Having seen pregnant women pressing the P6 point as a preventative for
morning sickness, stimulation of this point for 5-10 minutes by invasive (manual or electrical acupuncture) or non-invasive (
transcutaneous electrical stimulation or
acupressure) means was studied as an
antiemetic. In well controlled studies it was shown that acupuncture administered before the
opioid premedication significantly reduced postoperative sickness for 6-8 hours. Non-invasive methods were effective for a shorter period of time, with
nausea and/or
vomiting often occurring after 2 hours. To be effective the treatment has to be given before the
opioid. Its effect can be abolished by
local anesthesia. Stimulation of a dummy point near the elbow is ineffective. While
acupressure reduces
morning sickness, the pressure has to be applied for 5 minutes every 2 hours. There is probably a large psychological
element in this. The most rewarding results are obtained when P6 stimulation is used in conjunction with standard
antiemetics before
cancer chemotherapy. Here again the invasive approach is more effective than non-invasive. Recent studies have involved self-stimulation using a portable battery-operated square wave stimulator fixed
at 10 Hz, and a large EKG surface
electrode on the P6 point. Stimulation is applied for 5 minutes every two hours. While modern
antiemetics can control
vomiting, they are relatively ineffective against
nausea, but this can be controlled by regular use of the stimulator. The results are most promising.