Effectiveness and safety of auriculotherapy for breastfeeding: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and critically evaluate the evidence pertaining to the effectiveness and safety of auriculotherapy for breastfeeding. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of 10 databases from their inception dates to May 15, 2017. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness and safety of auriculotherapy for breastfeeding were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: This review included 31 randomized controlled trials with 5389 participants. Owing to the obvious clinical or statistical heterogeneity, a Meta-analysis was not conducted. Twenty-nine studies compared auriculotherapy plus routine care with routine care alone. No consistent adjunctive effect of auriculotherapy was observed in increasing the volume of milk production (9 studies showed significant results in favor of auriculotherapy and 5 did not) and serum prolactin level (7 studies showed significant results in favor of auriculotherapy and 2 did not), and in facilitating the initiation of milk secretion (10 studies showed significant results in favor of auriculotherapy and 7 did not). Two studies compared auriculotherapy with no treatment. Auriculotherapy as a nnonotherapy showed significant effects in increasing serum prolactin level and facilitating the onset of milk secretion; however, it was limited and inconclusive because only two studies were included in this comparison. The subgroup analysis of women who underwent cesarean delivery showed inconsistent results with respect to all outcomes. No serious adverse events were reported with the use of auriculotherapy. The methodological quality of the included studies was generally poor. CONCLUSION: Although some studies showed positive results, no definite conclusion about the effectiveness and safety of auriculotherapy for breastfeeding could be drawn, owing to the low methodological quality of the included studies and the heterogeneity among trials. Large-scale, well-designed studies are warranted on this topic. (C) 2020 JTCM. All rights reserved.