improvement in the quality of life) ( P  < 0.0001). Conclusion The results showed the positive effect of auricular acupressure on reducing the severity of constipation symptoms and improving the quality of life in old patients living in the residential care home. This non-pharmaceutical practice can be used by nurses as an inexpensive, safe, acceptable, and non-invasive nursing care for older people with constipation in homes, medical centers, or nursing homes.

Postpartum hypogalactia is a common condition that may impair breastfeeding and maternal-infant health. This randomized controlled study evaluated the efficacy of a herbal galactagogic decoction combined with auricular acupressure in improving lactation outcomes. A total of 104 women with postpartum hypogalactia were enrolled between July 2023 and June 2025 and randomly assigned to a control group (auricular acupressure alone, n=52) or an intervention group (auricular acupressure plus herbal decoction, n=52) for 2 weeks. Primary outcomes included breast milk production and formula supplementation, while secondary outcomes comprised serum hormone levels (estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin), symptom scores, psychological status, and clinical effectiveness. Both groups showed significant post-treatment improvements (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the intervention group demonstrated lower estradiol and progesterone levels, higher prolactin levels, increased milk production, and reduced formula supplementation (P<0.05). Symptom scores and anxiety/depression levels were also significantly improved. The overall effective rate was higher in the intervention group (96.15% vs 80.77%, P<0.05), with comparable safety profiles. This combined therapy appears to be a safe and effective complementary approach for improving lactation in women with postpartum hypogalactia.

To evaluate the effect of auricular acupressure (AA) on cancer-related fatigue (CRF), sleep disturbance and anxiety in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Patients were recruited from the respiratory department of a general hospital and were randomised into three groups. A 9-week course of AA using Semen Vaccariae (SV) (Group A)/AA using magnetic beads (Group B)/routine care (Group C) was implemented. CRF scores were used as the primary outcome while the sleep and anxiety scores were the secondary outcomes. Analysis of variance and least significant difference t-test were used to determine the intergroup differences and paired-sample t-test was used for the intragroup comparison. 100 lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were included. Compared with Group C, AA could significantly alleviate CRF (F:24.63, p<0.01), especially for physical and affective fatigue and Group A was more effective for managing physical fatigue than Group B in per-protocol (PP) (-1.75 (-2.69 to -0.82), p<0.01)/Intention to Treat analysis (ITT) (-1.41 (-2.39 to -0.41), p=0.01) analysis. However, AA had no effect on cognitive fatigue. Compared with Group C, only Group A produced significant improvements in sleep quality in PP analysis (-1.17 (-2.23 to -0.10), p=0.03) while it yielded negative results in ITT analysis (-0.82 (-1.74 to 0.10), p=0.08). Compared with Group C, AA could significantly reduce anxiety in PP analysis (F:9.35, p<0.01) while there was no statistical difference between Group B and Group C (-0.95 (-2.81 to 0.90), p=0.31), Group A and Group B (-1.26 (-3.12 to 0.59), p=0.18) in ITT analysis. AA can alleviate CRF of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, especially for physical and affective fatigue. AA using SV is more effective for physical fatigue while AA using magnetic beads works better for anxiety. However, AA cannot improve the sleep quality. ISRCTNregistry (ISRCTN16408424).

Auriculotherapy has long been used to treat various diseases. We analyzed and visualized auriculotherapy’s geographical distribution, key contributors, and thematic trends over the past 20 years to provide current trends in auriculotherapy field and to offer recommendations for future research directions. We searched for relevant studies in the Web of Science between January 10, 2003, and December 31, 2022. A bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer for annual publications, journals, countries, institutions, authors, and keywords. A total of 800 studies were included in the analysis, and the number of studies steadily increased over the 20 examined years. In 2018, there was a noteworthy rise in publications, nearly twice as many as the preceding year. Integrative & complementary medicine was the most researched area, with most articles published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. China was the country with the most published research, and the most active organization was Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China, followed by Kyung Hee University in South Korea. The most prolific author was Yeh Mei-ling, who reported the effects of auriculotherapy on dysmenorrhea and smoking cessation. Keyword analysis revealed four clusters: pain, mental health, obesity, and smoking cessation. Auriculotherapy research primarily focused on clinical studies related to pain, obesity, smoking cessation, and depression. Future research should place greater emphasis on verifying the mechanisms of auriculotherapy for specific ailments and may require efforts to enhance the robustness of clinical trials. Through visual analysis, our study may serve as a foundational resource, offering valuable insights into the trajectory of auriculotherapy research. •China had highest number of published articles.•The four cluster of keywords was pain, mental health, obesity, and smoking cessation.•Smoking cessation cluster had the earliest average published year.•Smoking cessation cluster had the highest average number of citations.•The study extensively explores the focal points and current patterns in auriculotherapy.

Abstract Objective Auricular acupuncture (AA) and extended auricular therapy (AT) are a part of acupuncture practice shown to benefit patients with pain, anxiety, and other conditions, with cost-effective access enhanced when given in a group setting. Yet there are safety concerns and risks, perhaps unnecessary risks, that attend embedded, indwelling needles applied to the ear as a means of extended AT. Methods Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for “auriculotherapy,” “auricular acupuncture” or “auricular acupressure,” “safety,” “adverse events,” “chondritis,” and “perichondritis,” with additional manual review of titles, links, and reference lists. Individual auricular therapy adverse event (AE) case reports were included, as well as systematic reviews and or meta-analyses if they evaluated AEs associated with AT. Results Nineteen auricular AE case reports and nine safety reviews of or including auriculotherapy were included. Ten systematic reviews of AT with eight specific reviews of auricular acupressure (AP) were also included. Conclusions The primary AE risks is infection, perichondritis, and chondritis stemming from embedded or indwelling needles or potential inadvertent needlesticks from contaminated roaming sharps. Extended AP i.e., application of spheres, preferably seeds (natural, nontoxic botanical Vaccaria seeds) provides clinical benefit without the risks associated with embedded needles. More research is needed to establish if embedded needles at the ear are even necessary or have any advantage over in-session auricular acupuncture for immediate pain relief followed by ear acupressure.

This research is a pilot, single-blinded study investigating heart rate variability (HRV) during auricular acupressure at the left sympathetic point (AH7) in healthy volunteers. There were 120 healthy volunteers with hemodynamic indexes (heart rate, blood pressure) within normal ranges, randomly divided into two groups AG and SG (in each group having a gender ratio 1:1, aged 20-29), to receive either auricular acupressure using ear seed (AG) or sham method using adhesive patches without seed (SG) at the left sympathetic point while lying in a supine position. Acupressure intervention lasted 25 min, and HRV was recorded by a photoplethysmography device-namely, Kyto HRM-2511B and Elite appliance. Auricular acupressure at the left Sympathetic point (AG) led to a significant reduction in heart rate (HR) ( < 0.05) and a considerable increase in HRV parameters demonstrated by HF (High-frequency power) ( < 0.05), compared to sham auricular acupressure (SG). However, no significant changes in LF (Low-frequency power) and RR (Respiratory rate) ( > 0.05) were observed in both groups during the process. These findings suggest that auricular acupressure at the left sympathetic point may activate the parasympathetic nervous system while a healthy person is lying relaxed.