9 Scientific Research
effect of a capsicum plaster applied at P-6on postoperative
nausea and vomiting. The incidence of nausea and vomiting
was significantly less (P-6: 26% within 24 hours, placebo: 57%).
Kim et al, Anesth Analg 2002
A Japanese case study investigated the effect of different stimu-
lation techniques at P-6on the coronary arteries in patients with
coronary heart disease. The mean coronary dilation with
acupuncture was 69% of that caused by isosorbide dinitrate.
Kurono et al, Am J Chin Med 2002
A US prospective, randomised, sham-controlled, single-blinded
trial (n187) investigated the effect of P-6on the incidence of
postoperative nausea and vomitingin children. P-6 produced
significantly better results than the sham points and was equally
effective as administration of droperidol, but without the seda-
tive, hypotensive side effects. Wang et al, Anesthesiology 2002
A US prospective, randomised, sham-controlled, single-blinded
trial (n27) investigated the effect of P-6on the incidence of
nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. Compared to the
control group, the anti-emetic requirement was significantly lower
in the P-6 group. Roscoe et al, Altern Ther Health Med 2002
An Austrian prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, experi-
mental cross-over study (n51) investigated the effect of
acupuncture at P-6on the skin blood perfusionmeasured by
laser Doppler perfusion imaging. This was compared to needling
a sham point. Changes in the skin blood perfusion occurred sig-
nificantly earlier in the acupuncture group than in the sham group,
with a basically more pronounced reduction in skin blood perfu-
sion at the verum point. Litscher et al, Lasers Med Sci 2002
A large-scale Australian prospective, randomised, sham-controlled
trial (n593) investigated the effect of acupuncture at P-6on the
incidence of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Women
receiving traditional acupuncture reported significantly less nau-
sea after the second treatment and significantly less dry retching
after the third week compared with women in the control group.
Women treated with sham acupuncture showed significantly less
nausea and retching after the third treatment compared with
untreated women. Individualised acupuncture resulted in signifi-
cantly less nausea and retching already after the first treatment. In
this study none of the treatments had a significant influence on the
frequency of vomiting. Smith et al, Birth 2002
A US prospective, randomised, sham-controlled trial (n120)
investigated the influence of electro-acupuncture (EA) at P-6on
postoperative nausea and vomitingin paediatric patients who
had undergone ENT surgeryand were awake. EA at P-6 signif-
icantly decreased the incidence of nausea (P-6: 60%, sham:
85%, control group: 93%). While vomiting had the lowest inci-
dence in the P-6 group, the difference from the other groups was
not significant. Rusy et al, Anesthesiology 2002
A Swedish prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled pilot
study (n60) investigated the effect of tuina (acupressure) at
P-6on pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. The frequency
of both nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the acu-
pressure group compared to the sham acupressure group and
untreated control group. Werntoft et al, J Reprod Med 2001A US prospective, randomised, controlled trial (n25) investi-
gated the effect of an acupressure wrist band at P-6on motion
sickness. Both the symptoms of motion sickness and abnormal
gastric activity as recorded via EEG were significantly lower in
the group treated with wristbands at P-6. Stern et al, Altern
Ther Health Med 2001
A US prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, single-
blinded trial investigated the effect of ‘sea-bands’ (acupressure
wristbands) at P-6on the incidence of postoperative nausea
and vomiting. There were no significant differences. Windle
et al, J Perianesth Nurs 2001
A Swedish prospective, randomised, sham-controlled, single-
blinded cross-over study (n33) investigated the effect of
acupuncture at P-6on pregnant women with hyperemesis
gravidarum(vomiting in pregnancy). The verum group showed
a significantly faster reduction of the nausea, and also a higher
number of the patients experienced no vomiting. Carlsson et al,
J Pain Symptom Manage 2000
A Chinese prospective, controlled, randomised, group-compari-
son study (n181) and a Chinese case study (n33) demon-
strated that electro-acupuncture at P-6and P-8as well as at
L.I.-4, T.B.-5, ST-36and SP-6with de-escalating treatment fre-
quency from four times daily to once weekly for a period of 15
and 28 days had a significant effect on the withdrawal symp-
toms of heroin addicts. Zhang et al, Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi
Jie He Za Zhi 2000; Wu et al, Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He
Za Zhi 2000
A Taiwanese prospective, non-randomised, placebo-controlled,
single-blinded experimental cross-over study (n44) investi-
gated the effect of acupuncture at P-6on the left ventricular
ejection fraction (LVEF) in 22 healthy subjects and 22 patients
with coronary artery disease(CAD). There was no change of
LVEF in the healthy subjects while LVEF significantly increased
in the CAD patients. Ho et al, Am J Chin Med 1999
A US prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, single-
blinded trial (n100) investigated the effect of pre-operative
acupressure (verum group) and intra-operative acupuncture
(verum and control group) at P-6on postoperative nausea and
vomitingafter tonsillectomyin children. There were no signif-
icant differences. Shenkman et al, Anesthesiology 1999
A Swedish prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, dou-
ble-blinded trial (n60) investigated the effect of acupressure
at P-6on nausea and vomitingafter minor gynaecological
surgery. Only the group receiving acupressure at P-6 experi-
enced no vomiting and also required no anti-emetic medication.
Alkaissi et al, Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1999
An Austrian prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-
blinded trial investigated the effect of laser acupuncture at P-6
on nausea and vomiting in children undergoing strabismus
surgery. The laser acupuncture was administered 15 minutes
before induction of anaesthesia and 15 min after arriving in the
recovery room. In the laser stimulation group, the incidence of
vomiting was significantly lower (25%) than that in the placebo
group (85%). Schlager et al, Br J Anaesth 1998