Study Shows Acupressure Calms Children Before Surgery
In this study, Kain and his Yale colleagues applied adhesive acupressure
beads to 52 children between the ages of 8 and 17 who were to undergo
endoscopic stomach surgery. In half the children, a bead was applied to the
Extra-1 acupoint, which is located in the midpoint between the eyebrows. In the
other half, the bead was applied to a spot above the left eyebrow that has no
reported clinical effects.
Thirty minutes later, the researchers noted decreased anxiety levels in the
children who had the beads applied to the Extra-1 acupoint. In turn, anxiety
levels increased in the other group. Overall, they found the use of acupressure
had no effect on the surgical procedure.