Sea Band for Travel Sickness

When I was pregnant with my first child I suffered horrendous morning sickness, but not just in the mornings, it could be afternoon or evening, timing didn't matter. The sickness was always worse during travel and getting to work on the bus quickly became a nightmare, I could make it through half the journey but soon the nausea would approach and I'd have to get off the bus in order to cool down and get some air or to do the inevitable. There are ...
...or morning sickness and despite giving ginger biscuits a try they didn't seem to have any effect so I looked into other methods of dealing with the sickness and bought a set of Sea-bands.

Sea-bands are knitted wrist bands that feature a plastic bead, this bead presses down on what's called the Nei Kuan acupressure point on your wrists, which is shown in medical studies to reduce the feelings of nausea, they are designed for use during ... more

When I was pregnant with my first child I suffered horrendous morning sickness, but not just in the mornings, it could be afternoon or evening, timing didn't matter. The sickness was always worse during travel and getting to work on the bus quickly became a nightmare, I could make it through half the journey but soon the nausea would approach and I'd have to get off the bus in order to cool down and get some air or to do the inevitable. There are few medicines you can safely take nowadays for travel sickness or morning sickness and despite giving ginger biscuits a try they didn't seem to have any effect so I looked into other methods of dealing with the sickness and bought a set of Sea-bands.

Sea-bands are knitted wrist bands that feature a plastic bead, this bead presses down on what's called the Nei Kuan acupressure point on your wrists, which is shown in medical studies to reduce the feelings of nausea, they are designed for use during travel or for those suffering morning sickness and are meant to work within 5 minutes of putting the bands on, so it's recommended to put the bands on before you set off on your journey. To find the correct position for the bands on your wrist you have to place your three middle fingers on the inside of your wrist, with the third finger on the edge of the wrist crease, the Nei Kuan pressure point will be just under the index finger between the two central tendons, you slip on the wrist band with the plastic bead facing inwards on this point. (Go to http://www.mothersbliss.com/shopping/seabands.asp for a diagram)

Coming in a clear plastic case you are supplied with 2 bands, naturally one for each wrist, they are mixed fibre and will stretch to fit most wrists with the important factor being the position of the bead on the acupressure points. You can get both adult and child Sea-bands, the adults being more subtle grey and navy tones while the childrens come in brightly coloured patterns and designs. They are fully washable and can be reused as often as needed, because they are a natural form of sickness relief there are no drugs or side effects to worry about but can be used alongside any other form of medication you are using.

I purchased the Sea-bands with slight desperation and a little scepticism, I'd never had experience of acupressure treatments etc before so wasn't sure if the bands would work. Finding the pressure point was quite simple as the bands come supplied with full instructions and diagrams and so I applied the bands before setting off for work feeling something like an 80's Fame reject, all I needed was some snazzy leg warmers and a polka dot skirt to complete the look, fortunately I had worn long sleeves so the bands were tucked away under the cuff allowing me to avoid any odd looks from fellow bus passengers. The journey started as well as it always did and I got about half way through before any feelings of nausea approached, I assured myself I would be fine as I had on my new Sea-bands which had come highly recommended for nausea relief, however the feelings of sickness didn't settle and I was soon hopping off the bus again. I decided it was a case of beginners bad luck and the bands would need a little more time to take effect, for my system to get used to them. I tried for the next few days but all with the same effect, I would find my pressure point every day following the instructions to be sure I was getting it right, I would occasionally get a little further on my journey but never made it the whole way into town without the nausea hitting me and if the trip happened to be a long one, full of passengers and stuck in traffic there was simply no hope of getting through it without feeling ill. Eventually I abandoned the bands and with time the sickness settled on its own, it was a hard few months to get through but fortunately like most cases of morning sickness it faded away.

The bands themselves were comfortable and while I was aware of the bead on my wrist it wasn't painful or uncomfortable in any way. The mixed fibres of the band are much like a sports sweat band, the wrist would feel warm while wearing them but they would not become itchy or sweaty and you could even forget you were wearing them after a while. They weren't the most fashionable looking item and I wouldn't want to have them on in the height of summer with short sleeved tops etc…….but if they worked I guess it could be worth being arrested by the fashion police. I only used the bands to target my morning sickness and unfortunately didn't find they worked for me, however they might be more successful on someone who suffers mild travel sickness on journeys, perhaps while sailing, or it could simply be a case that I didn't give them enough of a go and needed to believe in the bands a little more for them to have an effect. Whatever the case I stopped using the bands when it was apparent that I was getting no benefits from them and I think they're still hanging around at the bottom of a drawer somewhere, forgotten and abandoned, luckily I suffered no future morning sickness in subsequent pregnancies.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the bands as they didn't work for me, but by all means give them a go if you're really desperate and have faith in such things. Sea-bands are available from stores such as Boots as well as online from stores like Amazon, prices start from around £5.99. 

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