Can the prick of a needle prevent nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy?
One type of acupuncture may relieve vomiting up to 24 hours after a chemotherapy treatment when used along with certain anti-vomiting drugs. Nausea, on the other hand, seems to be relieved best by acupressure, a sort of scaled-back form of acupuncture patients can perform on themselves, concludes a review of studies published in The Cochrane Library.
In the study, researchers found that acupressure, a treatment that applies pressure to particular areas of the body, such as the wrist, significantly helped relieve the symptoms of nausea that are associated with chemotherapy treatment. Because acupressure can be performed on oneself or through the use of special wristbands, the researchers say it presents a safe and inexpensive option for cancer patients.
"If our finding is correct, then acupressure offers a no-cost, convenient, self-administered intervention for chemotherapy patients to reduce nausea," said study author Dr. Jeanette Ezzo, of James P. Swyers Enterprises, a company dedicated to developing new alternative therapies.
The researchers' findings on vomiting relief, however, were a bit more complicated.
