WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Advocates of acupuncture will be happy to know that recent scientific tests are yet again validating this age-old Chinese procedure.

Duke University Medical Center researchers are the latest to come up with positive findings.

They discovered acupuncture to be as effective as modern drugs in relieving nausea and vomiting from anesthesia in women who had recently undergone breast surgery.

A form of acupuncture using electrodes, instead of needles, was applied to a group of women before they underwent surgery for either breast enhancement, reduction, or removal.

Another group was given a drug for nausea and vomiting, and a third was given nothing.

According to lead researcher Dr. Tong Joo (T.J.) Gan, an anesthesiologist, electroacupuncture typically is used in China for pain relief during surgery because it increases the analgesic effect.

Dr. Gan, who studied acupuncture for two years overseas, said it has long been recognized as a pain reliever, probably because it stimulates endorphins in the body.

But its strong showing against the drug, ondansetron (Zofran) for relief of nausea and vomiting, was particularly exciting.

As was the finding there were fewer side effects with acupuncture.

"Up to 70 percent of women who undergo major breast surgery experience significant postoperative nausea and vomiting, so it is an important medical issue," he said in a statement from Duke.

In an interview, he said he was very encouraged by his findings and the acceptance of them at a recent medical conference of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, where he presented his data.

"It generated a tremendous amount of interest, especially among plastic surgeons," he said.

"For western medicine to embrace this practice, we need more clinical studies. We need to look at integrating it into our practices."

Acupuncture has increasingly captured Westerners' attention as alternative medicine has become accepted.

The state of Florida, for example, licenses acupuncturists along with other health professionals.

Dr. Gan explained the Chinese believe acupuncture helps to unblock our body's pent-up energy, known as chi, and bring it into balance when there is too much or too little of it, which can cause illness or discomfort.

"Ten years ago, a study involving acupuncture would not have been accepted at (the scientific meeting he attended)," Gan said in a statement. "In many ways, the practices of the East are being accepted by the West, especially as we continue to learn why practices like acupuncture work."

Trials using both acupuncture and drugs are probably the next step in integrating these procedures, he said.

(The drug companies should be happy to hear this.)

Duke expects to apply to the National Institutes of Health for money to continue this approach.

Studies like this are encouraging. They present the possibility that acupuncture could be used in the West as a normal adjunct to, or even replacement for, drugs now routinely used during or after surgery.

On Health is a weekly column on health issues. If you have questions or comments, write Carolyn Susman at The Palm Beach Post, P.O Box 24700, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33416, call 820-4433 or e-mail carolynsusma@bpost.com

　　From Healthy.net