Whether that upset, queasy feeling in your stomach is a symptom of motion sickness, a side effect of pregnancy, or an aftereffect of a recent surgery, there are a number of quick and simple techniques you can try for treating nausea naturally. In particular, I recommend the following three methods to provide natural relief for nausea.
P6 Acupressure Point
An ice cold bucket of water dumped on your head is a traditional farmer’s way of treating nausea naturally, but there's a kinder, more effective method: P6 (Nei Kuan). This is the acupressure point located two finger-widths below the wrist, on the thumb side. You should massage the point with constant, steady pressure in intervals of three to five minutes, as often as needed for stopping nausea.
Numerous studies have found this natural nausea relief technique to be extremely effective across the board for nausea and vomiting resulting from morning sickness, motion sickness, postoperative sickness, and chemotherapy.
A company called Southwest Bands also markets a product called Sea-Band that takes advantage of this natural anti-nausea acupressure point. They sell a pair of 1-inch wide woven elasticized bands with a plastic ball-shaped button sewn inside. A band is worn around each wrist so that the button places constant pressure on the P6 acupressure point. Sea-Bands are available at most drug stores. However, there is no reason you can’t make your own using a needle and thread, a small round ball-shaped button, and two tennis wrist sweatbands.
Ginger
There is plenty of evidence to support the use of the herb ginger for treating nausea naturally, regardless of the cause. And the beauty of using ginger, in particular to stop the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, is that there are few, if any, side effects, and it doesn’t affect the pregnancy.
For natural relief for nausea, the generally recommended dose is 500 to 600 mg every three to four hours. Numerous products are available online and in health food stores.
Deep Breathing
According to recent research, controlled deep breathing appears to be the key to treating nausea naturally in patients recovering from surgery. Dr. Jeffrey Gross and nurse Lynn Anderson studied the effects of using aromatherapy on nausea. They divided patients into three groups. One group was given gauze pads wet with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol). The second group was given pads with oil of peppermint, and the third was given pads dampened with a placebo saline solution.
All of the individuals had just completed surgery and were sick. Each was instructed to inhale slowly through their nose and then exhale slowly through their mouth a total of three times. The patient was then questioned two minutes and five minutes later about their degree of nausea.
The researchers were surprised to learn that after five minutes all of the individuals reported an average of at least 50 percent improvement. The satisfaction rating of the treatment was 87 percent. Obviously, the nausea relief comes from the slow, deep breathing techniques rather than anything placed on the gauze pads.
