Keywords
Constipation
Auriculotherapy
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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of auriculotherapy in constipation symptoms and quality of life in elderly people. Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial in which volunteers were divided into two groups: control (n = 11) and experimental (n = 11). Participants in both groups received guidance on lifestyle changes, and the experimental group received auriculotherapy as an intervention. At the beginning and end of the three-week follow-up, volunteers completed the PAC-SYM and PAC-QoL questionnaires. Results: PAC-SYM scores showed statistically significant differences between the groups from the 1st week of intervention, with significantly lower scores in the experimental group in the 1st week (p=0.02), 2nd week (p=0.02), and 3rd week (p=0.007). Regarding the PAC-QoL, from the 1st week onwards, the experimental group began to show significantly lower scores than the control group (1st week: p= 0.02; 2nd week: p= 0.02; 3rd week: p=0.007). Conclusion: In this study, auriculotherapy proved to be effective in improving the symptoms of constipation and quality of life, and may represent a perspective for complementary treatment for this clinical condition.
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