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Posts in ‘nausea’

Ginger may relieve nausea during early pregnancy

Nov 13

Between 50 and 80 percent of women experience nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy. Many complementary and alternative therapies are perceived to be safe and are used by many pregnant women, but little is known about their relative effectiveness. At least three randomized controlled trials have found ginger to be more effective than placebo in short-term trials. No adverse effects were apparent for mother or baby; however, animal studies have associated ginger with early embryo loss and accelerated growth in surviving embryos. Smith and colleagues compared ginger with vitamin [B.sub.6] in the treatment of nausea and vomiting in women before the 16th week of pregnancy.

The study included women attending an Australian teaching hospital for obstetric care. Participants were women with nausea or vomiting who were at eight to 16 weeks’ gestation as confirmed by ultrasonography. Women were excluded from the study if they had any signs of dehydration or indications of other pathology causing nausea or vomiting or if they had a known allergy to ginger or vitamin [B.sub.6]. The 291 women were randomly allocated to receive ginger (350 mg) or vitamin [B.sub.6] (25 mg) three times daily for three weeks. The two preparations appeared identical, and participants and physicians were blinded to treatment allocation. All women provided demographic and health status information plus a standardized index of nausea and vomiting before randomization. Health status and the nausea/vomiting index were reassessed at days 7, 14, and 21. Data also were gathered concerning side effects and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The 146 women randomized to receive ginger were comparable with the 145 women assigned to receive vitamin [B.sub.6]. At the end of the three-week trial, 82 percent of participants had completed and returned their data. Both treatments were effective in reducing symptoms. The two treatments appeared to be equivalent in overall scores and in the proportion of women reporting freedom from symptoms. Improvements were reported by 68 women (53 percent) receiving ginger compared with 69 women (55 percent) receiving vitamin [B.sub.6]. Women reported tolerating both medicines well, but belching was significantly more common with ginger (9 percent compared with zero percent). Dry retching after swallowing the tablet was reported by about one half of the women in each group. Pregnancy complications and outcomes were similar in the two treatment groups.

The authors conclude that ginger reduces nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy and is comparable in effect to vitamin [B.sub.6].

Smith C, et al. A randomized controlled trial of ginger to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol April 2004;103:639-45.

Anne D. Walling

COPYRIGHT 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Complementary medicines, ginger, nausea     0 Comments

Antioxidants May Aid Chemotherapy Patients

Apr 25

Science Daily (Apr. 27, 2007) — There is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere with the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic review of the use of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available in the May, 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Treatment Reviews. In fact, they may help increase survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s ability to tolerate treatment.

This conclusion has important implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the use of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until now, their concern has been that these supplements may counteract the tumor-shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.

“This review demonstrates that there is no scientific support for the blanket objection to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. In addition, it also appears that these supplements may help mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy,” said Keith I. Block, MD, lead author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is significant because it increases the likelihood that patients will be able to complete their treatment.”

Co-author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center said, “This study, along with the evolving understanding of antioxidant-chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously held beliefs about interference do not pertain to clinical treatment.”

The analysis, titled “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials,” evaluated 845 articles from five scientific databases that examined the effects of taking natural antioxidant supplements concurrent with chemotherapy.

Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the use of randomized trials with a control group, and the reporting of treatment response (tumor shrinkage) and survival data. The 1,554 patients represented had a variety of cancer types, and most had advanced or relapsed disease. Some of the antioxidants used in the trials included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic acid, selenium and beta carotene.

Among the findings:

  • All of the studies that included survival data showed similar or better survival rates for the antioxidant group than the control group.
  • None of the trials supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments.
  • All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed similar or better response in the antioxidant group than in the control group.
  • 15 of 17 trials that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low blood counts, concluded that the antioxidant group suffered similar or lower rates of these side effects than the control group.

The authors noted that reducing side effects may help patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, interrupt scheduled treatments, or abandon treatment altogether. This in turn, is likely to favorably impact treatment outcomes. A recent study of a group of colon cancer patients indicated that those who completed their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates nearly double those of patients who abandoned their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.

This new study encourages further exploration of the potential importance of antioxidant supplements as a means of improving cancer survival.

Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment (2007, April 27). Antioxidants May Aid Chemotherapy Patients. Science Daily.

antioxidants, chemotherapy, diarrhea, low red blood cell count, low white blood count, nausea, nervous system, numb, selenium, side effects, vitamin C, vitamins     0 Comments

Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs May Help Women With Breast Cancer

Dec 05

ScienceDaily (Apr. 18, 2007) — Using Chinese herbs either alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy may help protect a breast cancer patient’s bone marrow and immune system, as well as improving the woman’s overall quality of life.

Sixty per cent of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience a range of significant short term side effects. These include nausea, vomiting and fatigue, as well as inflammation of the gut lining, decreased numbers of red and white blood cells and decreased numbers of blood platelets.

Chinese medicinal herbs include mixtures of herbal compounds or extracts from herbs, and they are prescribed to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. This Cochrane Systematic Review set out to see if there is conventional evidence indicating that these medicines are safe and whether there is evidence that the medicines are effective.

The researchers identified seven randomised studies involving 542 patients with breast cancer. By analysing these data, the researchers concluded that there was no evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbal treatment caused harm, and some evidence that it might reduce side effects.

“Further trials are needed before the effects of traditional Chinese medicines for people with breast cancer can be evaluated with any real confidence,” says Assistant Professor Jing Li, who works at the Chinese Cochrane Centre in Chengdu, China.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2007, April 18). Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs May Help Women With Breast Cancer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 4, 2007, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/04/070417194320.htm

Chinese medicine, blood platelets, breast cancer, cancer trends, chemotherapy, herbs, immune system, inflammation, low blood count, nausea, side effects     0 Comments

The efficacy of ginger in prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after major gynecologic surgery

Oct 16

Nanthakomon T, Pongrojpaw D.

Department of Obstetrics and Gyecology, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Bangkok 12120, Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of ginger in prevention of nausea and vomiting after major gynecologic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Double blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thammasat University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From March 2005 to April 2006, 120 patients who underwent major gynecologic surgery were randomized into group A (n = 60) and group B (n = 60). The patients in group A received two capsules of ginger taken one hour before the procedure (one capsule contains 0.5 gram of ginger powder). The patients in group B received the placebo. The visual analog nausea score (VANS) and frequency of vomiting were evaluated at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after the operation. RESULTS: The results demonstrated the statistically significant differences in nausea between group A (48.3%) and group B (66.7%). The VANS was lower in group A compared to group B at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours. The most statistically significant differences occurred at 2 and 6 hour. The incidence and frequency of vomiting in group A were lower than group B. Side effects caused by ginger were not detected. CONCLUSION: Ginger has efficacy in prevention of nausea and vomiting after major gynecologic surgery.

PMID: 17725149 [PubMed - in process]

ginger, nausea, side effects, vomit, women     0 Comments