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For millennia, the Chinese have relied on natural methods of healthcare, like acupuncture, to treat a vast array of health complaints. But you don’t need needles to gently stimulate the points yourself with acupressure (instead of acupuncture). A common acupoint to self-treat in symptoms of nausea as in conditions of vertigo, motion sickness, morning sickness, and general dizziness is a point located on the inside of the wrist. It is in a very accessible location and is a safe  point to use for naturally treating complaints related to nauseousness. If you are under medical care or have the aforementioned symptoms, please get clearance from your physician before using these points.

Did you ever see those “motion sickness wrist bands” in some catalogs? You can wear these “air sickness” bands to help you if you get motion sickness, but you must place the nubs over the correct point or it won’t work. And probably 99% of the purchasers of these wristbands don’t even know how to use the. But if you don’t have these bands, no problem.  Just use your fingertip or knuckle. If you only have one arm (if amputated or bandaged), just use the one point. Never overstimulate the point, or you could get the opposite effect! Just go easy at first and use common sense. Try using gentle, but firm, steady pressure on the point, and hold each point for 1-2 minutes. If you begin to feel an iota of relief, you can try holding each point for about 5 minutes. Please stop if you have any discomfort or odd feeling, and seek the guidance of your physician or professional acupuncturist.

The point is located on the “pericardium meridian” of your acupuncture meridian system. Your “meridians” are energetic lines accessible on the surface of your body in which your life-force, or “qi,” energy flows. The various acupuncture points on these meridians act like “switches” or “relays” to help adjust and balance the flow of qi. Although the particular meridian point we’re going to use is on the pericardium meridian, it won’t directly affect your pericardium (the sac that surrounds your heart). So don’t worry. An acupuncturist or doctor of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) can explain the meridian system to you if you are curious to learn more on the topic. For now, let’s just explore acupuncture point #6 of the pericardium meridian. The old Chinese doctors called this point “nei guan,” which means “inner pass.”

Here’s how to locate it. Extend your forearm, palm open and face up. Bend your wrist. At the crease of your bent wrist, go 2 and a half finger-widths up your forearm, and from there press between the two strong tendons on the surface of your forearm. You count the 2 and a half finger-widths by placing the index and middle fingers (placed together) across your wrist, against the crease the wrist makes when you bend it. That’s 2 finger-widths. Now, imagine half the width of your index finger. Add that and move up to that area. Just there, in-between those two cord-like tendons on your forearm, is the point. Press gently, straight down between these two tendons. Now you are on the acupoint!

If you plan on using the acupressure bands, place them on your wrists and position the nub directly over the acupoint. You may want to inconspicuously mark this point with a pen mark or eyeliner pencil to find it easily each time. Again, only press down and hold gentle pressure on this point for a minute at a time at first. Don’t do more than once every few hours at first. You need to test your constitution and adjust accordingly.

Another tip to reduce feelings related to nausea: People may get profound relief by gently nibbling on candied ginger, or taking ginger supplement pills (available at any healthfood store and most groceries). Good luck and hope you feel well!