Delivering Expectant Moms of Nausea
June 30 -- — A drug-free wrist device that relieves morning sickness without harming mother or baby?
New research indicates such a product appears effective, and has the potential to curb the nausea that plagues 70 percent of pregnant women in their first trimester, reports a study conducted at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, N.J. The study, funded by the maker of the wristwatch-like device, was published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology journal.
The ReliefBand, manufactured by Woodside Biomedical, Inc. in Carlsbad, Calif., works based on an acupuncture-like principle. It emits an electrical impulse that stimulates the median nerve in the arm, explains Dave Swenson, chief operating officer at Woodside Biomedical. The stimulation interferes with the signals sent to the brain associated with feelings of nausea.
As a result, it causes the nausea to subside, he explained. And, added Swenson, the product is unique in that it can reverse nausea once it has already started, which he adds that other methods do not.
The study concluded ReliefBand did reduce nausea and vomiting, based on self-reporting, instances of medication use, and weight gain, says lead author of the study, Dr. Todd Rosen from the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The device also allowed additional weight gain of up to three pounds in study subjects, and there were less incidents of dehydration.
The study also found the device was completely safe for the baby.
The research was the first large-scale trial of the device's effectiveness, says Rosen.ReliefBand was first approved by the FDA for motion sickness in 1997. A small study done four years ago was the basis for FDA approval of the over-the-counter device for pregnancy related nausea in 2002.
The new study involved 187 pregnant women, seven times the number involved in the earlier research.
Rosen noted that studies involving pregnant women are more difficult because moms are naturally reluctant to participate in any medical study that might harm their unborn children and possibly cause birth defects.
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