Manual ear acupressure significantly decreased heart rate (P=0.001) and increased total heart rate variability (P=0.008) in healthy volunteers.
Does auricular acupressure (vibration and manual) acutely alter autonomic function markers (HR, HRV, PWV, AIx) in healthy volunteers?
Manual auricular acupressure at the 'heart' point acutely modulates autonomic function by decreasing heart rate and increasing heart rate variability in healthy volunteers.
p-value: p=0.001
Auricular acupuncture has been described in ancient China as well as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. At the end of the 1950s, ear acupuncture was further developed by the French physician Dr. Paul Nogier. The goal of this study was to develop a new system for ear acupressure (vibration stimulation) and to perform pilot investigations on the possible acute effects of vibration and manual ear acupressure on heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and the augmentation index (AIx) using new noninvasive recording methods. Investigations were performed in 14 healthy volunteers (mean age SD: 26.34.3 years; 9 females, 5 males) before, during, and after acupressure vibration and manual acupressure stimulation at the "heart" auricular acupuncture point. The results showed a significant decrease in HR (P 0.001) and a significant increase in HRV total (P = 0.008) after manual ear acupressure. The PWV decreased markedly (yet insignificantly) whereas the AIx increased immediately after both methods of stimulation. The increase in the low-frequency band of HRV was mainly based on the intensification of the related mechanism of blood pressure regulation (10-s-rhythm). Further studies in Beijing using animal models and investigations in Graz using human subjects are already in progress.
Gao et al. (Mon,) conducted a other in Healthy (n=14). Auricular acupressure (vibration and manual) vs. Baseline (before stimulation) was evaluated on Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) (p=0.001). Manual ear acupressure significantly decreased heart rate (P=0.001) and increased total heart rate variability (P=0.008) in healthy volunteers.