Nausea

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Peppermint Oil [1, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Early clinical trials have shown that Peppermint may help in the treatment of nausea, but more research is needed)

Grade of Evidence: low of evidence

Cannabis (Marijuana, weed, hemp) [1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Evidence shows that smoking or ingesting cannabis may help in relieving symptoms of nausea, although some studies have yielded mixed results)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Ginger  [1, 6, 7, 8]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (Research regarding claims that ginger helps treat nausea has yielded mixed results)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Cloves (Caryophyllum Aromaticum, Eugenia Caryophyllata) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation  (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Cloves help to treat nausea in any way)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Therapeutic Touch:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (no reliable research shows evidence of helping to ease symptoms of nausea)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Reiki:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (Research shows that at least some patients have reduced nausea after treatment with Reiki, although results were ambiguous)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Acupuncture:

Recommendation: weakly in favor(recent early evidence shows that Acupuncture may at least mildy help reduce symptoms of nausea)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Aromatherapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Early clinical trials suggest that Aroma therapy helps patients cope with nausea)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Hypnosis:

Recommendation: strongly in favor  (Research has shown that hypnosis helps reduce anticipatory nausea)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Image Therapy:

Recommendation: strongly in favor (Research has shown that image therapy helps reduce anticipatory nausea)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Music Therapy:

Recommendation: strongly in favor (Research has shown that music therapy does indeed help reduce symptoms of nausea)

Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence

Bitter Orange [24]:

Please note, Bitter Orange has been associated with fainting, heart-rhythm disorders, heart attack, stroke and death.

Recommendation: Strongly against (harmful if taken excessively)

Grade of evidence: No evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. Balch, Phyllis and Balch, James. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed., Avery Publishing, ©2000, pg. 94.

3. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition by Dan Bensky, Steven Clavey, Erich Stoger, and Andrew Gamble 2004

4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/cloves

5. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-clove.html

6. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/ginger

7. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-ginger.html

8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10793599

9. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/marijuana.html

10. http://nccam.nih.gov/research/extramural/awards/2004/

11. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/marijuana

12. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/treatments/complementary--alternative-medicine/marijuana/index.aspx

13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16957511

14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12965981

15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17589370

16. http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/6/11/2921.long

17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2562334/?tool=pmcentrez 

18. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/peppermint

19. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17420159

20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19507027

21. http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/alternat/AT022.html

22. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-peppermint.html

23. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/peppermintoil/index.htm

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