Morning Sickness – Acupressure as a Remedy
Acupressure is therapeutic remedy which is very popular in China and neighboring regions. It is now an accepted non-invasive alternate treatment when allopathic and invasive techniques could be harmful to the condition of the patient. A pregnancy where morning sickness is severe is one such delicate condition where a prescribed medicine could have some side-effects both on the mother and the fetus. There are no invasive methods of treatment for morning sickness as yet.
Acupressure is a very simple yet powerful and effective method to control the ailments of the body by applying pressure at certain fixed points in the body known as the pressure points. The pressure point to control the nausea rising in a carrying mother is the Inner Gate or P6 point.
The Inner Gate pressure point will be the most effective point from where the nausea can be subdued by applying gentle pressure. The P6 is located on the fore arms, three finger width away from the wrist. At this point, firm pressure should be applied between the bones for periods of three minutes or longer. The response to this pressure could be the pulsation one would feel beneath the fingers. The pulsation implies the tension is being released by the body. When tired, one could apply the same acupressure technique to control the nausea on the other forearm.
Another point which could prove helpful in controlling the nausea is the Leg Three Yi. Numerically this is called as the ST36. This point is located on the front of the lower leg just outside the shin bone. It will be easy to locate this point by moving the big toe. The point is four finger widths from the knee cap. Firm pressure needs to be applied for more than three minutes and one can feel the nausea ebbing away.
Another very effective acupressure point to abate the rising nausea would be the SI17 or the Heavenly Container. This point is located beneath the earlobe and is where the jaw bone begins. Though the point is a bit delicate, firm pressure has to be applied to make the treatment effective.
These are some of the important acupressure points that have proved to be very effective in controlling morning sickness in many mothers-to-be. The techniques should best be used with consultation with a practitioner of acupressure. The experts will provide the necessary techniques as well as what is not to be done to while practicing acupressure.
Extensive studies have researched the correlation of acupressure techniques in controlling pregnancy nausea and have been proved positive in every study. Acupressure has been found effective in controlling nausea caused from the general anesthesia administered during hospital operations.
The best feature of acupressure technique to control morning sickness is that by merely applying firm pressure using the thumb and the index finger one is able to control the bouts of nausea. Therefore the mother-to-be does not have to depend on either medicines or other care givers to help her to control the vomiting sensation. Moreover, she has the freedom to continue to be in her resting or relaxing position and effectively control her nausea. Indeed Acupressure is a highly commendable alternative therapy to help overcome morning sickness.