Acupressure
for Morning Sickness
By Steven Bratman, M.D.
The Natural Pharmacist 08-27-2001
Nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) is a common
problem in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Since
this is also a period during which the developing
fetus is most sensitive to injury, treatment with
herbs or medications presents concerns.Acupuncture
and related therapies are another option. This
is potentially an attractive approach because it
doesn't involve putting any chemicals into the
body.Several studies have evaluated treatment on
a single acupuncture point, P6, traditionally thought
to be effective for relief of nausea and vomiting.
This point is located on the inside of the forearm,
about 2 inches above the wrist crease. Most trials
have investigated the effects of pressure on this
point (acupressure) rather than needling. The most
common means used involves a wristband with a pearl-sized
bead in it situated over P6. It exerts pressure
by itself while it is worn, and the user can also
press on it for extra stimulation.A recent double-blind
placebo-controlled study of 97 women found evidence
that wristband acupressure may significantly relieve
morning sickness.1 Participants wore
either a real wristband or a phony one that appeared
identical. Both real and fake acupressure caused
noticeable improvement in more than half of the
participants. However, women using the real wristband
showed better effects in terms of the duration
of nausea. The intensity of the nausea was not
significantly different between the groups.
These results are consistent with previous studies,
such as a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover
trial of 60 women in early pregnancy that used
wristband acupressure.2 The results
showed a 60% reduction in symptoms in the acupressure
group, compared to only a 30% reduction in the
placebo group. Interestingly, wearing a band on
one wrist was no more effective than wearing a
band on both. Benefits were also seen in a small
crossover trial.3
Furthermore, a double-blind placebo-controlled
study of 60 pregnant women found that using 10
minutes of self-applied manual acupressure on
either P6 or a sham point 4 times daily improved
symptoms.4 Benefits were also seen in a single-blind
crossover study of acupuncture in 33 women.5
1. Norheim AJ, Pedersen EJ, Fonnebo V, et
al. Acupressure treatment of morning sickness
in pregnancy. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
study. Scand J Prim Health Care. 2001;19:43–47.
2. de Aloysio D, Penacchioni P. Morning sickness
control in early pregnancy by Neiguan point acupressure. Obstet
Gynecol. 1992;80:852–854.3. Hyde E. Acupressure
therapy for morning sickness. A controlled clinical
trial. J Nurse Midwifery. 1989;34:171–178.4.
Belluomini J, Litt RC, Lee KA, et al. Acupressure
for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized,
blinded study. Obstet Gynecol. 1994;84:245–248.
5. Carlsson CP, Axemo P, Bodin A, et al.
Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum:
a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind,
crossover study. J Pain Symptom Manage.
2000;20:273–279
