Acupressure is a treatment modality using finger, hand, or elbow pressure on acupuncture points. One major acupuncture point known as “Inner Gate” is on the anterior forearm between the 2 tendons (palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis) 3 finger widths from the wrist crease. You find it by having your palm point upwards, then have the index, middle and ring finger of the opposite hand touch each other so they are sitting flat. Place the ring finger on the wrist crease of the hand pointing upwards. “Inner Gate” (or Pericardium 6, PC6) is where the middle knuckle of the index finger meets the forearm and between the two tendons so it is approximately in the middle of the forearm. (Is that confusing enough? The study has a picture that shows exactly where the acupuncture point is located).
The classical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) indications for this point are nausea, vomiting, digestive disturbances, and emotional stress to name a few. This study in the Oncology Nursing Forum used a ‘placebo’ point Small Intestine 3 (SI3) compared to PC6 for managing the side effects of chemotherapy. I use the term placebo in quotes because there are no real placebo points in acupuncture. There are acupuncture points everywhere on the body. It is just that the points that are used have been shown the be the best points, not the only points! Although TCM doesn’t have an indication for digestive disturbances for SI3, there may very well be some tradition that uses SI3 for this purpose. So we cannot always assume we are using a ‘placebo’ point for acupuncture.
Nonetheless, whether using a placebo point or not this study showed that pressing PC6 for 3 minutes had a significant reduction in nausea and vomiting over the placebo group. This means that it isn’t just random pressure that made a difference, it shows that a specific point reduced digestive side effects….and this point has been known to have this action for over 2000 years. I do not believe modern medicine would have ever figured it out, as modern medicine looks through a microscope whereas ancient medicine looked through a telescope. Ancient medicine had a much more observational and wider view and we need to respect the wealth of knowledge we can learn from.
In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Acupuncture Nutrition