Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Acupressure may be an effective way of treating traumatic brain injury
By Staff Writer
Trauma to one's head can lead to the development of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a condition that is responsible for the death of 50,000 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
However, the results of a recent study showed that acupressure treatment might be an effective way of treating individuals with TBI. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder feel that this research may be useful in helping U.S. war veterans who also happen to be the victims of trauma.
In the study, the researchers used a form of acupressure known as Jin Shin, which targets points on the body that are believed to be tied to the health of specific organs and the brain.
For the purposes of this study, trained Jin Shin practitioners targeted the standard 26 points on the bodies of 38 participants. A control group also received treatments in areas of the body that were not considered to be acupressure points.
The researchers found that subjects with mild TBI showed signs of improved cognitive function following their treatment, in addition to better working memory test scores than individuals in the control.
Based on these results, the researchers feel that acupressure treatment techniques could be taught to the friends and family of veterans with TBI and used in residential rehab.
