Table 3.
Auricular therapy protocols of included trials.
| Study | Types of auricular therapy | Selected auricular acupoints (number) main acupoints (M), adjunct acupoints (A) |
Acupoints detection | Instructions of manual pressing | Duration of treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sa1 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
4: stomach, liver, spleen, shenmen | Not reported | 3–5 times/day for 1-2 minutes/time until de qi b | Not reported |
|
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| S2 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
6: spleen, stomach, liver, shenmen, sympathetic, sanjiao | Acupoint detector | 5-6 times/day for 2-3 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
| |||||
| S3 | Auricular acupressure using magnetic pellets |
M (7): stomach, cardia, esophagus, sympathetic, shenmen, spleen, liver A (4): lung, pancreas, gallbladder, adrenal gland |
Acupoint detector | Several times/day for 1-2 minutes acupoint/time until de qi | Not reported |
|
| |||||
| S4 | Auricular acupressure using plant seeds |
4: stomach, shenmen, sympathetic, adrenal gland | Not reported | 3-4 times/day for 3 minutes/time | 3 days |
|
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| S5 | Auricular acupuncture |
M (3): stomach, shenmen, sympathetic A (2): liver, spleen |
Acupoint detector | 4-5 times/day for 1 minute/time, Press when feeling nausea or vomiting |
1 day |
|
| |||||
| S6 | Auricular acupressure using plant seeds |
5: shenmen, sympathetic, cardia, stomach, digestive subcortex | Acupoint detector | At least 3 times/day for at least 3 periods of 3-minute duration, Press as soon as feeling nausea |
7 days |
|
| |||||
| S7 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (3): stomach, sympathetic, shenmen
A (4): liver, spleen, cardia, esophagus |
Not reported | 5-6 times/day for 2 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | 7 days |
|
| |||||
| S8 | Auricular acupressure using radish seeds |
5: shenmen, stomach, sympathetic, spleen, large intestine | Acupoint detector | 4 times/day for 5 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | 7 days |
|
| |||||
| S9 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
7: stomach, liver, spleen, cardia, shenmen, sympathetic, subcortex | Not reported | 3 times (morning, noon, night)/day for 5 minutes/time until de qi | 27 days for one treatment, 2 treatments in total (crossover after 1st intervention) |
|
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| S10 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
4: stomach, shenmen, sympathetic, endocrine | Acupoint detector | Regularly press until de qi | Not reported |
|
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| S11 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (3): stomach, sympathetic, shenmen
A (3): liver, spleen, large intestine |
Not reported | 3-4 times/day for 2 minutes/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
| |||||
| S12 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
7: endocrine, shenmen, sympathetic, stomach, cardia, spleen, sanjiao | Acupoint detector | 8 times (before and after three meals and chemotherapy)/day for 1 minute/acupoint/time until de qi | 7 days |
|
| |||||
| S13 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (5): stomach, cardia, esophagus, shenmen, small intestine A (2): large intestine, rectum |
Acupoint detector | 4–6 times/day for 60–150 seconds/acupoint/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
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| S14 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
7: lung, spleen, stomach, center of ear, large intestine, shenmen, subcortex | Not reported | 3 times/day for 1-2 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi
Press when feeling nausea or vomiting |
A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
| |||||
| S15 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (4): stomach, shenmen, liver, subcortex A (4): spleen, lung, kidney, heart |
Not reported | 5-6 times/day for 3–5 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | 2 days |
|
| |||||
| S16 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
3: stomach, shenmen, subcortex | Acupoint detector | 4-5 times/day for 10–15 minutes/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
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| S17 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
6: shenmen, stomach, sympathetic, subcortex, center of ear, spleen | Cotton swab | 3–5 times/day for 30–60 seconds/acupoint/time until de qi | 7 days |
|
| |||||
| S18 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
3: stomach, shenmen, subcortex | Acupoint detector | 4-5 times/day for 10–15 minutes/time until de qi | From the day prior to the current chemotherapy cycle to two days after the completion of the current cycle |
|
| |||||
| S19 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
3: stomach, shenmen, sympathetic | Needle | 5-6 times/day for 3–5 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
| |||||
| S20 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (3): stomach, shenmen, sympathetic A (2): liver, subcortex |
Needle | 5-6 times/day for 3–5 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
|
| |||||
| S21 | Auricular acupressure using Vaccaria seeds |
M (4): stomach, shenmen, subcortex, center of ear A (2): liver, occiput |
Cotton swab | 3–5 times/day for 1-2 minutes/acupoint/time until de qi | A complete chemotherapy cycle |
aStudy, b de qi: a subjective feeling of numbness, pressure sensation, heaviness, soreness, or distension.