Healing Value of Duct Tape
I once had a daily calendar that expounded the 365 ways of using duct tape. Healing bladder issues was not one of them but could it be?
“Imiquimod 5% cream and duct tape occlusion combination therapy is an effective alternative treatment modality for the treatment of the common verruca.”
— Kim, S. Y., S. K. Jung, et al. (2013). “New alternative combination therapy for recalcitrant common warts: the efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream and duct tape combination therapy.” Ann Dermatol 25(2): 261–263.
The mechanism is unclear but research indicates that the irritation of the duct tape draws more immune resources to the area, allowing the medication to do its job and stimulating the immune system for wart elimination.
Working on the premise that duct tape acts as an irritant and stimulates immune function in the area of application, I recently suggested to a client that she apply a small circle of duct tape to an acupuncture point, Spleen 6, near the inside of the ankle. Each day she put on a new piece of duct tape after tapping and rubbing the Spleen 6 point (SP 6).
One week later she reported that she did not have any accidents during the week and urinated more frequently than usual. Both were changes from the previous months and since her diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis.
So What Is Going On and What Does The Research Indicate
Research from the Journal of Urology indicates that stimulation of the percutaneous tibial nerve improves bladder function. So what are some ways to stimulate this nerve in the leg?
One of the access points for the percutaneous or posterior tibial nerve is on the lower, inner aspect of the leg, slightly above [towards the head] to the medial malleolus [large bump on the inner ankle]. In Traditional Chinese Medicine this is know as Spleen (SP) 6 acupuncture point.
It can be stimulated in a medical doctors office with electrodes attached to a fine needle; by an acupuncture needle, by a hand pressing or rubbing the point; or with sound or light or scent related therapies.
Note that the spleen meridian is associated with the color yellow and the earth element along with the stomach and pancreas.
“Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation is an effective second line therapy for lower urinary tract symptoms. Data on percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation maintenance treatment are scarce. In this study we evaluate its effectiveness and propose an algorithm of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation maintenance treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis.
In this prospective, multicenter, open label trial consecutive patients with multiple sclerosis and lower urinary tract symptoms unresponsive to medical therapy were treated with 12 weekly sessions of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation. Responder patients (50% or greater improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms as measured by the patient perception of bladder condition questionnaire) entered a maintenance phase with individualized treatment frequency based on patient response. Lower urinary tract symptoms were assessed using a 3-day frequency volume chart, urodynamics and patient perception of bladder condition questionnaire. Treatment satisfaction was evaluated using a global response assessment scale and a treatment satisfaction visual analog scale.”
Researchers concluded, “Prolonged percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation treatment leads to a persistent improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis.”
— Zecca, C., G. A. Digesu, et al. (2014). “Maintenance percutaneous posterior nerve stimulation for refractory lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis: an open label, multicenter, prospective study.” J Urol 191(3): 697–702.
Another stude looked at a different aspect of bladder function: “We aimed to assess the efficacy of acupressure for treating nocturnal enuresis [bed wetting], compared with oxybutinin. Acupressure was administered to 12 patients by their parents, who had been taught the technique. Pressure was applied at acupuncture points Gv4, Gv15, Gv20, B23, B28, B32, H7, H9, St36, Sp4, Sp6, Sp12, Ren2, Ren3, Ren6, K3 and K5. Twelve control patients received 0.4 mg/kg oxybutinin. Parents were asked to record incidences of bed-wetting and patients and/or parents completed a questionnaire 15 days and 1, 3 and 6 months after the start of treatment. Complete and partial responses after 6 months of treatment were seen in 83.3% and 16.7%, respectively, of patients treated with acupressure, and in 58.3% and 33.3%, respectively, of children who received oxybutinin. In conclusion, nocturnal enuresis can be partially treated by oxybutinin but acupressure could be an alternative non-drug therapy. Acupressure has the advantages of being non-invasive, painless and cost-effective.”
— Yuksek, M. S., A. F. Erdem, et al. (2003). “Acupressure versus oxybutinin in the treatment of enuresis.” J Int Med Res 31(6): 552–556.
Other Benefits of Acupressure on Spleen (SP) 6
Other studies have linked the Spleen 6 point with improvements in menstrual distress and low back pain.
“The experimental group (n = 65) received acupressure massage three times a week for 30 minutes on the sanyinjiao (SP6), ciliao (BL32), and taichong (Liver 3) acupoints. The control group (n = 64) received only a manual of menstrual health education without acupressure intervention. During the 12-month follow-up, the experimental group had significantly lower menstrual distress and LBP scores than the control group.
— Chen, H. M., H. H. Wang, et al. (2014). “Effects of Acupressure on Menstrual Distress and Low Back Pain in Dysmenorrheic Young Adult Women: An Experimental Study.” Pain Manag Nurs.
Another study showed increased energy with acupressure or stimulation of SP6 and several other points. “For this experimental study, 57 subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: acupressure with essential oils (n=17), acupressure only (n=24), and sham acupressure (n=16). Acupoints were Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36), and Sanyingjiao (SP6).” researchers noted, “after controlling for baseline outcome values, age, and adherence to acupressure, subjects who received acupressure with essential oils and acupressure had significantly less fatigue in daily living activities and sleep better quality at T1 than subjects who received sham acupressure. It is plausible that acupressure with or without essential oils helps lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy reduce cancer-related fatigue and increase activity level.”
— Tang, W. R., W. J. Chen, et al. (2014). “Effects of acupressure on fatigue of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: an experimental pilot study.” Complement Ther Med 22(4): 581–591.
In this study researcher used acupressure intervention on the Shenmen (He7) and He Gu (Li4) points in the hands and Sanyingjao (sp6) point in the feet for 4 weeks beside routine care and control group received only routine care. “This study supports the effectiveness of acupressure in improving sleep quality of end-stage renal disease patients as a noninvasive therapy.
— Shariati, A., S. Jahani, et al. (2012). “The effect of acupressure on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients.” Complement Ther Med 20(6): 417–423.
The spleen 6 point seems also to improve overall women’s health. “This study’s objective was to examine the effectiveness of Sanyinjiao point (SP6) acupressure on women’s general health. The efficacy of acupressure was more than that of sham pressure. SP6 acupressure could be regarded as a self-manageable approach to improve women’s general health.”
— Kashefi, F., M. Khajehei, et al. (2011). “The efficacy of acupressure at the Sanyinjiao point in the improvement of women’s general health.” J Altern Complement Med 17(12): 1141–1147.
Perhaps one of the ways that Spleen 6 is useful is through a positive influence on blood flow and blood pressure. In this study, “six patients (group A) were assigned as controls without any acupoint stimulation, while 24 (group B) underwent stimulation at acupoints by acupressure. The acupoints Yanglingquan (GB34), Zusanli (ST36), Yinlingquan (SP9), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) of the symptomatic lower limbs were stimulated for 3 min. Transcutaneous oximetry (tcPO2) was used to determine the blood flow of the chest wall, bilateral distal crura, and bilateral dorsa of the foot before and during the stimulations at the acupoints. Group A showed no significant change in the lower limb blood flow. In group B, the tcPO2 values of chest wall, bilateral distal crura, and the dorsum of foot of the stimulated lower limb increased significantly during acupressure. Acupressure was found to cause significant increases in the lower limb blood flow of stage II PAOD patients. This treatment modality may therefore be effective for improving the symptoms of such patients.”
— Li, X., M. Hirokawa, et al. (2007). “Effects of acupressure on lower limb blood flow for the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive diseases.” Surg Today 37(2): 103–108.
While the mechanisms are not always known, recent research in peer reviewed medical journals indicates that the stimulation of the acupuncture point Spleen 6 can improve symptoms.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on January 20, 2015.
