Efficacy and safety of holographic scraping in insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: Insomnia is a common chronic disease affecting an increasing number of people. Holographic scraping has been widely used in patients with insomnia. However, the efficacy of holographic scraping in the treatment of insomnia is controversial, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of holographic scraping in the treatment of insomnia. Methods: From database establishment to June 2024, 2 researchers searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-fang Date, China Biology Medicine, and China Science and Technology Journal Database. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 2.0 was used to assess the risk of bias. The data were compiled using Revive Manager 5.4.1. The certainty of evidence was used in the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. Results: Twenty-two randomized controlled trials involving 1816 participants were included in the study. The results of the study showed that holographic scraping was better at reducing Athens Insomnia Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale (MD = −9.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −14.05, −5.37), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (MD = −2.42, 95% CI = −3.29, −1.56), Self-rating Depression Scale (MD = −11.14, 95% CI = −16.1, −6.15), and improving the total effective rate (RR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.25). This study demonstrated that holographic scraping, when combined with health education or usual care, may be effective to reduce Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. However, the impact of holographic scraping combined with medication or auricular acupressure on lowering Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index remains controversial. Only 2 studies reported adverse effects, the safety of holographic scraping therapy was uncertain. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that holographic scraping could reduce anxiety and depression, and have a high total effective rate. However, the impact of combining holographic scraping with medication or auricular acupressure on sleep quality improvement remains uncertain. Additionally, the safety of holographic scraping therapy remains unclear.