Acupressure for Diabetes?

What do you think of acupressure to treat diabetes?  I read it here [URL removed].

I notice that you got this article from one of those big “how-to” sites that doesn’t even require its “experts’ to use real names.  That’s my first problem—the writer doesn’t even identify himself or herself yet this article is clearly giving medical advice and specific instructions on how to perform a technique intended to cure a disease.  That leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.  If you’re going to give medical advice, the very least you can do is show why you’re qualified to do so.

My second problem with this article is that there are NO medical references listed as proof.  The only “reference” is a link to a web site selling everything from “home study” books to magnetic set pads.

But Back To The Question.  Are There Any Studies On Acupressure & Diabetes?

You might find it suprising to learn that there are actually a couple of studies on acupressure and diabetes listed in various medical journals. One of the most recent was a 2008 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. This study found that by using very specific massage techniques for several consecutive days researachers could effectivley increase the concentration of antioxidative enzymes in patients with diabetes.

Does this mean that acupressure can cure diabetes? Certainly not. While practices like acupressure, acupuncture and even aromatherapy may help some people better manage problems associated conditions like diabetes there is absoluely no evidence that they can cure it. 

Sources:

No Author Listed. (2008). Retrieved from www.ehow.com/how_2124688_treat-diabetes-acupressure.html on June 25, 2008.

Liu, C., et al. (2008). Effect of auricular pellet acupressure on antioxidative systems in high-risk diabetes mellitus.