Acupressure may help treat TBI

March, 2011

A placebo-controlled study reveals a treatment for mild traumatic brain injury that sufferers can administer themselves.

A study involving 38 people suffering from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) has found that those receiving acupressure treatments from trained experts (eight treatments over 4 weeks) scored significantly better on tests of working memory compared to those who received treatments from the same experts on places on the body that are not considered to be acupressure points.

Acupressure involves the practitioner using his fingertips to stimulate particular points on a person's body. The acupressure treatment type used in the study was Jin Shin. This treatment can be taught to family and friends of those with TBI and can even be used as a self-treatment, making it a good candidate for an adjunct treatment for TBI.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uoca-uoc022811.php

Reference:

[2145] McFadden, K. L., Healy K. M., Dettmann M. L., Kaye J. T., Ito T. A., & Hernández T. D.
(2011). Acupressure as a Non-Pharmacological Intervention for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Journal of Neurotrauma. 28(1), 21 - 34.

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