Randomised trial, 2017
Does acupressure at specific points reduce PMS symptoms?
Yes, acupressure at points LIV3 and LI4 for 14 days before menstruation reduced PMS symptoms, anxiety, and depression, and improved quality of life compared to placebo acupressure.
What they did
Randomized single-blind trial. 97 university students with PMS received 20 minutes of acupressure on either points LIV3 and LI4 or placebo points for 14 days before menstruation. This was done for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles, with training in cycle 1 and self-application in cycles 2-3.
What they found
By the 2nd and 3rd cycles, women in the LIV3 and LI4 groups had significantly lower PMS severity, depression and anxiety scores, and significantly improved quality of life compared to placebo. LIV3 and LI4 were equally effective.
What it means for you
Acupressure at these specific points may help reduce PMS symptoms and improve mood and quality of life. However, this requires knowledge of acupressure points, and the study was relatively small and only tested students in Iran.
20 min
Session duration
14 days
Before menstruation
3 cycles
Total duration
About the study
- Original title
- The effect of applying pressure to the LIV3 and LI4 on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome: A randomized clinical trial
- Authors
- Bazarganipour F, Taghavi SA, Allan H et al.
- Journal
- Complementary therapies in medicine
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 97
- What was tested
- Acupressure at LIV3 and LI4 points, 20 minutes for 14 days before menstruation
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.02.003
Topics
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