A 39 year old woman, scheduled for elective caesarean section in her second pregnancy, developed thrombocytopenia. Therefore, at the time of surgery, spinal anaesthesia and non-steroidal analgesic drugs were avoided and she was given a standard general anaesthetic procedure including fentanyl 100μg and morphine 10mg. In the early postoperative period she received tramadol 100mg and a further 10mg of morphine. These drugs did not control her pain, but caused side effects - in particular nausea and retching. Acupuncture to LI4 and PC6 on the right side produced dramatic pain relief within minutes.
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