ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2014
Adverse events of auricular therapy: a systematic review.
Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 45 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Acupuncture for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Surgery
Self-Administration of Auricular Acupuncture Pilot Project
Changes in Skin Surface Temperature of the Lumbar Region During Auricular Acupressure at Kidney Point on Healthy Volunteers
Evaluating Efficacy and Safety of Auricular Acupressure in Treating Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Auricular Acupuncture in Improving Dry Eye Symptoms in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of traditional Chinese medicine nursing techniques combined with music-based interventions on sleep in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Acupressure on Sleep Quality Among Inpatients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing & health sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Auricular pressure as an adjuvant treatment for type 2 diabetes: data mining and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- Auricular Acupressure for Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture and or Moxibustion for Managing Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Clinical nursing research · 2022Pooled it
- Acupuncture-related adverse events: systematic review and meta-analyses of prospective clinical studies.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Safety of Acupuncture: Overview of Systematic Reviews.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Effect of acupuncture on fatigue in cancer survivors with chronic pain: a secondary analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Trial
- Auriculotherapy and acupuncture treatments for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a multicenter clinical trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Auricular Acupuncture for Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Laser auriculotherapy for the treatment of pain: a scoping review.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Efficacy of herbal medicine Xiao-Feng-San combined with auricular acupuncture for atopic dermatitis: A randomized controlled trial.Integrative medicine research · 2026Article
- Development of an evidence-based auriculotherapy program for urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2025Article
- Evaluating efficacy and safety of auricular acupressure in treating allergic rhinitis: A randomized controlled trial.Integrative medicine research · 2025Article
- Should thread-embedding and auricular acupuncture be combined rather than used individually for non-specific chronic low back pain?: A double-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.Integrative medicine research · 2025Article
- Post-Acupuncture Acute Cervical Spinal Epidural Hematoma With Hemiplegia Misdiagnosed as Cerebral Infarction: A Case Report and Literature Review.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Acceptance Scale for Traditional Chinese Medicine Techniques in Cancer Patients: Development and Validation.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Auriculotherapy in primary care: profile of graduates from a large-scale course.Revista de saude publica · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the literature on adverse events associated with auricular therapy (AT). Case reports, case series, surveys, and all types of clinical trials reporting adverse events of AT were included. Relevant articles were mainly retrieved from 13 electronic databases and seven Chinese journals on complementary medicine. AT-related adverse events were reported in 32 randomized controlled trials, five uncontrolled clinical trials, four case reports, and two controlled clinical trials. For auricular acupuncture, the most frequently reported adverse events were tenderness or pain at insertion, dizziness, local discomfort, minor bleeding and nausea, and so forth. For auricular acupressure, local skin irritation and discomfort, mild tenderness or pain, and dizziness were commonly reported. Skin irritation, local discomfort, and pain were detected in auricular electroacupuncture, and minor infection was identified in auricular bloodletting therapy. Most of these events were transient, mild, and tolerable, and no serious adverse events were identified. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that AT is a relatively safe approach. Considering the patient's safety, prospective or retrospective surveys are needed in future research to gather practitioner-reported and patient-reported adverse events on AT, and the quality of adverse events reporting in future AT trials should be improved.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.