Abstract

Stress may affect psychological well-being and cardiometabolic regulation. This pilot study aimed to evaluate whether exposure to a fixed seven-point acupuncture protocol was associated with changes in stress-related outcomes. A non-randomized controlled pilot study included 64 adults with stress: 32 in an acupuncture-exposed cohort and 32 in a non-acupuncture comparison cohort. Pre-session outcomes were assessed on Day 0, Day 7, and Day 14; acupuncture followed each assessment in the exposed cohort. Outcomes included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 stress score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, WHOQOL-BREF-derived quality-of-life index, blood pressure, heart rate, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and salivary biomarkers. From Day 0 to Day 14, the acupuncture-exposed cohort showed reductions in stress score (25.88 ± 9.30 to 15.56 ± 6.81), sleep quality index (10.81 ± 3.45 to 6.72 ± 2.19), systolic blood pressure (133.25 ± 21.47 to 125.81 ± 15.26 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (86.19 ± 10.03 to 81.03 ± 7.15 mmHg), fasting blood glucose (134.34 ± 48.61 to 121.34 ± 27.84 mg/dL), and total cholesterol (240.00 ± 60.85 to 214.03 ± 50.91 mg/dL), with improved quality of life (30.88 ± 10.75 to 49.38 ± 7.74). Between-cohort change analyses favoured the acupuncture-exposed cohort. However, cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase did not change significantly. In conclusion, findings are preliminary and require confirmation with adequately powered randomized trials.

Key words: Acupuncture, Stress, Blood pressure, Glucose, Salivary biomarkers