Pressure Points for Nausea Relief: Tips From a Licensed Acupuncturist

If there is one acupressure point worth committing to memory, it is the one for nausea, because it genuinely works, it is easy to find, and it costs nothing. As a licensed acupuncturist I use its needled version constantly, but the pressure version is something I teach patients to do for themselves, and it is the same point those anti-nausea wristbands are built around.

PC6, and how to find it

The point is Pericardium 6, Neiguan, on the inner forearm. Turn your palm up, and measure about three finger-widths down from the wrist crease, right in the middle between the two tendons you can often feel there. Press firmly with the thumb of the other hand, enough to feel a distinct, slightly achy sensation, and hold with steady pressure or small circles for a minute or two, then switch arms. That achy feeling is the point engaging, and it is what you want.

PC6 has some of the better evidence of any acupressure point; it is genuinely helpful for several kinds of nausea, which is why it turns up in real medical settings, not just wellness blogs.

When it actually helps

I recommend it most for motion sickness, morning sickness in pregnancy, and the queasiness that comes with anxiety or a nervous stomach. For pregnancy nausea in particular it is a gift, because so many medications are off the table, and PC6 is safe and drug-free, which is a big part of why the wristbands exist. It can also take the edge off nausea after surgery or during chemotherapy, though in those situations it is a comfort measure alongside your medical care, not a replacement for it.

The honest limits

Let me be clear about what pressing a point can and cannot do. PC6 is real first aid for ordinary nausea, but nausea can also signal something that needs a doctor, severe or persistent vomiting, nausea with bad abdominal pain, dehydration, or anything alarming should send you to medical care, not to your forearm. And if you are pregnant and struggling badly, please loop in your OB; PC6 is a safe tool, but severe pregnancy nausea sometimes needs more.

For everyday queasiness, though, this is one of the most useful things I can teach you, and it lives on your own wrist. If nausea is part of a bigger pattern you are dealing with, acupuncture can address the root, and I am glad to help. Book online or call the clinic at (424) 317-0014.