INSOMNIA RESEARCH (© JCM Ltd)

ACUPRESSURE AT HE-7 HELPS WITH INSOMNIA
An Italian study has evaluated the efficacy of acupressure at Shenmen HE-7 in treating insomnia. 25 patients affected by sleep disorders were enrolled, of whom 14 had cancer. All were treated by acupressure stimulation acupressure at Shenmen HE-7 for at least two consecutive weeks using a medical device called ‘H7 Insomnia Control’. An improvement in sleep quality was seen in 60% of patients, with a more evident efficacy in cancer patients (79%). (Efficacy of HT 7 point acupressure stimulation in the treatment of insomnia in cancer patients and in patients suffering from disorders other than cancer. Minerva Med. 2008 Dec;99(6):535-7).

ACUPUNCTURE BETTER THAN PILLS FOR INSOMNIA
A systematic review of studies of acupuncture for insomnia, including papers published in both English and Chinese, has been carried out by researchers in Hong Kong. Twenty RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The majority of RCTs concluded that traditional needle acupuncture (TNA) was significantly more effective than benzodiazepines for treating insomnia, with mean effective rates for acupuncture and benzodiazepines being 91% and 75%, respectively. TNA also appeared to be better at improving sleep than sleep hygiene counselling and sham acupuncture. Standardised and individualised acupuncture were found to have similar effective rates. The authors point out methodological shortcomings in the studies reviewed and highlight the need for large scale, high-quality trials. (Traditional needle acupuncture treatment for insomnia: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Sleep Med. 2009 Mar 18. [Epub ahead of print]).

ACUPRESSURE AT SHENMEN FOR INSOMNIA
An acupressure device located on Shenmen HE-7 has been evaluated as a treatment for insomnia by Italian researchers. Forty patients with insomnia were divided into two groups and randomly received either the “H7-insomnia control device” (H7), overnight or placebo treatment, in a double-blind protocol, for 20 nights. Before and after treatments subjects answered a series of questionnaires relating to general health, sleep quality and anxiety. Twenty-four hour urine samples were also collected and concentrations of the urinary melatonin metabolite 6-hydroxymelatonin sulphate were determined. The results indicated that the H7 improved sleep quality and reduced anxiety compared with the placebo group. In addition, the 24-hour urinary melatonin metabolite rhythm, obtained at the end of treatment, was measured as normal in a higher percentage of H7-treated patients, compared to the placebo group. (Efficacy of wrists overnight compression (HT 7 point) on insomniacs: possible role of melatonin? Minerva Med. 2008 Dec;99(6):539-47).
 
ACUPUNCTURE FOR INSOMNIA
A randomised single-blind trial has examined the efficacy of abdominal acupuncture as a treatment for insomnia. In the Chinese study, 44 women (aged 22 to 56) were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or medication. The acupuncture group received abdominal acupuncture once a day for the first three days and once every three days for the remaining 11 days. Abdominal acupuncture was administered according to a standardised protocol Zhongwan REN-12, Xiawan REN-10, Guanyuan REN-4, Qihai REN-6, bilateral Shangqu KID-17, Huaroumen ST-24, Xiafengshidian (extraordinary point), and Qipang (extraordinary point). In addition, subjects in the acupuncture group also received a placebo pill once daily. Subjects in the medication group were treated with sham acupuncture at the same time as the acupuncture group and received estazolam (a benzodiazepine) once a day. Subjects who received abdominal acupuncture lowered their scores on the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire by a statistically significant average of 26.32 points. The authors conclude that abdominal acupuncture is more effective than pharmacological treatment for relieving insomnia in this group and has few adverse effects. (Abdominal acupuncture for insomnia in women: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Acupunct Electrother Res. 2008;33(1-2):33-41).
   
TAI CHI HELPS SENIORS SLEEP
Practising tai chi chih (TCC), a Westernized version of tai chi, has been shown to promote sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep complaints. In the US study, 112 healthy adults, age range 59 to 86, were randomly assigned to one of two groups for a 25-week period: one group practised 20 simple TCC moves, the other participated in health education classes that included advice on stress management, diet and sleep habits. Those in the TCC group showed improved sleep quality and a reduction of clinical impairments, such as drowsiness during the day and inability to concentrate, compared with those in the education group. (Improving sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep complaints: A randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi Chih. Sleep. 2008 Jul 1;31(7):1001-8).

AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE EFFECTIVE FOR INSOMNIA
A systematic review of current literature conducted by authors from Hong Kong has concluded that auricular acupuncture appears to be effective for treating insomnia. Eight hundred and seventy eight (878) papers were searched of which only six trials (402 people treated with AA among 673 total participants) were deemed of high enough methodological quality to meet the inclusion criteria. The recovery and improvement rates produced by AA were found to be significantly higher than those of diazepam. The efficacy of using Semen vaccariae ear seeds was better than that of controls while use of magnetic beads did not show statistical significance. Six commonly used auricular acupoints were Shenmen (100%), Heart (83.33%), Occiput (66.67%), Subcortex (50%), Brain and Kidney (each 33.33%, respectively). The authors recommend that further, better-designed trials be carried out. (Auricular acupuncture treatment for insomnia: a systematic review. J Altern Complement Med. 2007 Jul-Aug;13(6):669-76).

ACUPUNCTURE FOR INSOMNIA
A systematic review of the evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia concludes that current evidence is insufficient to support its use in this condition. The authors examined the major biomedical and CAM databases, along with BiblioSleep, a specialist directory of sleep-related papers. They searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating any form of acupuncture, involving participants of any age, with any type of insomnia, which compared acupuncture with placebo or sham or no treatment, or acupuncture plus other treatments compared with the same other treatments. Trials comparing only acupuncture methods or acupuncture alone against other treatments alone were excluded. Seven trials (a total of 590 participants) met the inclusion criteria. The authors conclude that the paucity of RCTs together with their poor methodological quality and clinical heterogeneity, mean that there is currently no support for the use of any form of acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia. They recommend larger, high-quality clinical trials. (Acupuncture for insomnia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;(3):CD005472).

ACUPUNCTURE, INSOMNIA & MELATONIN
In a study of 18 anxious subjects, five weeks of acupuncture treatment was associated with significant improvements in a variety of sleep determinants (polysomnographic measures of sleep onset latency, arousal index, total sleep time and sleep efficiency), reduction in anxiety and nocturnal increase in endogenous melatonin secretion. (J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2004 Winter;16(1):19-28).

AURICULAR THERAPY PROMOTES SLEEP
A study carried out by researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Nursing and Hong Kong Baptists University has found that auricular therapy using magnetic pearls is the most effective in promoting sleep in older people. 120 participants over the age of 60 were randomly allocated to receive auricular therapy using either Deng Xin Cao (Medulla Junci Effusi), Wang Bu Liu Xing (Semen Vaccariae Segetalis) or magnetic pearls. The first two groups acted as controls. Seven auricular points (shenmen, kidney, heart, subcortex,  occiput, spleen, liver) were selected for a  treatment course of three weeks. There were significant differences among all three groups in terms of nocturnal sleep time and sleep efficiency, with further significant improvement in the sleep behaviour observed in the magnetic pearl group. In a backward multiple regression, the effect of auricular therapy on SE after allowing for age in female participants is of high statistical significance (F3, 106 = 9.04, p0.001). The paper concludes that auricular therapy using magnetic pearls is an effective means of improving the quantity and quality of sleep in the elderly. (American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 30, No. 4, 429-449).

SHENMEN HE-7 AND SLEEP PATTERNS
A French study has shown that stimulating Shenmen HE-7 in healthy patients by fixing Polyether Block Amides; Isocones bilaterally to the points decreased wakefulness and increased non-REM sleep and thus total sleep time. (Buguet, A., Sartre, M., Kerneau, J. Neurophysiologie Clinique, 1995; 25(2): 78-83).