Effect of self-acupressure on fasting blood sugar (FBS) and insulin level in type 2 diabetes patients: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled symptoms of diabetes can lead to irreparable damage to vital organs. Despite the global trend towards the use of complementary alternative therapies, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-acupressure in diabetes patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of self-acupressure on FBS and insulin level in type 2 diabetes patients. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was performed from September 2016 to February 2017. A total of 60 diabetic patients were selected from diabetes clinic in Rafsanjan in Iran, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and then assigned to 2 groups (30 in acupressure and 30 in control) randomly by the minimization method. The intervention group received acupressure at ST-36, LIV-3, KD-3 and SP-6 points bilaterally for five minutes for each point in 10 seconds pressure and 2 seconds rest periods. Subjects in the control group received no intervention. The FBS and insulin levels were measured before and after the intervention for both groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 by the Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, and paired-samples t-test. A level of 0.05 was considered significant for examining the hypotheses. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the acupressure and control group regarding age, sex and level of education. The insulin level significantly increased after treatment in the acupressure group (p=0.001). There were no significant differences between the levels of insulin in study or control groups. Serum FBS level decreased significantly after intervention in the acupressure group compared to the control group (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Self-acupressure as a complementary alternative medicine can be a helpful complementary method in reducing FBS and increasing insulin levels in type 2 diabetic patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with clinical trial registration number: IRCT2016122131459N1. FUNDING: This study was financially sported by Deputy of Research and Technology of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (Ref: 20.519).