Acupressure May Aid Diabetes Patients

Acupressure may boost health in people dealing with type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.

A long-practiced Chinese therapy similar to acupuncture, acupressure stimulates certain points on the body in order to improve the flow of vital energy (called "chi" or "qi") and, in turn, enhance wellbeing. Unlike acupuncture, however, acupressure involves the application of manual pressure (typically with the fingertips) rather than the insertion of needles.

For the study, 64 people with type 2 diabetes were treated with standard diabetes medications and assigned to a diet and exercise program designed to control hypertension and hyperglycemia. A subset of study members also received a 90-minute session of acupressure therapy four to six times per week.

At the end of the three-year study, participants who'd received acupressure had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol - as well as higher levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol - compared to patients who didn't receive acupuncture. What's more, patients in the acupuncture group showed improvements in diabetes-associated kidney function and neuropathy (a nerve disorder common among people with diabetes).