If Your Child Is Going for Surgery, Try Acupressure

For most, surgery is a scary, anxiety-producing procedure. So what of children? As can be guessed, surgery from the perspective of children can be a traumatizing experience in their lives; therefore, anesthesiologists have been testing different techniques that can mollify their little patients. Being anxious before a surgical procedure can have long-lasting unauspicious effects, affecting one's recovery time and even the types of medication that may be prescribed. In this study, lead researcher Dr. Zeev Kain, of UC Irvine, and his Yale colleagues, applied acupressure to 52 children undergoing stomach surgeries, pressing beads at key points between the eyebrows, called the "Extra-1 acupoint." After 30 minutes of acupressure was administered, the researchers noted "decreased anxiety levels." Acupressure, commonly understood as acupuncture sans the needles, originates from Chinese medicine. By applying pressure to key points on the body, ailments have been proven to be relieved. Some of the ailments acupressure is commonly used for is nausea, headaches and menstrual cramps. Kain adds, “As anesthesiologists, we need to look at all therapeutic opportunities to make the surgical process less stressful for all patients. We can’t assume that Western medical approaches are the only viable ones, and we have an obligation to look at integrative treatments like acupressure as a way to improve the surgery experience.” Now that's the right attitude! If the goal is indeed optimal health, health professionals should never be afraid to explore and enforce a myriad of treatments to achieve their goal of better health.