How to instantly relieve nausea by pressing this point on your wrist

by Healthy Holistic Living

Suffering from nausea is an issue that many have to deal with on a regular basis. If it happens outside of the home, not only can it be embarrassing, but it is incredibly inconvenient, especially if you are trapped somewhere without access to your usual nausea solutions. If you suffer from travel sickness, you will know this sensation all too well!

Common Modern Solutions

Some people, when faced with the feeling of needing to vomit, will turn to the bathroom cabinet in search of pills that can alleviate the sensations. Unfortunately, almost all of these medications have undesirable side effects – replacing a stomach ache with a headache or drowsiness – which is not solving the problem.

Alternatively, people might turn to natural remedies such as ginger, all of which offer a much healthier solution to your nausea. However, many of these require specific preparation, or hard-to-find ingredients, requiring time and effort, a luxury not all of us can afford in our busy day-to-day lives.
On top of the issues surrounding the medications themselves, if you are out and about, or on a long journey with limited movement, such as in a car or plane, these kinds of treatments won’t be accessible.

A Traditional Solution That Works

Acupressure is a technique which uses the ancient Chinese understanding of the body as having channels, or ‘meridians’ through which our life energy flows. By stimulating specific areas of the body via the skin, through massage or applying a level of pressure, we can solve a range of health issues.

In the case of nausea, there is one point on your body which has been shown to reduce the sensation of nausea and sickness when stimulated. Without the need for any medication, natural or otherwise, you already carry this remedy with you wherever you go – you need only your fingers!

Where to Find it and What to Do

The point in question is called the Neiguan (or P6) and is located on the inner forearm, found three fingers’ width down from the crease where the hand meets the wrist. The acupressure point is located between the tendons and to sufficiently stimulate it, you need to apply a downward pressure, massaging the area for around two to three minutes before repeating on the other arm.

Most people will find it best to use their thumb to apply the pressure, placing the fingers of the hand on the top side of the arm, to help apply pressure. You can do this several times a day, or as necessary whenever you feel nauseous.

Scientific Studies

In a 2001 study at Lund University, Sweden, researchers found a significant reduction in nausea and vomiting during pregnancy when the P6 point was stimulated. 60 pregnant women took part in the study, and only those stimulating this specific acupressure point experienced significantly less nausea after 14 days in comparison to control and placebo groups. In this study, relief from nausea appeared after just one day of acupressure.

In another study at the University of California, researchers found that patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced sickness achieved considerable benefit from the stimulation of P6. It was found that both the nausea experience and nausea intensity were reduced among those in the acupressure group.

A separate study, published in the Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia, found a significant decrease of postoperative nausea and vomiting after gynecological surgery in standard clinical settings. The cases of a complete lack of nausea, vomiting, or need for rescue medication for 24 hours, were most frequent in the group that received the acupressure. They concluded that P6 acupressure is a non-invasive method that could very well have a place in post-operative therapy.

Conclusions

The scientific research all shows the extent to which this technique works. Simply by applying pressure to the P6 point on your inner forearm, you can significantly reduce the sensation of nausea as well as the frequency of your feeling it.

You can do this anytime, any place, and be free from the risk of negative side-effects that some medication could bring! Give it a try next time you’re feeling unwell, and tackle nausea no matter where it strikes.

Article Sources:
http://exploreim.ucla.edu/self-care/acupressure-point-p6/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584487
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10660922
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03017897
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/acupressure-nausea-and-vomiting

Image Sources:
http://accucheckglucometer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/neiguan.jpg

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