Acupressure wristbands have been shown to ease nausea associated with radiation treatment for a variety of cancers.
University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) researchers have conducted experiments that suggest targeting wrists as anti-nauseas points may lead to a safe, natural and low-cost health resource to use in anti-nausea treatment in cancer patients.
The clinical trial looked at 88 people who reported some degree of nausea after receiving at least two radiation treatments. It found a 23.8 percent decrease in nausea for the patients who wore wristbands as compared to an only 4.8 percent decrease in those who did not.
“Some of our bodys feelings and sensations are ambiguous and subject to interpretation,” says Dr. Joseph A. Roscoe, research associate professor at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at URMC.
“Your mind cannot make a blister go away, or reduce hair loss, but it can interpret ambiguous abdominal sensations and decide how much nausea they represent, based on our expectations,” he adds.
The study was funded by the American Cancer Society and reported in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.