Dementia agitation might be relieved with just the right touch

Pressed, Not Stressed

Sometimes pressure — when carefully and accurately placed — can relieve pressure and calm an agitated mind.

Acupressure is a traditional Chinese medicine technique in which pressure is applied to the same acupoints where needles are inserted for acupuncture procedures. This method has been used for centuries to treat many health issues, including headaches, depression, arthritis, insomnia, and stress relief.

Researchers at Taiwan’s National Yang-Ming University conducted a study that tested acupressure on dementia patients who displayed agitated behavior, ranging from mild (pacing) to extreme (verbal and physical abuse).

More than 30 subjects were recruited. All had dementia and were living in an assisted care facility (only 20 subjects completed the study–11 subjects were discharged or hospitalized). Each of the subjects had moments of agitated behavior, and in more than two-thirds of the group this behavior was considered severe.

Over a four-week intervention period, each subject received acupressure treatments that lasted 15 minutes, two times each day, five days per week. Subjects were evaluated before treatment began, reevaluated at the end of the intervention period, and again one week after treatment was discontinued.

Results:

• An average agitated behavior score of nearly 80, recorded before the trial began, dropped more than 20 points over the four-week treatment period
• A score that measured verbal attacks dropped from 2.8 to 0.2
• In the week after treatment was discontinued, this score rose again to 1.3
• A score that measured physical attacks (such as beating and scratching) dropped from 5.5 to 0.5
• In the week after treatment was discontinued, this score rose again to 2.1
• Aimless wandering (measured with pedometers) dropped from more than 5,300 steps per day to about 2,600 steps per day
• In the week after treatment was discontinued, aimless wandering steps rose again to nearly 3,375

Five important points

Professor Li-Chan Lin, one of the authors of the Yang-Ming study, pointed out that the real benefit is that the acupressure used in the study can be taught to caregivers and practiced at home or in assisted care facilities.

Researchers used these five acupoints in the study:

• Fengchi (GB 20)
• Baihui (Du 20)
• Shenmen (He 7)
• Niguan (Pe 6)
• Sanyinjiao (Sp 6)

And for those of you who don’t know your Fengchi from your Niguan, I realize getting acupressure training for just five acupoints may be difficult. You can find a directory of schools that teach acupressure at a web site called NaturalHealers.com. But for simpler training that’s not part of a degree program, you might have better luck consulting a local acupressurist.

If you have trouble locating an acupressurist in your area, check with local acupuncture practices. Some of them may also offer acupressure treatments or be able to show you how to locate the points above. You can also use the “Find a Doc” feature on the HSI website at hsionline.com to find naturopathic doctors who offer acupressure.

For information on herbal treatments that have been shown to reduce agitation and improve quality of life for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, check the e-Alert “Riders of the Purple Sage” (9/29/05).

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“The Efficacy of Acupressure for Decreasing Agitated Behaviour in Dementia: A Pilot Study” Journal of Clinical Nursing, Vol. 16, No. 2, February 2007, Blackwell-synergy.com
“Agitated Behavior in Dementia Significantly Reduced by Regular Acupressure” Medical News Today, 1/24/07, medicalnewstoday.com