598 Complementary and Alternative Therapies
cancer itself, there are claims that it may be effective in pro-
viding some relief from the side effects of cancer or the
symptoms associated with conventional cancer treatments,
such as pain control, and nausea and vomiting associated
with chemotherapy (Vickers, 1996).
Some bene“ts of acupressure are supported in the scien-
ti“c literature. For example, compared to sham acupressure,
true acupressure was more effective in improving the quality
of sleep in institutionalized residents (Chen, Lin, Wu, & Lin,
1999). In randomized controlled studies, acupressure treat-
ment resulted in signi“cantly less nausea and vomiting
than placebo in persons undergoing laparoscopy (Harmon,
Gardiner, Harrison, & Kelly, 1999) and caesarean sections
(Harmon, Ryan, Kelly, & Bowen, 2000). Acupressure also re-
sulted in less nausea than treatment as usual in a sample of
women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy treat-
ment (Dibble, Chapman, Mack, & Shih, 2000). However, not
all published studies support the ef“cacy of acupressure. For
example, acupressure was not effective at decreasing motion
sickness in a double-blinded controlled study with a sam-
ple of male college students (Warwick-Evans, Masters, &
Redstone, 1991).
There is some support for the use of electroacupuncture
in the treatment of depression. Two randomized, controlled
clinical trials compared the effects of electroacupuncture and
amitriptyline hydrochloride in depressed patients (Luo, Jia,
Wu, & Dai, 1990; Luo, Jia, & Zhan, 1985). Both studies
found a signi“cant reduction in clinician•s ratings of depres-
sion scores after treatment for both groups; however, there
were no signi“cant dif ferences between groups. Furthermore,
a two- to four-year follow-up also found no signi“cant dif fer-
ences between groups in the rate of depression recurrence,
with electroacupuncture having fewer side effects than anti-
depressant medication. Additional well-designed studies are
needed to further delineate the ef“cacy of meridian point
therapies in the treatment of depression.
Clinical data for the ef“cacy of other TCM therapeutic ap-
proaches also exist. Ryu et al. (1996) studied the effects of
Qigongand meditation on stress hormone levels in 20 sub-
jects who were engaged in at least four months of Qigong
training. The results supported the stress-relieving bene“ts of
such training. However, the study lacked both a control group
and random selection of treatment group participants. As
such, well-controlled studies are warranted to reach more
conclusive results. Although most studies on tai chi have lim-
ited generalizability because randomized trials with control
groups were rarely used, positive cardiovascular changes
(i.e., reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, and urinary cat-
echolamines) have been demonstrated when comparing a
participant•s own pretest and posttest scores in performance
(Jin, 1992). Tai chi may also help in promoting cardiorespira-
tory functioning in elderly subjects (Lai & Lan, 1995), as
well as enhancing positive mood (Jin, 1989, 1992). These re-
sults suggest that the practice of Qigongand tai chi may have
stress-moderating functions.OTHER COMMON HEALING APPROACHESHerbal RemediesAlthough frequently employed as part of the overall healing
systems previously discussed, herbs have also been used as a
sole treatment to promote healing and balance. In the past
two decades, herbal remedies for psychiatric and medical
care have been increasingly used and investigated scienti“-
cally. One survey suggests that in 1990, •Americans made an
estimated 425 million visits to providers of unconventional
therapyŽ (Eisenberg et al., 1993, p. 247). Another survey
found that between 30% and 70% of patients in developed
countries use complementary and alternative medicine
(Linde et al., 1996). Overall, early studies suggest that phy-
totherapy, the use of active substances found in plants, can
enhance psychotherapeutic and medical treatment. The phy-
totherapeutic substances, described next, have undergone
some degree of scienti“c study.EchinaceaEchinacea, also known as purple corn”ower, is derived
from the Greek wordechinos,meaning •hedgehogŽ or •sea
urchin,Ž a name given to the plant because of its spiky seed
heads (Gunning, 1999). The herb is popular among Native
Americans and in Germany, and is represented by nine species
found in the United States. Echinacea is classi“ed by the plant
species used, the part of the plant processed, the mode of pro-
cessing, and the mode of application (Grimm & Muller, 1999).
A majority of studies have investigated echinacea for the treat-
ment of colds and upper respiratory infections (URIs), chronic
arthritis, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, wounds and ul-
cers, and chronic pelvic infections (e.g., see Grimm & Muller,
1999). A review of 13 published and unpublished, random-
ized, placebo-controlled trials of echinacea in the treatment of
URIs found echinacea to be more effective than placebo in
eight out of nine treatment trials by decreasing the severity and
duration of URI symptoms (Barrett, Vohmann, & Calabrese,
1999). Other studies (Grimm & Muller, 1999; Melchart,
Walther, Linde, Brandmaier, & Lersch, 1998) have not found
such positive effects.
The active ingredient of echinacea is unclear. Studies
suggest that echinacea produces its effects via the immune