The acupressure was given alongside the antiemetic drugs and although there were no side effects, the benefit only lasted 6-8 hours. This presented no problems for hospitalized patients where the treatment could be repeated when needed, but it was a problem for outpatients. The researchers therefore looked for ways of extending the antiemetic action of the acupressure and eventually found the answer. Simply by placing an elasticated wrist band with a stud placed over the acupuncture point (P6), and pressed regularly every 2 hours alleviating the feelings of nausea and vomiting for up to 24 hours. The treatment worked for all (20/20) of the hospitalized patients and 75% (15/20) of outpatients. (The researchers surmised that the treatment was more effective for hospitalised patients because, unlike the outpatients, they were regularly encouraged to press the stud on the acupuncture point.

The researchers concluded that a commercially available elasticated band with a plastic stud (Sea sickness Band) would be an effective method of applying pressure to P6 point and alleviating vomiting and nausea induced by chemotherapy in cancer patients.

In another study ⁽¹⁾, 162 general surgical patients were randomly selected to receive one of three treatments for post-operative nausea and vomiting:

(i) Acupressure using elasticated bands containing a plastic button to apply sustained pressure at the P6 (Neiguan) acupuncture point above the wrist,
(ii) Control dummy bands without the pressure button and,
(iii) Antiemetic injections of prochlorperazine.

All patients received papaveretum injections as required for pain, and additional prochlorperazine injections were prescribed if nausea was not controlled in groups 1 and 2. The severity of nausea was assessed using a linear analogue scale and was significantly reduced by acupressure in comparison to both the placebo and drug groups. The incidence of postoperative vomiting, and the need for unplanned antiemetic injections was also reduced by acupressure, and the researchers were so impressed by the results that they recommended that acupressure should be investigated in other clinical situations as well.

(1) Postoperative nausea is relieved by acupressure. Barsoum G; Perry EP; Fraser IA Department of Surgery, Walsgrave General Hospital, Coventry. I R Soc Med (ENGLAND) Feb 1990, 83 (2) p86-9