February 16, 2007 – Taiwanese researchers have successfully used acupressure to control agitation in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The results of a trial involving 31 subjects indicate that two daily acupressure sessions of 15 minutes each had the effect of reducing the manifestations of restlessness in patients.1.
It is estimated that around 70% of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease present behavioral disorders associated with agitation: screaming and vociferating, manifestations of aggression and hostility, running away, etc. Acupressure is a therapeutic technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine that involves stimulating acupuncture points with the fingers rather than inserting needles.
During the trial, acupressure sessions proved to be more effective than psychotherapeutic-type sessions. Researchers report that acupressure had an immediate calming effect and was maintained throughout the four weeks of treatment. It is not known whether this effect is attributable to the stimulation of specific acupuncture points, or to simply touching the sick.
Although these results are preliminary and are not sufficient to prove the effectiveness of the intervention, they represent a very interesting alternative to the medications generally used to combat the agitation that affects patients. Indeed, the drugs usually prescribed against agitation (haloperidol, valproic acid, memantine, aripiprazole, risperidone, olanzapine, etc.) are most often ineffective or they have only a marginally beneficial effect. On the other hand, the side effects they cause are important and can even, in some cases, increase the risk of death.2-6.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Yang MH, Wu SC, et al. The efficacy of acupressure for decreasing agitated behavior in dementia: a pilot study. J Clin Nurs. 2007 Feb; 16 (2): 308-15.
2. Lonergan E, Luxenberg J, Colford J. Haloperidol for agitation in dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002; (2): CD002852.
3. Lonergan ET, Cameron M, Luxenberg J. Valproic acid for agitation in dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004; (2): CD003945.
4. McShane R, Areosa Sastre A, Minakaran N. Memantine for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Apr 19; (2): CD003154.
5. Schneider LS, Dagerman K, Insel PS. Efficacy and adverse effects of atypical antipsychotics for dementia: meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Mar; 14 (3): 191-210.
6. Ballard C, Waite J. The effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of aggression and psychosis in Alzheimer’s disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jan 25; (1): CD003476.
