HealthNotes

Acupressure can be used to prevent nausea and vomiting. Wristbands designed to apply pressure to acupuncture points on the forearm were shown to effectively prevent post-operative nausea and vomiting in seven controlled trials^{6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11} and were as effective as an antinausea medication in another.¹² One controlled trial found no benefit from acupressure wristbands.¹³Acupuncture¹⁴ and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of a wrist acupuncture point¹⁵ have also been shown to be effective for post-operative nausea and vomiting in controlled trials. A controlled comparison study found that electroacupuncture of the wrist points controlled post-operative nausea and vomiting as well as antinausea medication and better than TENS, but both electro-acupuncture and TENS helped more than no treatment.¹⁶ A comprehensive review of research on acupuncture, electroacupuncture, TENS, acupoint stimulation, and acupressure for post-operative nausea and vomiting found these techniques to be more effective than placebo and as effective as commonly prescribed medications in adults but not in children.¹⁷ However, laser stimulation of the acupuncture points on the wrists both before and after surgery was effective for children in one controlled trial.¹⁸