Is Acupuncture an Effective Adjunct Therapy in Improving Quality of Life Outcomes of Women, 18-25 years old, with Clinically Diagnosed Disordered Eating?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this EBM is to determine whether or not acupuncture can be used as an adjunct therapy in improving quality of life outcomes in women, 18-25 years old, with a clinically diagnosed eating disorder. STUDY DESIGN: Systemic review of one randomized cross-over pilot study published in 2010, one randomized controlled trial published in 2013, and one pilot randomized controlled trial published in 2014, all published in the English language DATA SOURCES: Data sources for this review were articles published in peer-reviewed journals using PubMed Database. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured include patient response to treatment and improvements of anxiety and overall quality of life by using the self-scored State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Eating Disorder Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: The study by Fogarty et al. showed clinically significant improvement (p=0.0557) in EDQoL Psychological scores in patients receiving acupuncture, in addition to clinically significant improvement in STAI State (p=0.0172) and STAI Trait (p=0.0920) scores. The second study by Fogarty et al. showed similar improvements in patient receiving acupuncture, in addition to improved feelings of empathy and the therapeutic relationship. The final study by Smith et al. showed clinically significant (p=0.02) improvement in EDQoL Psychological scores in patients receiving acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: The results of these trials were all promising, but further research is warranted to assess the benefits of using acupuncture as adjunct therapy in eating disorders