After surgery and anesthesia many people get nauseated and vomit, which is a major source of patient dissatisfaction and expense. Dr. Geiger is a board certified anesthesiologist who has integrated the technique of combining aromatherapy with nasal and cutaneous absorption of essential oil of ginger at the time of surgery to prevent two dreaded complications of anesthesia; postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).
“I am much more optimistic for my patients now that I am using oil of ginger, having determined about a 30 percent decrease in the incidence of nausea in patients at high risk for PONV during recovery from anesthesia,” said Dr. Geiger. “In my experience, problematic nausea has gone way down and patient satisfaction has gone way up,” he said.
The problem of nausea is so troublesome for patients and hospitals that special protocols are utilized to aid in the management of PONV. Dr. Geiger has published an article describing his clinical treatment series in the International Journal of Aromatherapy, Ginger, Zingiber officinale and Anesthesia, which explains the science of essential oils at the cellular and clinical level. Dr. Geiger said he would like to see more clinical investigation to make oil of ginger part of the multi-modal management of PONV.
Integrative services are becoming more available as certain facilities and more open minded doctors are obtaining advanced education in integrative therapies like aromatherapy.