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Baliao Acupoint Stimulation toTreat Functional Constipation
Sponsor: Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Summary
This study is a randomized controlled trial that explores how a specific acupuncture treatment might help people with functional constipation. The investigators are testing the idea that a treatment called "acupuncture at the Baliao acupoints" could work by changing the way certain parts of the brain connect and function. These brain changes might help improve gut function and relieve constipation symptoms. The investigators will work with people who have functional constipation. Some participants will receive the real Baliao acupoint thread embedding, while others will get a sham acupuncture as a comparison. Using special brain imaging techniques, the investigators will look at how the brain's connections and structures change. The investigators will also track how often participants have bowel movements, the consistency of their stools, and their overall symptoms and quality of life. By comparing these results, the investigators hope to understand how the Baliao acupoint treatment works and why it might be effective for constipation.
Official title: Effects and Mechanism of Baliao Acupoint Stimulation (BL31~BL34) for Functional Constipation
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
36
Start Date
2025-06-20
Completion Date
2026-07-30
Last Updated
2025-06-08
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Acupuncture
Patients will be instructed to lie in the supine position. After strict disinfection of the acupoints area, acupuncture needles will be inserted into the Baliao points (inserted at the surface projections of the first, second, and third pairs of sacral foramina, with a depth of 3-4 cm). The treatment will be administered five times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a total of two weeks.
Sham acupuncture
Patients will be instructed to lie in the supine position. After strict disinfection of the sham acupoints area, acupuncture needles will be inserted lateral to the surface projections of the first, second, and third pairs of sacral foramina, with a depth of 1 cm.The treatment will be administered five times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a total of two weeks.