Motion sickness, also known as kinetosis or travel sickness, is a common, condition that can cause nausea, vomiting, sweating, headaches and fatigue. It stems from a conflict between perception in your eyes and sensation, or balance, in your ears when you experience certain types of movement. Such treatments as medication and self-care techniques may reduce motion sickness symptoms. Tapas acupressure, a technique developed by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner Tapas Fleming, may benefit those suffering motion sickness.
Background
Acupressure is a holistic healing method in which you use your fingers to press on and massage specific spots on your body associated with certain conditions and symptoms. These spots, known as acupuncture points, are believed to stimulate the body's natural healing powers. Tapas Fleming, a licensed acupressure specialist with a background in Traditional Chinese Medicine, developed Tapas Acupressure, or TAT, to treat a variety of conditions, including allergies, fears and phobias, stress, traumatic reactions and headaches.
The UB1 Point
The Tapas acupressure technique is based on the concept of focusing on one main acupressure point to heal your symptoms, although Fleming also incorporates additional acupressure points as needed. This main acupressure point used in Tapas acupressure, known as Urinary Bladder 1, UB1 or "eyes bright" when translated from Chinese, is located on the upper part of the bridge of your nose, near the corners of your eyes. To locate this point, place your thumb and ring finger of one hand near each eye socket on the spot where your nose meets your forehead. You should feel a small indentation at this point on either side of your nose. Applying gentle pressure to this area is one of the basic foundation poses of Tapas acupressure.
Technique
Tapas acupressure involves one main pose, known as the TAT pose, to treat almost every condition. The TAT pose consists of applying pressure to the UB1 point with the thumb and ring finger of one hand while pressing your ring finger on the spot located between your eyebrows. The other hand is placed behind your head to cup the base of your skull, just above the hairline. According to Tapas Fleming in an article for the "AMT Conference Manual 2003," you then place your attention on your specific symptoms. The idea behind this technique is that your symptoms stem from an underlying fear, trauma or energy imbalance. While it's possible that this technique can alleviate motion sickness, its effectiveness hasn't been evaluated in clinical studies.
Motion Sickness and Acupressure
Although the Tapas technique's effectiveness for motion sickness has not been proven in clinical trials, some clinical evidence shows that conventional acupressure may help. Stimulating a specific acupressure point known as Pericardium 6, located near your wrist on the posterior side of your forearm, may alleviate nausea associated with motion sickness, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. A study published in 1995 in the journal "Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine" found that acupressure of the Pericardium 6 point helped reduce the severity of symptoms of motion sickness. Commercially-manufactured wristbands that have a special button to stimulate this point are available for purchase online and in many pharmacies.
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