Auricular acupressure as a complementary therapy for psoriasis vulgaris : study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Jingwen Deng, Chuanjian Lu, Yu Xiang, Hao Deng, Zehuai Wen, Danni Yao, Meiling Xuan & Yuhong Yan

The auricular acupoints are based on a set of anatomical maps superimposed onto the ear. The following auricular points will be used for treatment : Lung (Fei, CO14), Shenmen (TF4), endocrine (CO18), Subcortex (AT4) and Liver (Gan, CO12)

The primary aim of the present study is to evaluate the control of psoriasis recurrence after auricular acupressure plus usual treatment in patients. The secondary aim is to evaluate the effect of the auricular acupressure plus usual treatment versus usual treatment alone on cutaneous symptom reduction at 4 weeks. We hypothesize that the combined treatment group will contain a higher proportion of patients who are better maintaining their recover status after achieving PASI-50, and who have a greater reduction in cutaneous symptoms at 4 weeks, compared with the usual treatment group. We are unable to find any previously published studies that addressed these questions. This study is one of the first trials to evaluate the effect of auricular acupressure on psoriasis. It may contribute to the aims described above when auricular acupressure is used in addition to medication.