The Pressure Point For Nausea

Although acupressure is an ancient therapy, it has only begun to be studied by Western medicine. One of the areas of study is acupressure for nausea using the Pericardium 6 acupressure point. There have been studies that link the stimulation of this point to a decrease in nausea symptoms associated with post-operative nausea, nausea in pregnancy and nausea associated with chemotherapy.

What is Acupressure?

altMD.com states that acupressure is a therapy that is considered part of traditional Chinese medicine. It is a method of stimulating acupuncture points using thumb, finger or instrumental pressure. The stimulation of these points will allow a restoration of the balance in the flow of the body's energy, or qi. The qi runs along pathways called meridians. Each meridian has a name and each point on that meridian has a number. When your qi is in balance, you will be healthy. When your qi is out of balance, you will experience symptoms or illness.

Research on Pericardium 6

There have been many research studies on Pericardium 6. Anna Lee and Lawrence Fan of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at The Chinese University of Hong Kong reviewed 40 studies that assessed the benefit of stimulating Pericardium 6 for the treatment of post-operative nausea and vomiting. They concluded that the studies showed Pericardium 6 was an effective treatment. A study by Dundee and Yang of Northern Ireland Radiotherapy Centre, Belvoir Park Hospital, Belfast, concluded that acupressure to Pericardium 6 was beneficial to prevent post-chemotherapy nausea.

Performing Acupressure

Acupressureonline.org gives some general directions to doing acupressure. You can perform acupressure on yourself, or you can get assistance from someone else. Start by finding the desired acupressure points, the point may be tender to pressure. Use your finger, thumb or a small blunt instrument to put pressure on the point. Hold the pressure for 30 seconds up to several minutes. You may choose to do small circles and massage the point while continuing to hold the pressure. Continue until the tenderness is gone or the point becomes numb. In the case of nausea, continue treatment until the nausea dissipates. You can massage the point as often as you experience the nausea.

Location of Pericardium 6

Pericardium 6 is located on the palm side of the wrist. To locate it, point the tip of the index finger toward the elbow of the opposite arm, place the second knuckle of your index finger at the center of the lowest wrist crease of the opposite wrist. The point is located between the two tendons at the center of the forearm where the tip of your finger stops.

Caution

Nausea can be a sign of a serious illness and should be addressed. If you are experiencing nausea or other symptoms for an extended period of time, you should be examined by a physician. A physician can rule out or monitor any serious illnesses.