Category: Cancer Care

A multi-centre crossover study carried out at five hospitals in Germany, has investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing nausea and vomiting in children receiving chemotherapy. In all, 23 children were randomly allocated to receive acupuncture during either their second or their third, course of chemotherapy, in addition to standard anti-sickness medication. This gave 46 treatments with or without acupuncture, to be compared. In the instances where acupuncture had been given, there was a significant reduction in the need for further anti-sickness medication, and in episodes of vomiting. Patients’ acceptance of acupuncture was high.

(Acupuncture to Alleviate Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting in Paediatric Oncology – A Randomised Multicentre Crossover Trial. Klin Padiatr, Nov-Dec 2008.)

A randomised, controlled pilot study has been completed, assessing the contribution of acupressure and acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue. Forty-seven cancer patients with moderate to severe fatigue, were assigned at random to one of three groups: acupuncture, acupressure or sham acupressure. The acupuncture group received six treatments spread over two weeks. The two acupressure groups were shown points which they pressed daily for two weeks. At the end of the trial, the acupuncture group enjoyed a 36% improvement in fatigue levels, the acupressure group improved by 19%, and the sham acupressure group improved by 0.6%.

(The Management of Cancer-Related Fatigue After Chemotherapy with Acupuncture and Acupressure: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, December 2007.)