Acupressure Bands

Non Invasive Acupressure Bands Reduce Sickness In Chemo Patients

More evidence that acupressure wrist bands ‘Sea-Band’ may relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea for cancer patients

In a recent study[1] conducted by researchers from the Radiotherapy and Oncology department of the San Gerardo Hospital – Monza (Italy), 70% of patients undergoing chemotherapy found their related sickness improved whilst wearing Sea-Band during and after their treatment.

Recent studies have shown that approximately 60% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will experience related nausea. However, despite the availability of anti-emetic (anti-sickness) drugs, post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting affects patients’ quality of life. Nausea and vomiting can extend beyond the time of treatment and in fact can be more distressing to patients in the days following their course of chemotherapy.[2,3,4}

The preliminary study, presented to the 8th national congress of medical oncology in Milan, comes at a time when conventional pharmacological treatments for post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting are still proving ineffective for a considerable number of cancer patients, leading many to terminate their treatment altogether, so severe are its side effects and the impact on quality of life.

Professor Lissoni, who worked on the study, commented on its findings: “This preliminary study is encouraging for the many patients whose chemotherapy is causing symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy is a highly aggressive chemical treatment regimen so we would welcome the option of treating side effects with a non-drug, non-invasive therapy. In this group of highly medicated patients, less is definitely more when it comes to additional pharmacological interventions.

Naturopath and acupressure specialist, Jacqueline Young, of the Healthcheck Clinic in central London says,” Sea-Band wristbands have helped many of my patients undergoing the rigours of chemotherapy. They report feeling less nausea both before and after chemotherapy and more able to continue the treatment. Since the bands are without side-effects, affordable, re-usable and of proven effectiveness in reducing nausea, I believe they can have a useful role to play for chemotherapy patients.”

Chemotherapy is the treatment of diseases such as cancer with drug therapy. There are over 50 chemotherapy drugs, which can damage normal cells as well as cancerous ones hence side effects are common. Despite progress in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, many patients still experience symptoms.

Sea-Band has long been known to relieve feelings of nausea and have been used to treat morning sickness, motion sickness and post-operative nausea, as well as post-chemotherapy nausea. Worn around the wrist, the Sea-Band exerts a constant, gentle pressure on a point on the inner wrist called the Pericardium 6 (P6) acupressure point. Some of the leading cancer patient support groups, such as Cancer Research UK, recognise the use of Sea-Band for alleviating post-chemotherapy nausea