Acupressure relieves the symptoms of motion sickness and reduces abnormal gastric activity.

CONTEXT: Acupuncture at the P6 or Neiguan point to treat nausea and vomiting has been practiced in China for many years. More recently, acupressure at P6 has been used successfully to decrease the symptoms of pregnancy sickness and with mixed results to decrease motion sickness.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether an Acuband, a commercially available acupressure wristband, would relieve the symptoms of motion sickness.

METHOD: 25 healthy subjects, aged 18 to 22 years, prescreened for susceptibility to motion sickness, were tested on 3 separate occasions in a rotating optokinetic drum with the following conditions: wearing an Acuband on the wrist, wearing an Acuband on the arm, and wearing no Acuband.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective symptoms of motion sickness and abnormal gastric activity, as recorded via electrogastrography, were obtained throughout the procedure.

RESULTS

Subjects reported significantly fewer symptoms of motion sickness on days when wearing the Acuband on the wrist or the arm than they did on control days (when they wore no Acuband). Subjects also showed less abnormal gastric activity on the days when wearing an Acuband than they did on control days.

CONCLUSION

An Acuband worn on the wrist or forearm decreases the symptoms of motion sickness and the gastric activity that usually accompanies motion sickness.