Disclaimer: This information is presented as a reference only and should not be construed as medical advice. It is assumed by the author that you are under the care of a licensed physician and that before performing any of the techniques described herein that discussion has occurred as to the appropriateness of these methodologies in your particular case.
My name is Phillip and I am a nurse who has been a practitioner of “granola nursing” as described by my colleagues for many years. If you are reading this then the odds are good that you are suffering and want no further introduction. As you wish.
I will describe several acupressure techniques that have been found to be useful in the treatment of nausea and vomiting, including the often debilitating form of pregnancy induced nausea and vomiting referred to in the medical community as “hyperemesis gravidarum”.
There is a place located on your forearm that when stimulated with massaging pressure for 2-3 minutes can abate nausea and vomiting. It is referred to as p6 in acupressure and I will provide a picture as well as information about how to locate and stimulate this area properly.
Thank you to the folks at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for the picture and description, I could not have said it better myself.
This is by far the most commonly used acupressure site for the relief of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.
If you find this area very helpful for you, there are commercially available bracelets that can be worn to stimulate this area more consistently.
I do not have any affiliation with any designer/manufacturer/distributor of these products and cannot recommend any particular one, but they are inexpensive and widely available.
There is another place that I would like to address, with advice NOT to use it. If you do a google search for acupressure for nausea you may come a crossed a well known area called Li4. This is an area that is commonly used to treat both nausea and migraine. It is located in the webbing between your thumb and index finger.
Whereas this is a highly effective area to massage for the reduction of both nausea and migraine, it is sometimes used to aid in the induction of labor… Again, discuss the appropriateness of any of these techniques with your obstetrician.
Some other common areas that you can stimulate yourself include:
“Stomach 45”
And “Liver 3”
Please disregard the shameless advertisements at the bottom of the last two pictures, I “borrowed” the pictures from smarterhealing.com and like most of us the creators have mouths to feed 😉.
There have been myriad studies done to determine the effectiveness of various forms of treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, including the effectiveness of medications versus acupressure/acupuncture. Most of the studies that I have read conclude that acupressure can be an extremely viable treatment and that it is often as effective or more effective than many medications without the risk of side effects that can come with the latter.
I hope that you find this information useful and I wish you freedom from this problem, the best of health, and a birthing process free from complications.
