Combining essential ginger oil and acupressure relaxation techniques for cancer patients, post-chemotherapy

An intervention with the aroma of ginger essential oil and relaxation techniques, upon acupressure meridian PC6, could reduce nausea and vomiting, and increase comfort and decrease anorexia. However, the research has not been found to prove effectiveness if these two interventions are combined. This research explains the effect of combinations of the aroma of ginger essential oil and relaxation techniques, upon acupuncture meridian PC6, on nausea, vomiting, comfort and anorexia. Quantitative research was designed for a Quasi-Experiment with pre-post-test control group design (four groups pre-post-test). This research was upon a population of cancer patients post chemotherapy, who experienced nausea and vomiting. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to select 30 respondents for each group, according to inclusion criteria. The research variables were essential ginger oil aroma, relaxation technique acupressure upon meridian PC6, nausea, vomiting, comfort, and anorexia. The instruments used were a nausea and vomiting questionnaire, an anorexia questionnaire, and a shortened general comport questionnaire (GCQ) analysed using MANOVA. There was a decrease in nausea and vomiting p=0,000, an increase in comfort p=0,000, a decrease in anorexia p=0,000 before and after the intervention of a combination of ginger essential oil and relaxation technique upon the acupressure PC6 meridian. The combination of essential ginger aroma and relaxation techniques for acupressure meridian PC6 were one of the alternative interventions that was effective in reducing nausea and vomiting, increasing comfort, decreasing anorexia in cancer patients.