Acupuncture Eases Postoperative Nausea

Acupuncture reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting after major breast surgery better than the leading medication.

That finding, by researchers at Duke University Medical Center, appears in the Sept. 22 issue of Anesthesia and Analgesia.

The study included 75 women who had major breast surgery -- mastectomy, breast reduction or breast augmentation -- that required general anesthesia. The women were divided into three groups: The first received electro-acupuncture, the second received the drug ondansetron, and the third group received neither.

Two hours after surgery, 77 percent of the women who received acupuncture experienced no nausea and didn't need medication to reduce nausea and vomiting, compared to 64 percent of those who received ondansetron and 42 percent of those who received nothing.

At 24 hours after surgery, the rates were 73 percent, 52 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

"The patients in our randomized trial who received acupuncture enjoyed a more comfortable recovery from their surgery than those who received an anti-sickness medication," Duke anesthesiologist Dr. Tong Joo Gan said in a prepared statement.

"In the areas of [nausea] control, pain relief and general overall satisfaction, acupuncture appears to be more effective than the most commonly used medication, with few to no side effects," Gan said.

From Healthy.net