OBJECTIVE: To review available evidence about the effectiveness of alternative therapies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and 13 additional US and international data bases were searched in 1996-1997 for papers that described use of alternative medicine in the treatment of pregnancy and pregnancy complications, specifically those addressing nausea, vomiting, and hyperemesis. Bibliographies of retrieved papers were reviewed to identify additional sources. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: All relevant English language clinical research papers were reviewed.
The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
BACKGROUND: Elderly people often suffer from disturbed sleep. Because traditional Chinese medicine indicates that acupressure therapy may induce sedation, testing the effectiveness of acupressure in enhancing the quality of sleep of institutionalized residents with a well-designed scientific study is needed. METHODS: A randomized block experimental design was used. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used as a screening tool to select subjects with sleep disturbance.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases in the world. The main aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of combined therapy using acupressure therapy, hypnotherapy, and transcendental meditation (TM) on the blood sugar (BS) level in comparison with placebo in type 2 diabetic patients. We used "convenience sampling" for selection of patients with type 2 diabetes; 20 patients were recruited.
A supportive medical team should be well informed on the various pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities of coping with or mitigating labor pain to appropriately support and respectfully care for parturients. Using the methodical rigor of previously published Cochrane systematic reviews, this summary evaluates and discusses the efficacy of nonpharmacologic labor analgesic interventions.
The potential for postoperative nausea and vomiting is present in any patient who undergoes surgery and both are unpleasant and potentially dangerous consequences of surgery. Three types of complementary and alternative therapies that may help patients with postoperative nausea and vomiting include acupressure, acupuncture, and aromatherapy.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.)
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if aromatherapy acupressure, compared to acupressure alone, was effective in reducing hemiplegic shoulder pain and improving motor power in stroke patients. DESIGN: This work was a randomized, controlled trial. SUBJECTS: Thirty (30) stroke patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain participated in this study. INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomly assigned to either an aromatherapy acupressure group (N = 15) or an acupressure group ( N = 15), with aromatherapy acupressure using lavender, rosemary, and peppermint given only to the former group.
BACKGROUND: Severely ill patients often experience problems with sleep. Either acupressure or valerian aromatherapy are reported as helpful in promoting sleep. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of valerian acupressure on the sleep of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN: A randomized clinical trial. SETTING: A 42-bed adult intensive care unit. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one subjects in the experimental group and 44 subjects in the control group.
Periodontal diseases continue to be most commonly occurring oral diseases in modern times. Many therapeutic modalities have been tried and tested to relieve these problems. The conventional therapy--scaling and root planing (SRP)--stands out to be the most used mode of treatment, and other treatments remain applicable as adjuncts to SRP, including acupuncture, acupressure, and aromatherapy. The present article discusses the applications of the abovementioned therapeutic modes and their relevance in current scenarios.
A supportive medical team should be well informed on the various pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities of coping with or mitigating labor pain to appropriately support and respectfully care for parturients. Using the methodical rigor of previously published Cochrane systematic reviews, this summary evaluates and discusses the efficacy of nonpharmacologic labor analgesic interventions.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.)
BACKGROUND: Previous reports have suggested that acupressure is effective in reducing pain and improving sleep quality; however, its effects on alertness have not been characterized. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether two different acupressure treatments have opposing effects on alertness in a full-day classroom setting. DESIGN: This was a cross-over (two-treatments; three periods), single-blinded, randomized trial. SETTING: The University of Michigan School of Public Health was the setting.
