Can reflexology reduce the severity of nausea?

Researchers in Iran conducted a randomised control trail to see if reflexology could assist patients undergoing haemodialysis with their nausea.  Haemodialysis is a way of replacing some of the functions of your kidney, if your kidneys have failed, by using a machine to filter and clean your blood.

72 patients were assigned to either an intervention group or control group.  The control group received a foot massage.  The intervention group received 30-minute reflexology treatments once per day for 12 days, one hour after haemodialysis.  The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the severity of the nausea 15 minutes after the intervention each day.

The results showed differences between the groups after treatment, with the severity of the nausea significantly lower in the reflexology group.

There are may different causes of nausea including viruses, medication, anxiety, pregnancy & haemodialysis.

It is thought the reflexology may reduce the nausea indirectly by decreasing the related symptoms such as anxiety.

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31383439

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