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.