Electrical stimulation benefited women with constipation in a recent clinical trial published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
In the trial, 33 women with constipation that had not improved with standard treatment received either real or sham electrical stimulation on the stomach and back for 1 hour each day for 6 weeks. The women did not know whether they were receiving the real or the sham treatment.
Treatment was successful in 53% of the women in the first group but only 12% in the second. Furthermore, the improvement in symptoms lasted for at least 3 months after the treatment ended, and there were no reported side effects.
This treatment is very promising and offers patients a well-tolerated alternative to laxative medications."
Judith S. Moore, PhD, RN, Study Lead Author, Monash University in Australia
Source:
Journal reference:
Moore, J. S. et al. (2020) Randomised clinical trial: transabdominal interferential electrical stimulation vs sham stimulation in women with functional constipation. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. doi.org/10.1111/apt.15642.
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