Acupressure/Acupuncture
The classic acupuncture point for nausea and seasickness, called Pericardium 6 ("Nei Guan" in Chinese, which means "inner gate") is located in the middle of the inner wrist, three finger breadths away from the wrist crease, between the two tendons. Locate and press firmly, one wrist at a time, or get a friend to hold both for 3 minutes or so. "Seabands" are also available at drug stores (Eckerd, Longs, Osco, Rite Aid, Savon, CVS, Walmart) or online for treatment of nausea related to motion sickness. Some women find some relief with these as they put pressure on the P6 point. This may not have a great impact in women with more severe symptoms.
An acupuncturist can also identify other points that may be helpful. Response is very individual to all therapies.
Offsite Research:
The safety and effectiveness of antiemetic therapy for NVP.
Laura A. Magee, MD
Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy: State of the Art 2000 Conference
Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum: a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind, crossover study.
Carlsson CP, Axemo P, Bodin A, Carstensen H, Ehrenroth B, Madegard-Lind I, Navander C.
Physical Medicine Unit, Department of Rehabilitation, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Journal of Pain & Symptom Management 2000 Oct;20(4):273-9
Hyperemesis gravidarum, severe vomiting, develops in about 1-2% of all pregnancies. Acupuncture on the point PC6 above the wrist on the palmar side has been found to prevent some types of nausea and vomiting. The purpose of the present study was to see if acupuncture, in addition to standard treatment, could hasten the improvement of hyperemesis gravidarum. Thirty-three women with hyperemesis were evaluated in a randomized, single-blind, crossover comparison of two methods of acupuncture, active (deep) PC6 acupuncture or placebo (superficial) acupuncture. The women estimated their degree of nausea on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The daily number of emesis episodes were documented. Crossover analyses showed that there was a significantly faster reduction of nausea VAS and more women who stopped vomiting after active acupuncture than after placebo acupuncture. This study suggests that active PC6 acupuncture, in combination with standard treatment, could make women with hyperemesis gravidarum better faster than placebo acupuncture.
More From PubMed:
Find more abstracts on acupuncture and hyperemesis »
Updated on: Sep. 15, 2022