Table 1.
Location of acupoints used in the acupuncture group
| Acupoints | Location | Depth |
| Baihui (DU20) | 5 cun directly above the midpoint of the posterior hairline, or at the midpoint of the line connecting the apexes of the two auricles. | 0.2 cun |
| Shengting (DU24) | 1.0 cun directly above the midpoint of posterior hairline. | 0.2 cun |
| Fengfu (DU16) | On the back of neck, 1 cun directly above the midpoint of the posterior hairline, directly below the external occipital protuberance. | 0.5–0.1 cun |
| Fengchi (GB20) | On the nape, below the occiput, at the level of Fengfu, in the depression between the upper portion of sternocleidomastoideus and trapezius muscle. | 0.5–0.8 cun |
| Danzhong (RN17) | On the anterior median line of the chest, at the level of the fourth intercostal space, at the midpoint between the two nipples. | 0.5 cun |
| Zhongwan (RN12) | On the anterior median line of the upper abdomen, 4 cun above the umbilicus. | 1–1.5 cun |
| Qihai (RN6) | On the anterior median line of the lower abdomen, 1.5 cun below the umbilicus. | 1–1.5 cun |
| Neiguan (PC6) | On the palmar aspect of forearm, 2.0 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist, between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis muscle. | 0.5–0.1 cun |
| Tongli (HT5), | On the radial aspect of the tendon of the ulnar flexor muscle of the wrist, and 1 cun above the carpal crease. | 0.3–0.5 cun |
| Xuehai (SP10) | When the knee is flexed, on the medial aspect of the thigh, the point is 2 cun above the mediosuperior border of the patella, on the bulge of the medial portion of muscle quadriceps femoris. | 0.8–1 cun |
| Zusanli (ST36) | 3 cun directly below Dubi* and 1 fingerbreadth lateral to the anterior border of the tibia. | 0.8–1 cun |
| Zhaohai (KI6) | On the depression below the tip of the medial malleolus. | 0.5–0.8 cun |
| Xinshu (BL15) | 1.5 cun from the lower border of the spinous process of the fifth thoracic vertebra. | 0.3–0.5 cun |
| Yixi (BL45) | 3 cun from the lower border of the spinous process of the sixth thoracic vertebra. | 0.5–0.8 cun |
*Dubi location: when the knee is flexed, the point is at the knee, below the patella, in the depression from the patella ligament.