immediate effects of auriculotherapy on exam anxiety in naturopathy medical students: a randomized controlled trial

Background: exam anxiety is prevalent among students, particularly those in medical fields, and can lead to psychosomatic symptoms. auriculotherapy, a minimally invasive treatment, may alleviate anxiety by stimulating the vagus and trigeminal nerves.objectives: this randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the immediate effects of auriculotherapy on exam-related anxiety and physiological stress markers in students.methods: we conducted a single-center, randomized controlled trial involving 60 first-year naturopathy medical students. participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n=30), which received auriculotherapy at the shenmen and point zero acupoints for three hours, or a control group (n=30), which did not receive any intervention. anxiety levels were evaluated using the hamilton anxiety rating scale (ham-a), in addition, blood pressure (bp) and heart rate (hr) were measured before and after the intervention.results: the intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in ham-a scores (13±8, 95% ci, p<0.007) and systolic bp (110±8, 95% ci, p<0.045) compared to the control group. although diastolic bp showed a decreasing trend (p=0.068), no significant changes were observed in hr.conclusion: auriculotherapy effectively reduces exam anxiety and lowers blood pressure, indicating its potential role in enhancing parasympathetic activity. this intervention presents a simple, safe, and cost-effective strategy for managing exam-related stress among students.