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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Feb:46:101541.
doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101541. Epub 2022 Jan 30.

Electroacupuncture and acupuncture in the treatment of anxiety - A double blinded randomized parallel clinical trial

Diogo Amorim  1 , Irma Brito  2 , Armando Caseiro  3 , João Paulo Figueiredo  4 , André Pinto  5 , Inês Macedo  6 , Jorge Machado  7
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Electroacupuncture and acupuncture in the treatment of anxiety - A double blinded randomized parallel clinical trial

Diogo Amorim et al. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The estimated number of people living with anxiety disorders worldwide is around 264 million and is estimated to have worsened with the recent pandemic of COVID-19. Acupuncture has shown to have excellent therapeutic effects in reducing anxiety.

Design: Double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial with 56 participants (21-82 years) with anxiety diagnosed by 3 different anxiety scales (BAI, GAD-7 and OASIS). A 30-min acupuncture session was applied once a week for 10 weeks.

Aims: Evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture and electroacupuncture in the treatment of anxiety to verify if: (1) People with high anxiety report reduced scores after 5 and 10 sessions; (2) Salivary cortisol levels accompanied the reduced scores; (3) Electroacupuncture treatment is more effective than acupuncture; (4) the treatments is independent of anxiolytic medication.

Methods: Volunteers were randomized into 3 groups (control, acupuncture, and electroacupuncture). The results were analyzed by anxiety scales and salivary cortisol tests.

Results: The findings show an improvement in anxiety, assessed by BAI, GAD-7 and OASIS, after the 5th session of acupuncture (p < 0.05) and electroacupuncture (p < 0.05) and the 10th session for both techniques (p < 0.001). The salivary cortisol values measured in the morning followed this pattern (p < 0.05), although the reduction of the night cortisol values was not statistically significant. Electroacupuncture and acupuncture show similar efficacy. The positive effect after the treatments is independent of anxiolytic medication (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Acupuncture and electroacupuncture are effective in treating anxiety on their own or as adjuncts to pharmacological therapy.

Trial registration number: NºP445-08/2017 (Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde).

Keywords: Acupuncture; Anxiety; Anxiety surveys; Electroacupuncture; Salivary cortisol.

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Conflict of interest statement

No.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of the stages of the double-blinded parallel-group randomized clinical trial.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Longitudinal study with the anxiety scales BAI, GAD-7 and OASIS. Graphic for the BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory) [29], GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire of 7 items) [30] and OASIS (Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale) [31] anxiety scales at T0 (before any treatment), T5 (after 5 treatments) and T10 (after 10 treatments).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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