Nausea, Vomiting
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with postoperative sickness, chemotherapy, and pregnancy. Evidence suggests that acupuncture can affect autonomic reflexes, though the exact mechanism is still not clear. According to the National Institutes of Health’s 1997 Consensus on Acupuncture, nausea and vomiting is one area in which the therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture has been repeatedly demonstrated in well-controlled studies.
Fan, C. F., et al., (1997). Acupressure treatment for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anesth Analg 84(4):821-5. 200 subjects undergoing short surgical procedures were randomized to acupuncture or control groups. Patients treated with acupuncture had a significantly lower incidence of nausea and vomiting compared to controls.
Vickers, A. J., (1996) Can acupuncture have specific effects on health? A systematic review of acupuncture anti-emesis trials. J R Soc Med 89(6):303-11. Review of anti-emesis trials showed that acupuncture at point P6 was statistically superior to placebo control (27 of 29 trials).
Al-Sadi, M., et. al., (1997) Acupuncture in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anaesthesia 52(7):658-61. 81 patients admitted for same day gynecologic laproscopic surgery were randomized to acupuncture or placebo. Patients who received acupuncture had decreased post-operative nausea and vomiting while in the hospital and after discharge.
Kim, (2002) Nausea and Vomiting after Abdominal Hysterectomy. Anesth Analg. 2002 Oct;95(4):1103-7. 1 group each for 2 points, and one placebo group. “Capsicum plaster at either the Korean hand acupuncture point K-D2 or the Pericardium 6 acupoint reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy.” 160 subjects.
Smith C, Crowther C, Beilby J. Acupuncture to treat nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Birth 2002 Mar;29(1):1-9.
Werntoft E, Dykes AK. Effect of acupressure on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. A randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot study. J Reprod Med 2001 Sep;46(9):835-9 J Reprod Med. 2001 Dec;46(12):1079.
Norheim AJ, Pedersen EJ, Fonnebo V, Berge L. Acupressure treatment of morning sickness in pregnancy. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Scand J Prim Health Care 2001 Mar;19(1):43-7
Carlsson CP, Axemo P, Bodin A, Carstensen H, Ehrenroth B, Madegard-Lind I, Navander C. Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum: a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind, crossover study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2000 Oct;20(4):273-9
|
