Acupuncture helps Pain & Nausea in Emergency Department

Acupuncture helps pain and nausea in the hospital emergency department.

A feasibility study undertaken at the Northern Hospital Emergency Department, Melbourne, Australia, shows that acupuncture can provide patients with effective relief from pain and nausea. The study drew on data from 400 people visiting the department with these symptoms. The acupuncture group comprised 200 patients who received usual care plus acupuncture. For comparison, retrospective data was gathered on 200 closely matched patients who had received usual care alone.

A satisfaction score of 10/10 was given by 57% of patients receiving acupuncture; 52% responded “definitely yes” for their willingness to use it again, and a further 32% said “probably yes”. Adverse events were rare and mild. Pain scores reduced from a mean 7.0 before acupuncture, to 4.7 afterwards. Nausea scores dropped from 2.6 to 1.4. Musculoskeletal conditions were most commonly treated, followed by abdominal or flank pain.

The researchers conclude acupuncture in the emergency department appears safe and acceptable for patients with pain and/or nausea and that combined care may provide effective pain and nausea relief. Further studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness and efficacy of the add-on effect of acupuncture are recommended.

(Acupuncture and standard emergency department care for pain and/or nausea and its impact on emergency care delivery: a feasibility study. Acupuncture in Medicine, 7 March 2014, epub ahead of print.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.