Discussion
A single treatment session of active acupressure, placebo
acupressure, or relaxation CD resulted in reduced physiological
and subjective stress responses to a laboratory stressor,
although there were no significant differences among the
groups. Interestingly, a significant group difference was
found during the intervention itself. HRV (SDNN and LF
Figure 3 Subjective stress response throughout the experiment,
as measured with the PSM-9.
power) was greater for both acupressure groups (active and
placebo) than for the relaxation group. As increased HRV can
indicate better autonomic adaptation,14,29 this could suggest
an added benefit of touch treatment in comparison to the
relaxation intervention, especially since HRV was not signifi-
cantly different among the groups prior to the intervention.
However, as there were no group differences in HRV during
the post-treatment stressor, its exact meaning and potential
long-term benefits remain unknown.