Although the author now absolutely loves roaming on public transportation, and has even traveled around New Zealand’s South Island and North Island by bus, in childhood I was also a severe motion sickness sufferer who, the moment I stepped onto any vehicle, would “be turned upside down with dizziness and vomit violently at the slightest provocation,” causing quite a bit of flustered trouble for the family traveling with me.
Later, during my student years when I volunteered at Wushi Harbor in Yilan, I often had the chance to go out to sea on whale-watching boats. I remember during the first training session, the boat deliberately left the gentle coastal sightseeing route and sped east all the way to the open ocean near the main current of the Pacific Kuroshio. When the towering swells came crashing in, almost everyone on the boat vomited. Yet even after such violent rocking, the number of times the author actually swallowed “carsickness or seasickness medicine” from childhood to adulthood can be counted on one hand.
Besides relying on chemical drugs that easily cause dry mouth, drowsiness and poor concentration, the human body actually contains an extremely powerful anti-vomiting defense switch — the “Neiguan acupoint,” famous through the ages in traditional Chinese medicine’s meridian theory.
Neurophysiological Decoding: Why Does Pressing the “Neiguan Acupoint” Effectively Stop Vomiting?
In the classic traditional Chinese medicine text “Song of the Four General Acupoints” there is a saying passed down for a hundred years: “For heart and chest, seek Neiguan.” It means that anything involving palpitations, chest tightness, stomach churning, nausea, dry heaving and hiccups — discomfort above and below the diaphragm — has the Neiguan acupoint as the first-choice key point.
Many modern Western medicine and neurophysiological studies have also confirmed the amazing efficacy of the Neiguan acupoint:
- Stimulating the median nerve and vagus nerve:
Deep beneath the Neiguan acupoint lies the trunk of the body’s most important arm nerve, the “median nerve.” Modern medical clinical trials (including acupuncture and acupoint stimulation research conducted by Taichung Veterans General Hospital) found that pressing the Neiguan acupoint with appropriate technique can, through the neural reflex arc, effectively regulate abnormal gastrointestinal peristalsis and calm the disordered gastric electrical rhythm (gastric dysrhythmia). - Suppressing excessive excitation of the brain’s vomiting center:
The root of motion sickness lies in the intense conflict in the brain between the acceleration sensed by the “inner ear vestibular balance organ” and the stationary signal received by “binocular vision.” Pressing the Neiguan acupoint can transmit inhibitory regulatory signals to the brain’s vestibular nuclei and the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) at the base of the fourth ventricle, significantly reducing the feeling of nausea within just 5 to 10 minutes.
Besides preventing carsickness, seasickness and airsickness, the Neiguan acupoint also has excellent immediate relief effects for severe morning sickness in early pregnancy, nausea after chemotherapy, or sudden acute gastroesophageal reflux nausea.
The Three-Finger Point-Location Method: Finding the Precise Location of the “Neiguan Acupoint” Step by Step
The Neiguan acupoint is located on the inner side of our forearm. As long as you master the simple “three-finger width rule,” anyone can locate it precisely within a second:
- Extend your arm, palm facing up: Slightly bend the wrist inward, and two very obvious taut tendons (the “flexor carpi radialis tendon” and the “palmaris longus tendon”) will appear in the very center of the palmar side of the forearm.
- Measure the distance with three fingers together: Place the “index, middle and ring fingers” of the other hand tightly together, with the edge of the ring finger aligned with the wrist crease closest to the palm (the wrist crease).
- The point is right between the two tendons: On the midline of the forearm corresponding to the outer edge of the index finger (about 2 cun, equivalent to 4–5 cm, from the wrist crease), exactly in the depression in the very middle of the two taut tendons — this is the Neiguan acupoint.
Deep-Pressing Technique and Operating Rhythm for the Neiguan Acupoint
After locating the acupoint, the pressing technique must aim for “deqi” (obtaining the qi sensation); by all means do not lightly stroke the skin surface:
| Massage Step | Key Action Description | Precautions and Physical Sensation |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1: Apply force perpendicularly | Use the thumb pad of the opposite hand to slowly increase pressure perpendicularly toward the deep bone seam of the arm. | Trim your nails short to avoid piercing the skin with sharp nails. You may also use the blunt end of a ballpoint pen or a dedicated massage stick. |
| Step 2: Seek the sore-numb “deqi sensation” | When pressed to the appropriate depth, a distinct slight soreness, slight swelling, accompanied by a slight numbness should come from the inner arm, even transmitting upward. | The sore-numb sensation indicates the stimulation has precisely hit the neural reflex point; there is no need to press excessively hard until bruised and painful. |
| Step 3: Deep press 5 seconds, relax 2 seconds | Maintain the deqi pressure steadily for 5 seconds, then slightly relax and release the pressure for about 1 to 2 seconds, then repeat the deep press. | Maintain deep, slow abdominal breathing, matching the regular pressing rhythm, massaging continuously for 5 to 10 minutes each time, alternating between both hands. |
Considerations for Choosing Market “Anti-Motion Wristbands” and “Anti-Motion Patches”
Many people, before long-haul international flights or before taking a passenger ferry to Penghu or Green Island, buy “anti-motion wristbands (Sea-Bands)” or “behind-the-ear anti-motion patches” at the pharmacy:
- Physical acupoint-pressure wristbands:
Many elastic knitted anti-motion wristbands on the market have a core structure of a hard round plastic knob embedded on the inner side of the wristband. As long as the knob is precisely aligned with the “Neiguan acupoint” on both wrists when worn, the continuous pressure of the elastic band can achieve a good preventive effect of long-term acupoint stimulation without the fatigue of manual pressing. With no medicinal ingredients and no harm to the liver or kidneys, it is extremely safe for pregnant women and young children…
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