Each acupuncture point has a unique application. Pericardium 6 is one of our most valuable points and it is also a useful pressure point for nausea, motion sickness and anxiety.
Inner path or Inner gate is the name of this point. It helps us tune in to our body and calms the central nervous system. It reduces the heart rate and increases vagal nerve activity which promotes digestive function. The pericardium channel connects to the chest, affecting both the heart and stomach. Pc-6 can treat chest pain and tightness as well as discomfort in the stomach area, perhaps with nausea, reflux or poor appetite. It is also a local point for wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
You may have seen wrist-bands that have a pressure point stimulator that can be placed on this area for nausea, especially associated with motion sickness, morning sickness or anxiety. We all have moments when Pc-6 could help us out. When my partner is car sick, I press on this point and it calms down his symptoms within a couple of minutes. Some of my students are nervous about needling this point because it lies over the median nerve. Sometimes we can feel a tingle for a split second. The sensation travels to the middle finger along the channel line and the nerve pathway. Quickly the sensation dissipates and the patient resumes their flight to Aculand.
By Amber Hincks LAc FABORM
The acupuncture point Pc 6, or Pericardium 6, lies on the forearm, about 2 finger-widths from the palmar wrist crease. It lies between two flexor tendons at the center of the arm, over the median nerve. What do you observe when you press on this point?