Effect of Abdominal Massage with and without Salvia officinalis on Nausea and Vomiting in Patients with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of abdominal massage with and without Salvia officinalis on nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods. In this randomized clinical trial, 60 patients undergoing chemotherapy were placed in one of two intervention groups or in a control group. Abdominal massage with and without Salvia officinalis was performed for 15 minutes twice a day for 3 consecutive days by the patient’s companion. The rate of nausea and vomiting was measured with a Visual Analog Scale. Results. Findings showed that immediately after the intervention, the mean score of nausea in abdominal massage with Salvia officinalis group was lower than that of the control group. The mean score of nausea was not different between abdominal massage and control groups. One week after the intervention, the mean score of nausea was not different among the three groups. In addition, the frequency of vomiting was not different among the three groups. Conclusion. Abdominal massage with/without Salvia officinalis as a complementary medicine has not considerable effect on reducing nausea and vomiting in patient with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. More studies are needed to achieve better and more accurate results.

Non-Pharmacological Management of Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer: A Scoping Review

“…Other strategies, such as using exercise to improve nausea and vomiting, were discussed in four articles (Anestin et al, 2017;Chang et al, 2020;Nakano et al, 2018;van Waart et al, 2015). The other four articles reported on interventions related to abdominal massage, nutritional intervention, the combination of multiple non-pharmacological interventional com-ponents, and mixed intervention of nutrition and physical exercise (Cheng & Tan, 2021;de Souza et al, 2021;Nasab et al, 2021;Uster et al, 2018).…”

“…Integrative therapy such as abdominal massage was investigated by Nasab et al (2021) in an RCT of patients undergoing chemotherapy. Patients in the intervention group received abdominal massage with or without Salvia officinalis, performed for 15 minutes over three consecutive days, twice a day on an empty stomach.…”

Effect of aromatherapy with rose essential oil on the nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients: a randomized controlled trial

“…The VAS was initially introduced by Clark and Spear in 1972, and it utilizes a score ranging from 0 to 10. A score of 0 indicates the absence of nausea and vomiting, while scores 1–3 represent mild nausea and vomiting, scores 4–6 indicate moderate levels, scores 7–9 correspond to severe nausea, and a score of 10 indicates very severe nausea 17 . The VAS is a widely accepted and standardized tool, and its validity and reliability have been verified 18 .…”