On April 19^th 2010, Dr. Aidah Alkaissi, the instructor at the Faculty of Nursing at the University, participated in the International Alternative Medicine Conference that was organized in the city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina State in the United States. The conference aimed at bridging science, practice and community with respect to acupressure as one form of alternative medicine. The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Medicine, North Carolina State University organized the event. Palestine, represented by Dr. Alkaissi, was among 26 other countries and the only Arab country to take part in the conference.

In the conference, Dr. Alkaissi presented two studies, the first titled "Effect of P-6 Acupressure on Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting, Headache, Fatigue, and Pain among Female Patients Undergoing Elective Abdominal Surgery". "P6 acupressure is a non-invasive method that is considered as prophylactic postoperative disturbing symptoms therapy that promotes the comfort of female patients who undergone elective abdominal surgery" said Dr. Alkaissi. The study was conducted at different hospitals in Nablus and Ramallah by Dr. Alkaissi, Dr. Ansam Sawalha, Dr. Waleed Sweileh. Dr. Waiel Sadaqah, Dr. Khaled Saleh and Dr. Ali Barakat. The second study was "The Effects of P6 Acupressure in the Prophylaxis of Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Emesis in Breast Cancer Patients". The study was a Master Thesis done by a Public Health student and supervised by Dr. Alkaissi and Dr. Ayman Hussein at the University and was conducted at different hospitals in Nablus and Jenin.

Dr. Alkaissi said that the first study discussed the ways to reduce vomiting, nausea, pain, fatigue and headache among women who have been subject to an elective abdominal surgery. Such postoperative symptoms are common among those who experience abdominal surgery. Dr. Alkaissi also said that the study has shown that using the 3000-year old Chinese medicine through stimulating the P6 point on each of the wrists using acupressure greatly reduces postoperative nausea, vomiting, fatigue and headaches that accompany abdominal surgery operations. The acupressure wristband presses on the bottom side of the wrist on the P6 point between the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis tendons.

The second study, which discussed the use of acupressure to prevent delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, pain, fatigue and headaches among women who suffer from breast cancer, revealed that using this technique (P6 acupressure) stimulates the P6 point which consequently prevents the neurosignals that cause nausea and emesis from reaching the brain. Thus, this technique is considered less expensive and is not likely to cause any side effects.

As part of her speech, Dr. Alkaissi emphasized the importance of training the patient and his / her family on how to use the acupressure technique. She also mentioned that the conference yielded a number of recommendations that called for more research and focus on alternative medicine and other forms of novel medical treatments.