Nonpharmacological treatment of Hyperemesis gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum, with severe nausea and vomiting causing in patients weight loss and dehydration, is a real discomforting situation for pregnant women and for their family and working life. Currently the conventional treatments of Hyperemesis includes simple advises concerned how to eat and drugs such as metoclopramide, corticosteroids and group B complex vitamins, since it was shown their effectiveness in improving nausea and vomiting and their safety. Anyway still now no one of this drug could totally eliminate the symptoms, maybe because the Hyperemesis gravidarum has a multifactorial ethiology. For this reason, in the last ten years a non pharnmacological approach had been proposed. It was proved in severals works that acupuncture treatment, by the PC6 point stimulation, improves the Hyperemesis symptoms in half of the cases studied, but because of some methodologic mistakes is still impossible to confirm its real effectiveness. In a new study, real acupuncture versus sham acupuncture, patients were randomised in three different groups, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Notwithstanding the rigour of the study, there are still some limits in it, for instance sham acupuncture is still not considered a believable placebo. Moreover the only study published for the phytotherapy is about the use of ginger (Zingiber Officinale) in pregnant women with Hyperemesis; these women were treated with ginger (250 mg four time in a day) or with placebo. Ginger didn't improve nausea and vomiting more than placebo.