The Effects of Acupressure on Improving Health and Reducing Cost for Patients Undergoing Thoracoscopic Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of practicing acupressure on the Shenmen and Neiguan acupoints with a view to reduce anxiety and improve the comfort and physical health of patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: A total of 100 hospitalized patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery were assigned randomly into the experimental (n = 49) and control groups (n = 51). Subjects in the experimental group received routine care plus acupressure on the Shenmen and Neiguan acupoints, while those in the control group received regular routine care. The data were collected using demographic information, physical and surgical data, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)-A, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y Form (STAI-Y1), and Shortened General Comfort Questionnaire scores. The linear mixed model was used to examine the influences of acupressure on VAS-A and STAI-Y1 scores at different time points before and after the surgery to observe group-by-time interactions. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 60.97 years. All subjects had mild-to-moderate anxiety after surgery and showed a statistically significant decline in regression coefficients on the first and second days after the intervention (ß = -11.61, p = 0.002; ß = -18.71, p < 0.001). Similarly, for STAI-YI scores, the data showed a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test interactions between the two groups (ß = 4.72, p = 0.031). Conversely, acupressure did not have a statistically significant difference on comfort (F = 2.953, p = 0.057). Compared with the control subjects, the experimental subjects used less morphine and developed side effects less frequently (p < 0.01). They were also able to get out of bed after surgery 163.79 min earlier (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acupressure is a simple and easy-to-practice treatment. Acupressure on the Shenmen and Neiguan acupoints reduces anxiety and improves recovery in patients after undergoing thoracoscopic surgery.

Efficacy of acupressure for chronic low back pain: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Establish the utility of acupressure for chronic low back pain (CLBP). DESIGN: A systematic review of English articles using PubMed and Embase was conducted from 01/2004-01/2020. Search terms included: "acupressure" and "chronic pain" or "low back pain". Articles included were randomized control trials evaluating acupressure in adult patients with CLBP. RESULTS: 150 studies met initial criteria; 6 were included (n = 468). The average total treatment length was 4 weeks. The main treatment outcomes were changes in pain, disability, and sleep. All studies found a clinically significant reduction (, ≥30% decrease) in pain for the treatment groups. All studies found a clinically significant and/or statistically significant improvement in disability in at least one of the treatment groups. All studies found a statistically significant improvement in sleep. No study found significant adverse events. CONCLUSION: Acupressure is a feasible, effective, safe, low cost nonpharmacologic method to treat CLBP.

Effect of economically friendly acustimulation approach against cybersickness in video-watching tasks using consumer virtual reality devices.

BACKGROUND: Consumer virtual reality (VR) devices are becoming more prevalent in the market, but cybersickness induced by VR devices limits their potential application and promotion. Acustimulation has been found effective in reducing cybersickness symptoms. However, in previous forms, the more effective way of acustimulation is either intrusive or electrical which is hard to be applied to daily VR use. PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to find a both simple and more effective acustimulation approach, acupressure plus acupaste (AcP+) to reducing the adverse effects caused by cybersickness from VR applications. METHOD: In this study, we set three conditions: acupressure plus acupaste (AcP+) (main condition of interest), acupressure with fake acupaste (AcP), and a no acustimulation condition (NoAcP). In AcP and AcP + conditions, we applied acupressure or acupressure with true acupaste on P6 point before conducting video-watching tasks using VR headsets, while in NoAcP condition, participants received no special treatment before video-watching tasks. We used questionnaires to measure symptoms of cybersickness and compared the results between these 3 conditions, especially between acupressure plus acupaste (AcP+) and acupressure (AcP) to examine the effect of AcP+, and compared AcP and AcP+ with NoAcP to confirm the effect of acustimulation. RESULT: Participants reported significant fewer symptoms of cybersickness nausea feelings in both acustimulation methods, compared with NoAcP; and AcP+ was more effective than AcP against cybersickness on visual oculomotor aspect, and facilitated cybersickness recovery. IMPLICATION: It would be promising to develop acupressure equipment and apply stimulation before VR application to reduce cybersickness.

Use of an Ecological Momentary Assessment Application to Assess the Effects of Auricular Point Acupressure for Chronic Low Back Pain.

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and usability of an ecological momentary assessment smartphone application. The app collected real-time data on chronic low back pain and time-contingent ecological momentary assessment surveys during a 4-week auricular point acupressure intervention, and on the consistency between recalled and momentary clinical measures. Eighteen participants received auricular point acupressure treatment weekly for 4 weeks. Each participant was provided a smartphone with the ecological momentary assessment application installed, along with instructions for use. The primary outcomes comprised pain intensity, pain interference with daily activity, sleep quality score, and medication usage. System Usability Scale and adherence were also measured. According to the results, the rate of adherence for completion of the random ecological momentary assessment survey was 87%. The usability score for the ecological momentary assessment application was reported as 78. The average recalled pain intensity was higher than the mean momentary pain intensity. Self-reported average pain interference with daily activities showed a similar result. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were greater than +0.70; P < .01 for the associations among recalled and momentary measurements. In conclusion, the study demonstrated promising adherence rates and supported the usability and feasibility of using an ecological momentary assessment application on a smartphone to collect real-time data on chronic lower back pain, which eliminated recall bias.

SoftPuntura, software educativo sobre Acupuntura y Digitopuntura / Soft-Puncture, educational software on acupuncture and digital acupuncture

Introducción: la Medicina Natural y Tradicional actualmente se aplica como estrategia curricular en las carreras de las ciencias médicas, responde al lineamiento 138 de la política del partido. Objetivo: diseñar un software educativo sobre los principales puntos de acupuntura y digitopuntura para desarrollar habilidades teóricas y prácticas en los estudiantes de la carrera de medicina. Método: se realizó un estudio de desarrollo tecnológico en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Pinar del Río, de octubre de 2014 a febrero de 2015. Como universo se tuvo en cuenta a todos los estudiantes de la carrera de medicina y profesores que imparten contenidos relacionados con el tema; la muestra de 60 estudiantes y 30 profesores se seleccionó de forma aleatoria simple, se utilizaron métodos teóricos y empíricos, se realizó un análisis estadístico porcentual, se diseñó y aplicó el software teniendo en cuenta las necesidades de aprendizaje. Resultados: se determinó un alto porciento de estudiantes que dominaron los principales contenidos sobre las técnicas de acupuntura y digitopuntura, los cuales eran deficientes antes de su aplicación, además se obtuvo aceptación por el estudiantado y los profesores, por lo que fue considerado como una útil herramienta para el estudio de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional en la carrera de Medicina. Conclusiones: se diseñó un recurso del aprendizaje que permite interactuar con la acupuntura y la digitopuntura, de fácil acceso y transportación, útil a estudiantes y profesores, lo que permitió el perfeccionamiento del proceso docente educativo en las asignaturas de la carrera de medicina(AU)

Introduction: Natural and Traditional Medicine is currently applied as a curricular strategy in medical science studies, it responds to the 138th guideline of the policies of the Cuban Communist Party. Objective: to design educational software on the main points of acupuncture and digital acupuncture to develop theoretical and practical skills in medical students. Method: a study of technological development was carried out at Pinar del Rio University of Medical Sciences, from October 2014 to February 2015. As a target group, all the students of the medical professions and professors who taught contents related to the subject were taken included; the sample of 60 students and 30 professors was chosen in a simple randomized approach, theoretical and empirical methods were used, a percentage statistical analysis was done, the software was designed and applied considering the needs of learning. Results: a high percentage of students who mastered the main contents on the acupuncture and digital acupuncture techniques were determined, which were deficient before their application, besides of having acceptance by the student body and the professors, because it was considered as a useful tool for the study of Natural and Traditional Medicine in medical studies. Conclusions: a learning resource was designed to interact with acupuncture and digital acupuncture, with easy access and transportation, useful to students and professors, which allowed the improvement of the educational process in the subjects of the medical studies(AU)

Feedback Simulation for Acupressure Training and Skill Assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Previous acupressure studies have yielded varying results. This could be due to differences in the amount of pressure applied to the acupressure point (acupoint) by study personnel within a study as well as between studies. Standardizing the level of pressure applied at an acupoint could improve clinical care and future research. METHODS: As part of an ongoing randomized clinical trial of postoperative acupressure, five trainees were asked to perform 2 minutes of acupressure and light touch sessions on a simulator. The applied weight was recorded every minute. Individual skill assessment was performed using cumulative sum analysis. Six pretraining and 20 posttraining measurements in each acupressure and light touch group were compared with an expert's simulation values. RESULTS: Before training (baseline), there was significant difference in applied weight (grams) between the expert [5705 (636)] and five trainees [2998 (798), P = 0.004]. Four of the five trainees crossed the lower decision limit assessing proficiency in the acupressure group, and all five trainees were successful in the light touch group. The trainees' average number of measurements needed to cross the lower decision limit (H0), that is, defining that an individual failure rate does not statistically differ from the acceptable failure rate, was 21.3 measurements for acupressure. After this feedback simulation, trainees' scores showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) when assessed against the expert. CONCLUSIONS: Feedback simulation for acupressure training and skill assessment, evaluated by cumulative sum analysis, may help in improving the standardization of acupressure therapy performed during clinical practice or research.

Assessment of the Effect of Swedish Massage and Acupressure in Rehabilitation of Patients with Low Back Pain. Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND: Low-back pain is a common problem in developed societies. The quest for methods to reduce this com-plaint may contribute to improving the quality of life for many people. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of Swedish massage combined with acupressure vs. Swedish massage alone in patients with low back pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 20 women and 20 men with lumbosacral pain. The group was clinically ho-mo-geneous. The participants were randomized into two groups: Group 1, which received Swedish massage with acu-pressure techniques, and Group 2, treated with Swedish massage only. The research tools comprised the Laitinen Pain Score, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Roland-Morris Ques-tion-naire, the Thomayer test, and the measurement of lumbar spine extension. Differences between the mea-surements were evaluated with the Wilcoxon test, with the minimum significance level set at p≤0.05. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated a significant (p<0.05) decrease in pain intensity, improvement in quality of life and increase in physical activity. Increased segmental mobility of the spine was also observed in all patients, with significant changes (p<0.05) noted only in Group 1. In Group 2, the differences tended towards significance. CONCLUSION: In selected cases, Swedish massage combined with acupressure techniques may be more effective as a mo-notherapy in patients with non-specific low back pain than massage alone.

Management of the respiratory distress symptom cluster in lung cancer: a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND: Breathlessness, cough and fatigue are distressing symptoms for patients with lung cancer. There is evidence that these three symptoms form a discreet symptom cluster. This study aimed to feasibly test a new non-pharmacological intervention for the management of the Respiratory Distress Symptom Cluster (breathlessness-cough-fatigue) in lung cancer. METHOD: This was a multi-centre, randomised controlled non-blinded parallel group feasibility trial. Eligible patients (patients with primary lung cancer and 'bothered' by at least two of the three cluster symptoms) received usual care plus a multicomponent intervention delivered over two intervention training sessions and a follow-up telephone call or usual care only. Follow-up was for 12 weeks, and end-points included six numerical rating scales for breathlessness severity, Dyspnoea-12, Manchester Cough in Lung Cancer scale, FACIT-Fatigue scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, Lung Cancer Symptom Scale and the EQ-5D-3L, collected at baseline, week 4 and week 12. RESULTS: One hundred seven patients were randomised over 8 months; however, six were removed from further analysis due to protocol violations (intervention group n = 50 and control group n = 51). Of the ineligible patients (n = 608), 29 % reported either not experiencing two or more symptoms or not being 'bothered' by at least two symptoms. There was 29 % drop-out by week 4, and by week 12, a further two patients in the control group were lost to follow-up. A sample size calculation indicated that 122 patients per arm would be needed to detect a clinically important difference in the main outcome for breathlessness, cough and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: The study has provided evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of a new intervention in the lung cancer population and warrants a fully powered trial before we reach any conclusions. The follow-on trial will test the hypothesis that the intervention improves symptom cluster of breathlessness, cough and fatigue better than usual care alone. Full economic evaluation will be conducted in the main trial.

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupressure for the control and management of chemotherapy-related acute and delayed nausea: Assessment of Nausea in Chemotherapy Research (ANCHoR), a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remain difficult symptoms to manage in clinical practice. As standard antiemetic drugs do not fully eliminate these symptoms, it is important to explore the adjuvant role of non-pharmacological and complementary therapies in antiemetic management approaches. Acupressure is one such treatment showing highly suggestive evidence so far of a positive effect, meriting further investigation. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of self-acupressure using wristbands compared with sham acupressure wristbands and standard care alone in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea. Secondary objectives included assessment of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the wristbands in relation to vomiting and quality of life and exploration of any age, gender and emetogenic risk effects. DESIGN: Randomised three-arm sham-controlled trial (Assessment of Nausea in Chemotherapy Research or ANCHoR) with an economic evaluation. Arms include the wristband arm, the sham wristband arm and the standard care only arm. Randomisation consisted of minimisation with a random element balancing for gender, age (16-24, > 24-50, >50 years) and three levels of emetogenic chemotherapy (low, moderate and high). Qualitative interviews were incorporated to shed more light on the quantitative findings. SETTING: Outpatient chemotherapy clinics in three regions in the UK involving 14 different cancer units/centres. PARTICIPANTS: Chemotherapy-naive cancer patients receiving chemotherapy of low, moderate and high emetogenic risk. INTERVENTION: The intervention was acupressure wristbands pressing the P6 point (anterior surface of the forearm). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Rhodes Index for Nausea/Vomiting, the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Antiemesis Tool and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G). At baseline participants completed measures of anxiety/depression, nausea/vomiting expectation and expectations from using the wristbands. RESULTS: In total, 500 patients were randomised in the study arms (166 standard care, 166 sham acupressure and 168 acupressure) and data were available for 361 participants for the primary outcome. The primary outcome analysis (nausea in cycle 1) revealed no statistically significant differences between the three arms, although the median nausea experience in patients using wristbands (both real and sham ones) was somewhat lower than that in the antiemetics only group (median nausea experience scores for the four cycles: standard care arm 1.43, 1.71, 1.14, 1.14; sham acupressure arm 0.57, 0.71, 0.71, 0.43; acupressure arm 1.00, 0.93, 0.43, 0). A gender effect was evident (p= 0.002), with women responding more favourably to the use of sham acupressure wristbands than men (odds ratio 0.35 for men and 2.02 for women in the sham acupressure group; 1.27 for men and 1.17 for women in the acupressure group). This suggests a placebo effect. No significant differences were detected in relation to vomiting outcomes, anxiety and quality of life. Some transient adverse effects were reported, including tightness in the area of the wristbands, feeling uncomfortable when wearing them and minor swelling in the wristband area (n= 6).There were no statistically significant cost differences associated with the use of real acupressure bands (£70.66 for the acupressure group, £111.13 for the standard care group and £161.92 for the sham acupressure group). In total, 26 subjects took part in qualitative interviews. The qualitative data suggested that participants perceived the wristbands (both real and sham) as effective and helpful in managing their nausea during chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistically significant differences between the three arms in terms of nausea, vomiting and quality of life, although apparent resource use was less in both the real acupressure arm and the sham acupressure arm compared with standard care only; therefore; no clear conclusions can be drawn about the use of acupressure wristbands in the management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. However, the study provided encouraging evidence in relation to an improved nausea experience and some indications of possible cost savings to warrant further consideration of acupressure both in practice and in further clinical trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN87604299. SOURCE OF FUNDING: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 17, No. 26. See the HTA programme website for further project information.

Delivering shiatsu in a primary care setting: benefits and challenges.

AIM: To pilot the delivery of shiatsu in primary care and investigate the non-clinical impact on the general practice, its patients and staff. DESIGN: Ten patients, referred by four GPs, were each offered six shiatsu treatments with a qualified practitioner. SETTING: An inner-city general practice in Sheffield, England. METHODS: 36 semi-structured interviews, evaluated with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and practitioner research including a reflective journal. FINDINGS: GPs welcomed having more options of care, especially for patients with complex, chronic symptoms, and patients appreciated the increased time and holistic, patient-centred approach during shiatsu consultations. Participants claimed the clinic increased equality of access to complementary medicine, improved perceptions of the general practice, reduced consultation and prescription rates, enhanced GP-patient relationships and the working practices of the GPs and shiatsu practitioner. CONCLUSION: The study successfully integrated a shiatsu clinic into a general practice and offers a model for future research on complementary medicine in primary care.

A randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of applying a simple acupressure protocol to the Taichong point in relieving dysmenorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether applying a simple acupressure protocol to the Taichong point is effective in relieving dysmenorrhea. METHODS: In this single-blind trial 194 students with dysmenorrhea were randomized to receive acupressure 5 days before menstruation for 3 months on either the Taichong or a placebo point. The severity of dysmenorrhea was assessed in the first and last of the 4 study cycles using the Andersch and Milsom scale. The χ(2) test, t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The difference in dysmenorrhea severity between the 2 groups was not significant in the first cycle but it was significant in the fourth cycle (U = 2377.00, P<0.001), and the decrease in dysmenorrhea severity was also significant in the study group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Applying a simple pressure protocol to the Taichong acupoint was an effective and inexpensive way of decreasing the severity of dysmenorrhea.

The effects of stimulation of acupressure point p6 on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a review of literature.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) can complicate and delay patient recovery from general and neuraxial anesthesia. Even with a new generation of anesthetic drugs and antiemetics, a high number of patients are affected by PONV. PONV has a multifactor etiology, but there are ways to reduce its occurrence. Although it is not a traditionally recognized method, stimulation of acupressure points, specifically P6, has been identified as a potentially effective method of reducing PONV. This study is a state of the science paper reviewing research on both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic prophylaxis and various methods of acupressure. It was conducted to add information to the currently available knowledge regarding PONV in hopes of stimulating the use of acupressure for treatment of PONV. The study is divided into six categories: pathophysiology of PONV, background studies of PONV, nonpharmacologic prophylaxis, pharmacological prophylaxis, acupressure and related techniques, and benefits of routine antiemetic prophylaxis.

The efficacy of acupressure for decreasing agitated behaviour in dementia: a pilot study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of acupressure in decreasing agitated behaviours associated with dementia. BACKGROUND: Agitated behaviour is found in nearly half of all patients who have dementia. The presence of these behaviours increases the likelihood of injury, weakness, dehydration and lack of sleep and contributes to caregiver frustration and fatigue. DESIGN: This pilot study was designed with subjects receiving both acupressure and the control treatment. Each subject served as his or her own control. Subjects received four weeks of acupressure protocols; to avoid a carry-over effect there was a treatment-free period of one week. Subjects then were visited by one of the investigators for a six-week period. METHODS: Participants were recruited from a nursing home caring specifically for patients with dementia. Twenty of the 31 subjects (64.5 %) completed the study, while 11 were discharged or hospitalized. All the subjects were assigned to an experimental protocol and had a six-week acupressure treatment program. Baseline data were collected in the first week. Individual treatment sessions began at the second week of the study and lasted 15 minutes, twice a day, five days a week for four weeks. After a treatment-free period of one week, all the subjects served as controls undergoing a four-week control protocol consisting of companionship and conversation. RESULTS: Comparison between the control and experimental phases indicated significant differences between the two groups on all outcome measures (Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, daily agitation records about physical attack, verbal and non-verbal attack and non-physical attack) with better results found during the acupressure phase. CONCLUSIONS: Acupressure is recommended as an efficacious and non-intrusive method for decreasing the agitation behaviours in patients with dementia. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Conducting the acupressure treatment takes 15 minutes. It could provide caregivers with a viable alternative to deal with patients with dementia.

Price elasticities for three types of CAM services: Experiences of a Boston Public Health Clinic.

OBJECTIVES: This paper addresses price elasticity, an indicator for the responsiveness of demand for healthcare to changes in price, in the context of a large public health clinic that provides acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and shiatsu. DESIGN: The study is descriptive and observational. The observations resulted from a "natural experiment" and involved examining utilization before and after a 5 dollars(17%) price increase for all services. Aggregate data were collected on demographics and utilization of 222 clients using services over a 6-month period in 2004. SETTING: Pathways to Wellness is a nonprofit agency that provides complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services to underserved, low-income clients. The agency administers a clinic that has been operating for the past 15 years and currently provides approximately 1200 treatments per month. OUTCOME MEASURES: Utilization data on number of treatments administered were collected for 3 months prior to the price increase and compared to utilization data for the 3 months after the price increase. Comparisons were made for both the immediate changes in utilization (2-month data) and quarterly changes in utilization (6-month data). RESULTS: Utilization dropped for all three services in the month after the price increase. Values of elasticity associated with the immediate changes were calculated as -0.35 for acupuncture services, -1.31 for Chinese herbal consultations, and -2.34 for shiatsu services, and indicate a wide range of responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Values of price elasticities indicate a range of differential responses to change in price for services. The relatively smaller drop in utilization of acupuncture services may be consistent with clients' perceptions of effectiveness or immediacy of treatment symptom relief.

Long-term effects of integrated rehabilitation in patients with advanced angina pectoris: a nonrandomized comparative study.

OBJECTIVES: An evaluation of Integrative Rehabilitation (IR) of patients with angina pectoris with respect to death rate, the need for invasive treatment, and cost effectiveness. DESIGN: A report from a clinical database. Death rates were compared to those of the general Danish population matched for age, gender, and observation period, as well as with data from the literature concerning medical and invasive treatments. SETTING: The treatment was carried out as an ambulatory treatment in a private clinic. SUBJECTS: One hundred and sixty-eight (168) patients with angina pectoris, of whom 103 were candidates for invasive treatment and 65 for whom this had been rejected. INTERVENTIONS: Integrated rehabilitation consists of acupuncture, a self-care program including acupressure, Chinese health philosophy, stress management techniques, and lifestyle adjustments. OUTCOME MEASURES: Death rate from any cause, the need for invasive treatment, and health care expenses. RESULTS: The 3-year accumulated risk of death was 2.0% (95% confidence limits: 0.0%-4.7%) for the 103 candidates for invasive treatment, 6.4% for the general Danish population, 5.4% (4.7%-6.1%), and 8.4% (7.7%-9.1%) for patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively, in New York. For the 65 inoperable patients the risk of death due to heart disease was 7.7% (3.9%-11.5%), compared to 16% (10%-34%) and 25% (18%-36%) for American patients, who were treated with laser revascularization or medication, respectively. Of the 103 candidates for invasive treatment, only 19 (18%) still required surgery. Cost savings over 3 years were US 36,000 dollars and US 22,000 dollars for surgical and nonsurgical patients, respectively. These were mainly achieved by the reduction in the use of invasive treatment and a 95% reduction in in-hospital days. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated rehabilitation was found to be cost effective, and added years to the lives of patients with severe angina pectoris. The results invite further testing in a randomized trial.

Effect of acupressure by Sea-Bands on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of continuous acupressure at P6 applied by Sea-Bands with acupressure buttons on the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy during the 1 st trimester. DESIGN: A two-group, quasi-experimental, posttest-only and posttest-repeated measure. SETTING: Seventeen medical clinics or offices in southern Michigan. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of English-speaking, healthy pregnant women in their 1 st trimester, who had at least one episode of nausea, vomiting, or both before their prenatal clinic/office visit where they were recruited. After being accepted for the study, the women were randomly assigned to treatment or placebo groups. INTERVENTION: Treatment group 1 applied SeaBands with acupressure buttons to both wrists for 4 days and removed the Sea-Bands for 3 subsequent days. Placebo group 2 applied the Sea-Bands without acupressure buttons to both wrists on the same time schedule as group 1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-report daily diaries of the number of times per day that participants experienced nausea, the severity of nausea, the number of vomiting episodes per day, and the severity of vomiting. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney U procedures revealed that the treatment group had significantly less frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy while wearing the Sea-Bands than did the placebo group. The treatment group also had significantly less frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy while wearing the SeaBands than when not wearing the Sea-Bands. CONCLUSIONS: Sea-Bands with acupressure buttons are a noninvasive, inexpensive, safe, and effective treatment for the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

Cost-benefit of combined use of acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustment for treatment of patients with severe angina pectoris.

Sixty-nine patients with severe angina pectoris were treated with acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustments, and were followed for 2 years. Forty-nine patients were candidates for coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG), whereas bypass grafting was rejected in the remaining 20 patients. We compared our endpoint findings with those of a large prospective, randomized trial comparing CABG with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The incidence of death and myocardial infarction was 21% among the patients undergoing CABG, 15% among the patients undergoing PTCA and 7% among our patients. No significant difference was found concerning pain relief between the three groups. Invasive treatment was postponed in 61% of our patients due to clinical improvement, and the annual number of in-hospital days was reduced by 90%, bringing about an estimated economic saving of 12,000 US $ for each of our patients. Despite the fact that the men in the present study, had significantly less positive expectations towards the outcome of the treatment, when compared to the women, there was no significant difference concerning the effect. The study suggests that the combined treatment with acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustment may be highly cost effective for patients with advanced angina products.