Efficacy of a portable acustimulation device in controlling seasickness.

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness are serious and sometimes debilitating symptoms for commercial and recreational seafarers.

HYPOTHESIS: In order to treat these symptoms, a portable device, the Relief Band, was designed to deliver acustimulation to the Neiguan (P6) acupuncture point.

METHOD: Nine volunteers used the device on a placebo point or the P6 active point on the open seas outside the San Francisco Bay. Motion sickness symptoms were graded from 1 ("feel fine") to 5 ("intermittent vomiting, with or without nausea").

RESULTS: Five subjects with motion sickness initially positioned the device at the placebo site and reported minimal symptom improvement (3.6 +/- 0.6 to 3.4 +/- 1.1) (mean, +/- SD), whereas the other four subjects initially used the device in the P6 position and reported decreased symptoms (4.3 +/- 1.0 to 1.0 +/- 0.2). The position of the Relief Band was then switched; in the four subjects who switched to the placebo position, symptoms worsened (1.0 +/- 0.2 to 4.0 +/- 1.4); whereas, in the five subjects where the device was switched to the P6 position, symptoms improved in each subject (3.4 +/- 1.1 to 1.0 +/- 0.7) (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Motion sickness symptoms were suppressed by portable acustimulation in field studies of seasickness. The Relief Band may be an alternative to drug treatments of the nausea and vomiting of seasickness.