Eghbali, M., Yekaninejad, M.S., Varaei, S., Jalalinia, S.F., Samimi, M.A., & Sa'atchi, K. (2016). The effect of auricular acupressure on nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among breast cancer patients. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 24, 189–194.
To determine if the use of auricular acupressure is effective in relieving nausea and vomiting in patients with breast cancer who are receiving chemotherapy
Random assignment of patients: The experimental group received standard antiemetics for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and auricular acupressure (AA) for five days. The control group received standard antiemetics only. Acute and delayed CINV was measured with the Morrow questionnaire daily for five days after receiving chemotherapy. The questionnaire has 16 items measured with a 7-degree Likert-type scale. Patients self-reported. For the second cycle of chemotherapy, the groups were switched.
PHASE OF CARE: Active antitumor treatment
Crossover clinical trial
Morrow (Moro) questionnaire
The use of auricular acupressure was shown to help alleviate CINV when used along with standard antiemetics in patients with breast cancer receiving moderate to high-risk emetogenic chemotherapy.
Auricular acupressure is a safe, noninvasive, easy, patient-administered, nursing-centered, nonpharmacologic treatment and was shown to lower the number and intensity of nausea in both the acute and delayed phases of treatment.