# Does this Reliefband thing really work? (nausea relief via acupressure on wrist) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273 "2022-04-22T19:28:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/1 "2022-04-22T19:28:59Z")
> **[Reliefband®](https://www.reliefband.com/)** > > Reliefband® is drug free, non-drowsy, FDA cleared wearable technology for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy and as an adjunct to antiemetics in post surgery. it’s a wristband that is supposed to relieve nausea via acupressure, which makes me very skeptical. Sounds like snake oil. I found some old threads here where people lauded its usefulness, but we all know personal stories are not very useful. But… there seem to be clinical studies that demonstrate it being effective beyond the placebo effect. Here are a few I found with Google: [https://pubs.asahq.org/anesthesiology/article/97/5/1075/40572/Comparative-Efficacy-of-Acustimulation-ReliefBandRhttps://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2010/03000/The\_Effect\_of\_Electroacustimulation\_on.29.aspx](https://pubs.asahq.org/anesthesiology/article/97/5/1075/40572/Comparative-Efficacy-of-Acustimulation-ReliefBandRhttps://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2010/03000/The_Effect_of_Electroacustimulation_on.29.aspx) > **[Randomized double-blind study of the Reliefband as an adjunct to standard...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12836088/)** > > This study suggests that patients receiving moderately-high to highly emetogenic chemotherapy who experience nausea and vomiting despite scheduled antiemetics may benefit from the use of the Reliefband as an adjunct to antiemetics. Limitations of... I found none saying it is ineffective. Does this actually work? Should those studies be enough to shut off the blaring horseshit detector going off in my head? Or are they fake somehow? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/2 "2022-04-22T19:36:11Z")
Just a band doesn’t seem to work except as a placebo. But yeah, I have read studies that show the electronic prescription version might work for some. [http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/600\_699/0676.html](http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/600_699/0676.html) However, ginger works as well as the popular otc drug for nausea, so now you can have a tasty & inexpensive way to fight seasickness, etc without the drug side effects. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/3 "2022-04-22T19:43:34Z")
Did they check to see if an elastic band around an ankle or the head like a sweatband was effective? It isn’t necessarily purely placebo effect, the feeling of such a thing might help change the body’s responses simply by adding additional nervous system stimulus. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/4 "2022-04-22T20:03:40Z")
Yes, that was more or less the study in the OP, where they compared a band with and without electric impulses. The accupressure bands are placebo, but that doesn’t mean worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/5 "2022-04-22T20:21:36Z")
I believe at least one of the trials used an “inactivated” wristband which I supposed would take account of that effect. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/6 "2022-04-22T20:25:07Z")
The second link does not work for me. Did they establish that the stimulus from the band is not a factor? They would have had to try a variety of means of providing stimulus to the wrist or other parts of the body to determine that. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/7 "2022-04-22T21:13:34Z")
A band around my wallet works as well and saves money. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/8 "2022-04-22T22:27:20Z")
A chiropractor told me my back was misaligned because I would sit on my wallet in my back pocket and it was too thick. He offered to thin it out for me. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/9 "2022-04-22T23:16:49Z")
A less than ringing endorsement: “The scientific evidence behind this claim is wildly contradictory, though it overall suggests that maybe it can work a little bit… -Studies of acupressure for nausea are often of low quality; they vary a lot, making comparisons between them difficult; and they are testing a pre-scientific belief system that claims that blockages in the flow of a mysterious life force down imaginary rivers in our bodies can be relieved by needling or pressure”. > **[Can You Turn Nausea Off at the Wrist?](https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-technology/can-you-turn-nausea-wrist)** > > A few years ago, I found myself on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean. The weather conditions were dodgy, but our skipper decided to go ahead with the whale watching expedition. The first couple of big waves were actually fun, but very quickly my... It doesn’t sound impossible to me that a distracting stimulus might relieve an unpleasant symptom, just like whacking your thumb with a hammer could make you forget about your constipation, at least for awhile. And a wristband should be cheap enough. Just don’t buy into the P6 acupuncture/pressure point nonsense, or expect long-term relief from any placebo therapy. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/10 "2022-04-23T02:15:48Z")
No, no, no…the pressure point is the webby part of your thumb closer to the base of the hand. [![](https://ultracarepro.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ha.jpg) ](https://ultracarepro.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ha.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/11 "2022-04-23T03:45:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It doesn’t sound impossible to me that a distracting stimulus might relieve an unpleasant symptom, just like whacking your thumb with a hammer could make you forget about your constipation, at least for awhile. And a wristband should be cheap enough. Yes, but also difficult to prove one way or another. Doctors are willing to play the placebo game with patients who want to try harmless treatments. They’ll say the same basic thing as with a placebo, that “some people find relief using the device but it hasn’t been proven to work”. Sometimes like in this study there are indications the device actually does work. How it works won’t matter much to a patient it works for. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/12 "2023-01-03T01:33:06Z")
Jumping in here to say that the Reliefband isn’t an acupressure device. It’s more like a TENS at the wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/13 "2023-01-03T21:03:59Z")
Regardless, it’s claimed to work like other wristband devices touted for nausea - stimulation of the “P6 acupressure point”, which like other such points used in acupressure/acupuncture has not been shown to exist anatomically or physiologically. Evidence on whether these products work continues to be mixed at best. > **[Can You Turn Nausea Off at the Wrist?](https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-technology/can-you-turn-nausea-wrist)** > > A few years ago, I found myself on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean. The weather conditions were dodgy, but our skipper decided to go ahead with the whale watching expedition. The first couple of big waves were actually fun, but very quickly my... ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/14 "2023-01-03T21:20:45Z")
Slick marketing team that made sure to use the phrase “FDA cleared”. Sure the FDA cleared it. Because it doesn’t contain any food or drugs. The FDA would clear a cancer curing propeller beanie also. Doesn’t mean it works. Just means it’s not harmful to wear. Course the marketing team is preying on the uneducated who make the misassumption that “FDA cleared” somehow means “FDA tested as legitimate”. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/15 "2023-01-03T21:26:23Z")
Anecdote: works for me, whereas the pressure-only wrist bands don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/16 "2023-01-03T22:52:04Z")
'FDA clearance" is a pretty low bar to clear. " For many moderate-risk items in Class II, from catheters to powered wheelchairs, there’s [FDA clearance](https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/it-really-fda-approved). This designation essentially means that the manufacturer has shown their product to be similar enough to another product on the market—called a “predicate”—that the FDA decides it’s safe to OK." > **[‘FDA Cleared’ vs. ‘FDA Approved’: What’s the Difference?](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/654552/fda-cleared-vs-fda-approved-whats-difference)** > > FDA approval and FDA clearance aren’t used for the same products—but they’re both valid messages to see on packaging. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/17 "2023-01-04T09:57:46Z")
I have a great granddaughter, two years old, who get carsick. I have bought an accu pressure armband called seaband. I didn’t really believe in it, but after several thousand kilometers, she has never been carsick when wearing the armband, but several times when not wearing it. I think she is to young for a placebo effekt and I have never told her why she wears the bands. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/18 "2023-01-04T13:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I think she is to young for a placebo effekt Debatable. But she’s probably old enough to sense the reactions of adults around her who believe in acupressure and the band and think it will work. Anecdotes can be fun, but do not constitute convincing science. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-reliefband-thing-really-work-nausea-relief-via-acupressure-on-wrist/963273/19 "2023-01-04T18:20:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Anecdotes can be fun, but do not constitute convincing science. I agree. An anecdote is all I personally have to contribute. In my experience it works.