Lecture Notes in Education
Psychology and Public Media

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review

Author

Shuwei Shi * 1

1 China-UK College

Corresponding Author

Shuwei Shi

Keywords

eating disorders, pricking Sifeng acupuncture point, anorexia, infantile anorexia, acupuncture

Abstract

Eating disorders are mental health disorders which involve severe problems with thoughts about food and eating behaviors. Acupuncture, an intangible cultural heritage of China, is well known for its ability to release stress and pain. Previous studies suggest that acupuncture has positive effects on treating eating disorders though its effectiveness remains uncertain. A systematic review which illustrated the effects of acupuncture in comparison of other medications was conducted. This review focuses on ten clinical trials published between 2010 and 2020 in Google Scholar and two Chinese databases (i.e. WANGFANG DATA and ZHIWANG). The results have confirmed that acupuncture plays an important role in treating Anorexia, including improvement in patients' Quality of Life and anxiety relief. Evidence has also confirmed the positive effects of pricking Sifeng acupuncture point on treating Infantile Anorexia. In sum, acupuncture is a promising complementary therapy for treating eating disorders. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) with standardized acupuncture protocols are required for each specific eating disorder to validate the treatment effect.

Citation

Shuwei Shi. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review. LNEP (2021) LNEP ICEIPI 2021: 294-303. DOI: 10.54254/lnep.iceipi.2021225.

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