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Shiatsu
(Acupressure)
Research
Listed below are health
problems for which Acupressure has been shown to help. For full details,
please click on the health problem.
Acupressure
& Nausea and Vomiting
Despite the use of antiemetic drugs, chemotherapy commonly causes severe
nausea and vomiting in patients. But scientists have discovered that
acupressure may hold the solution to the problem. Researchers at the
Northern Ireland Radiotherapy centre, Belvoir Park Hospital, Belfast (1),
found that of 105 patients who had failed to respond favourably to drug
therapy, acupressure succeeded in preventing nausea and vomiting in 66% of
the patients and, in fact, only 6% of the patients failed to benefit from
the acupressure treatment.
The acupressure was given
alongside the antiemetic drugs and although there were no side effects,
the benefits only lasted 6-8 hours. This presented no problem for
hospitalized patients where the treatment could be repeated when needed,
but it was a problem for out-patients. The researchers therefore looked
for ways of extending the antiemetic action of the acupressure and
eventually found the answer. Simply by placing an elasticated wrist band
with a stud placed over the acupuncture point (P6), and pressed regularly
for up to 24 hours. The treatment work for all (20/20) of the hospitalized
patients and 75% (15/20) of the out-patients. ( The researchers summarised
that the treatment was more effective for hospitalized patients, because
unlike out-patients, they were regularly encouraged to to press the stud
on the acupuncture point.
The researcher concluded
that a commercially available elasticated with a plastic stud (sea
sickness band) would be an effective method of applying pressure to point
P6 and alleviating vomiting and nausea induced by chemotherapy in cancer
patients.
In another study (2), 162
general surgical patients were randomly selected to receive one of three
treatments for post operative nausea and vomiting:
- acupressure using
elasticated bands containing a plastic button to apply sustained
pressure to at the P6 (Neiguan) acupuncture point above the wrist,
- control dummy bands
without the pressure button bands,
- Antiemetic injections
of Prochlorperazine
All patients received
papaveretum injections as required for pain, and additional
prochlorperazine injections were prescribed if nausea was not controlled
in groups 1 and 2. The severity of nausea was assessed using linear
analogue scale and was significantly reduced by acupressure in comparison
to both the placebo and drug groups. The incidence of post operative
vomiting, and the need fo unplanned antiemetic injections was also reduced
by acupressure, and the researchers were so impressed by the results that
they recommended that acupressure should be investigated in other clinical
situations as well.
- Prolongation of the
antiemetic action of P6 acupuncture by acupressure in patients having
cancer chemotherapy. Dundee JW; Yang J northern Ireland Radiotherapy
centre, Belvoir Park Hospital, Belfast. JR soc med (ENGLAND) Jun 1990,
83 (6) p360-2
Post operative nausea is
relieved by acupressure. Barsoum G; Perry EP; Fraser IA Department of
surgery, Walsgrave General Hospital, Coventry. JR soc med (ENGLAND) Feb
1990, 83 (2) p86-9
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Acupressure
& Nausea and Vomiting after gynaecological surgery.
Acupuncture and
acupressure have previously been reported to possess an antiemetic
effect. Researchers at the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive
Care, University Hospital in
Linkoping, Sweden
investigated this action for the prevention of postoperative nausea
and vomiting(PONV).
Sixty women undergoing
outpatient minor gynaecological surgery were entered into a
double-blind and randomised study. One group received acupressure with
bilateral stimulation of P6 (A), a second group received bilateral
placebo stimulation (P) and a third group received no acupressure
wrist band and served as a reference group (R). PONV was evaluated as
number of patients with complete response (no PONV), nausea only or
vomiting. In addition, the need for rescue antiemetic medication and
nausea after 24 h was registered.
Complete response was
obtained in 11, 11 and 9 patients in groups, A, P and R, respectively.
Nine, 7 and 6 patients had nausea before discharge home, and 1, 1 and
8 patients were nauseated (8 vs 1 patient: P < 0.05) 24 h after
operation in A, P and R groups, respectively. When compared to placebo
acupressure (2 patients vomited and 5 needed rescue), significantly (P
< 0.05) fewer needed rescue antiemetic medication after acupressure
at P6 (no vomiting or rescue medication). When compared to the
observation group (5 vomited and 4 needed rescue antiemetics),
significantly fewer vomited after acupressure (P < 0.05)
The study concluded
that patients undergoing brief gynaecological surgery, placebo effect
of acupressure decreased nausea after 24 h but vomiting and need of
rescue antiemetics was reduced only by acupressure with the correct P6
point stimulation.
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand
1999 Mar;43(3):270-4 Alkaissi A, Stalnert M, Kalman S
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Acupressure-acupuncture
& Children undergoing tonsillectomy
Acupuncture
or acupressure at the Nei-Guan (P.6) point on the wrist produces
antiemetic effects in awake but not anesthetized patients. The authors
of this study investigated whether a combined approach using
preoperative acupressure and intra- and postoperative acupuncture can
prevent emesis following tonsillectomy in children.
Patients 2-12 yr of age were randomly
assigned to study or placebo groups. Two Acubands with (study) and two
without (placebo) spherical beads were applied bilaterally on the P.6
points; non-bead- and bead-containing Acubands, respectively, were
applied on the sham points. All Acubands were applied before any drug
administration. After anesthetic induction, acupuncture needles were
substituted for the beads and remained in situ until the next day. All
points were covered with opaque tape to prevent study group
identification. A uniform anesthetic technique was used; postoperative
pain was managed initially with morphine and later with acetaminophen
and codeine. Emesis, defined as retching or vomiting, was assessed
postoperatively. Ondansetron was administered only after two emetic
episodes at least 2 min apart. Droperidol was added if emesis
persisted.
One hundred patients were enrolled in the
study. There were no differences in age, weight, follow-up duration,
or perioperative opioid administration between groups. Retching
occurred in 26% of the study patients and in 28% of the placebo
patients; 51 and 55%, respectively, vomited; and 60 and 59%,
respectively, did either. There were no significant differences
between the groups. Redness occurred in 8.5% of acupuncture sites.
The report concluded that Perioperative
acupressure and acupuncture did not diminish emesis in children
following tonsillectomy.
Anesthesiology
1999 May;90(5):1311-6 Shenkman
Z, Holzman RS, Kim C, Ferrari LR, DiCanzio J, Highfield ES, Van Keuren
K, Kaptchuk T, Kenna MA, Berde CB, Rockoff MA
Department of
Anesthesia, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA.
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Acupressure
and weight loss
There have been reports that acupressure treatment can help obese patients
lose weight and a recent study conducted at the Obesity Research Center, St
Luke 's:Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University College Physicians
Surgery, New York, NY USA put these claims to the test in a randomised
placebo-controlled trial using an auricular acupressure device.
96 obese adult volunteers, 80 females
and 16 males, between 19 and 70 years of age were randomly assigned to
either receive acupressure treatment or placebo treatment. The acupressure
group received a special acupressure device and were instructed to use the
device in their dominant ear, whereas the placebo group received an
acupressure device for their wrist. Participants were monitored for 12
weeks.
Weight, body fat, and blood pressure
were measured every two weeks. The results showed that all of the
participants combined lost, on average, 0.96 kg. However, there was no
difference between the two groups on weight loss was not significant; the
average weight loss in the treatment group was 1.28 kilo and 0.63 in the
placebo group. Similarly, there were no
significant differences between the
two groups regarding fat loss or blood pressure reduction.
The study concluded that the
acupressure device appears to be a safe device as it did not cause any
harmful side effects. However, it did not seem to promote significantly
greater weight or fat loss, or declines in blood pressure than placebo
treatment, and therefore further studies will be necessary before a firm
conclusion can be found.
Allison D.B.; Kreibich K.;
Heshka S.; Heymsfield S.B. A randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of
an acupressure device for weight loss. International Journal of Obesity
(United Kingdom) , 1995, 19/9 (653-658)
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Acupressure
& Postoperative nausea and vomiting.
Postoperative
nausea and vomiting are still common problems after general anesthesia,
especially in ambulatory surgery. Drug therapy is often complicated with
central nervous system symptoms. Researchers studied the use of
acupressure at the Pericardium 6 (P.6) (Nei-Guan) meridian point as a
method of alleviating postoperative nausea and vomiting.
Two hundred consecutive
healthy patients undergoing a variety of short surgical procedures were
included in a randomized, double-blind study: 108 patients were in the
acupressure group (Group 1) and 92 patients were in the control group
(Group 2). Spherical beads of acupressure bands were placed at the P.6
points in the anterior surface of both forearms in Group 1 patients,
while in Group 2 they were placed inappropriately on the posterior
surface. The acupressure bands were placed before induction of
anesthesia and were removed 6 h postoperatively. They were covered with
a soft cotton wrapping to conceal them from the blinded observer who
evaluated the patients for presence of nausea and vomiting and checked
the order sheet for any antiemetics prescribed. In both groups, the age,
gender, height, weight, and type and duration of surgical procedures
were all comparable without significant statistical difference. In Group
1, only 25 of 108 patients (23%) had nausea and vomiting as compared to
Group 2, in which 38 of 92 patients (41%) had nausea and vomiting (P =
0.0058).
The report concluded that
acupressure at the P.6 (Nei-Guan) point is an effective prophylaxis for
postsurgical nausea and vomiting and therefore a good alternative to
conventional antiemetic treatment.
Anesth Analg 1997
Apr;84(4):821-5, Fan CF, Tanhui E, Joshi S, Trivedi S, Hong Y, Shevde K,
Department of Anesthesiology, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New
York, 11219, USA.
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Acupressure
wrist bands & Travel sickness
Following reports
relating the successful use of acupressure in the alleviation of morning
sickness and nausea/vomiting following surgery ( see ALTERNATIVES in
health™ vol. 1:1;6 & 2:3;4), researchers at the Maven Laboratories,
Inc., Citrus Heights, California, USA investigated the use of acupressure
wrist bands for the relief of motion (or travel) sickness.
Nausea and vomiting caused
by motion sickness are serious and sometimes debilitating symptoms for
people who travel by sea and air (as well as astronauts). In order to
treat these symptoms, a portable acupressure device, known as ‘the
Relief Band’, was designed to deliver acustimulation to the Neiguan (P6)
acupuncture point on the traveller’s wrist.
Nine volunteers used the
device on (I) a placebo point or (ii) the P6 active point on the open seas
outside the San Francisco Bay. Motion sickness symptoms were then graded
from 1 (meaning that the person was ‘feeling fine’) to 5 (meaning that
the person was feeling ‘intermittent vomiting, with or without nausea’).
Five of the people with
motion sickness initially positioned the device at the placebo site and
reported minimal symptom improvement (falling from an average of 3.6 to
3.4), whereas the other four subjects initially used the device in the P6
position and reported decreased symptoms (falling from 4.3 to 1.0).
The position of the Relief
Band was then switched; in the four subjects who switched to the placebo
position, symptoms worsened (rising from 1.0 back up to 4.0 ); whereas, in
the five subjects where the device was switched to the P6 position,
symptoms improved in all of the subject s( falling from an average of 3.4
to 1.0).
The report concluded that
motion sickness symptoms were clearly suppressed by the portable
acustimulation in field studies of seasickness. The Relief Band may
therefore offer an effective alternative to drug treatments of the nausea
and vomiting related to seasickness.
Although this was a small
study, it was conducted using an excellent cross-over, double-blind
protocol and provides strong evidence to support the use of acupressure
wrist bands to alleviate travel sickness.
Bertolucci LE; DiDario B.
Efficacy of a portable acustimulation device in controlling seasickness.
Aviat Space Environ Med
(UNITED STATES) Dec 1995, 66 (12) p1155-8
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