Acupressure for Brain Damage

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Acupressure may be beneficial for traumatic brain injury survivors, according to a recent study.

Acupressure techniques involve applying finger pressure to specific acupoints throughout the body. Various techniques, including shiatsu and tuina, have been practiced around the world for centuries to treat a wide variety of conditions and to promote relaxation. There is strong supportive evidence for the use of wrist acupressure to treat nausea; however, evidence of benefit for most conditions is unclear.

Over the course of four weeks, researchers in Colorado evaluated the effects of eight treatments of acupressure on traumatic brain injury survivors. Placebo treatments were also given to a control group. The researchers evaluated cognitive impairment and state of being using the Stroop test and auditory oddball tasks before and after treatment.

The researchers found a significant improvement in cognitive functioning for patients who received acupressure compared to the control group. Furthermore, the digit span test displayed a significant improvement in memory span for the acupressure group. The researchers noted that these results combined suggest a significant improvement in memory function.

The authors concluded that acupressure may be beneficial for survivors of a traumatic brain injury; however, additional research is necessary to further evaluate these findings.

For more information about acupressure, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness database