Kick Motion Sickness to the Curb With Acupuncture

If you’re susceptible to motion sickness, you know how rough it can be. Sometimes the simple experience of riding in a car, bus, or train can trigger headaches, sweats, feelings of nausea and at worst cases, vomiting. The unpredictable nature of motion sickness can really put a damper on one’s life, when not knowing how you’ll deal with a car ride can affect whether or not you enjoy your night out.

There are medications available for folks who deal with motion sickness to take, but they often come with their own host of side effects. And like most medications, symptoms are treated and temporarily improved, while the root causes of the issue remains. In 2017, researchers in China found that the treatment those who suffer from motion sickness should seek out is none other than acupuncture.

A group of 20 men were studied, broken into three groups: one that received electroacpuncture (Group A), one that received sham acupuncture (Group B), and one group that received no therapy or treatment at all (Group C). The acupuncture group received treatment in three acupuncture points: Pericardium 6, Stomach 36 and Large Intestine 4. After the treatment, all of the subjects were put into a moving chair that is meant to bring upon many of the symptoms of motion sickness. Before and after the session, the subjects’ motion sickness symptoms were checked, and compared.

The study found that: “The volunteers in Group A mentioned less sweating or cold sweating symptoms, as well as less flashing and heat sensations in comparison to their Group C counterparts. Given that peripheral symptoms are attributed to sympathetic nervous system activation, it is possible, that acupuncture alters autonomic nervous system activity in a certain way.”

Those who suffer from motion sickness know what it’s like when things are thrown just a little bit off. We know that acupuncture helps treat root causes of pain and discomfort because it targets and regulates the body’s energy flow. If you’re fearing your next car ride, perhaps you should make a pit stop here and kick motion sickness to the curb for good!

Acupuncture, Electroacupuncture and Ear Seeds, Oh My!

The wide ranging benefits of acupuncture have been covered at length, but more often than not it’s pain relief that has patients turning to the therapy. But acupuncture is for so much more than just pain relief, and we’re thankful that a recent article from Self reminded readers of that.

Aside from the analgesic effects of acupuncture, Self also outlined nearly all the benefits of acupuncture treatment form stress and allergy relief to calming relaxation. It also introduced two more recent advances in acupuncture treatment – electroacupuncture and ear seeds.

Electroacupuncture

Performed in the same way as traditional acupuncture but with one big difference – electroacupuncture also uses a tiny electrical current that helps to augment and enhance the therapy.  It is thought that the use of the current can help to further stimulate the balancing of chi, and needle placement follows the same acupuncture points and meridians as the traditional approach.

Self quotes Joseph F. Audette, M.D., and the chief of the department of pain management at Atrius Health in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School as saying, “There’s a lot of evidence show­ing that electroacupuncture releases endorphins to relieve pain,” Dr. Audette says. “Also, you’re almost guaran­teed a quick response, whereas man­ual acupuncture takes more time and attention.” 

Ear Seeds

Essentially, ear seeds are exactly what the name says – tiny pellets placed along the outer ear and along specific acupuncture points. While acupuncture needles are always removed prior to the end of  a session, ear seeds, often the seeds of the vaccaria plant, are stuck to the ear via adhesive tape and can be left on for about five days. Also known as auriculotherapy, it’s said the benefits of ear seed therapy can include addiction and smoking cessation, headache and backpain relief, and more.