A pilot study undertaken in Germany, has shown that ear acupuncture can help to reduce pre-exam anxiety in medical students. Ten students were given a simple ear acupuncture treatment the day before their anatomy exams. The needles were of a special design such that they could be left in place, and only removed after the exam. Anxiety levels were found to have decreased by almost 20% after acupuncture. The authors comment that all of the students tolerated the needles well and stated they would wish to receive acupuncture again for exam anxiety in the future.
(Auricular acupuncture for pre-exam anxiety in medical students: a prospective observational pilot investigation. Acupuncture in Medicine, October 2015.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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