It is interesting how cases come in groups. My last group prompted this writing.
By now it is very well established that acupuncture helps nausea. Most of the research is for nausea due to chemotherapy or nausea during pregnancy. Most health insurance companies will cover nausea due to chemotherapy and a few other insurances will cover nausea and vomiting in general.
This is the story of three cases of nausea and emaciation. Neither case is due to cancer or pregnancy although the treatment and outcome should be very similar.
Lady B. is in her 70’s, she has a history of intestinal adhesions and after years of surgeries she is left with several bulging intestinal hernias which interfere with the ability of the food to move through the intestines and therefore it causes sever nausea, occasional vomiting and loss of interest in food or eating. Lady B. is skin and bones too fragile for any additional surgeries but she did not lose her zest for life and with the help of acupuncture she regained some motility of her intestines and can enjoy food again.
Ms. L. is in her 50’s, she has Lyme disease with complications accompanied by nausea and vomiting resulting in a 35 lb weight lose as well as sever anxiety and insomnia. She came for acupuncture treatment hoping to control the nausea and after several weeks of treatments her appetite is back, she gained several pounds and we now concentrating on improving her insomnia and anxiety.
Ms. D. is also in her 50’s, she had a benign tumor the size of a melon in her stomach, the extensive surgery damaged some crucial nerves and the nausea was so sever that she stopped eating. Facing the need for a feeding tube she came for acupuncture as last resort. After a few treatments the nausea is reduced enough so she can eat three meals a day and hopefully be gaining some weight soon.
