The next point in the "What does that point do series" is on the Pericardium channel, Pericardium 6 (PC 6). As one of my teachers used to say, PC6 is a "4 star point." This means it is a powerful point used for many different conditions. It also has the distinction as being the only point which has been shown in research studies to have an effect when used all by itself.
Where is it?
The Pericardium channel is another channel on the arm (like our first point Lung 7) and is a close neighbor to the Lung channel. As with Lung 7, Pericardium 6 has two locations very close to each other. One location is a bit easier to find and may actually be familiar to those who have seen or used magnetic wrist bands for motion sickness. It is this location that we'll be talking about today.
Pericardium 6 is located on the palm side of the wrist a couple of inches toward the body in between the two tendons (palmaris longus & flexor carpi radialis) that run approximately down the center of the forearm. An easy way to find the point is to place three fingers across your wrist starting at the wrist crease, then look at the point where this line crosses between the two tendons. (Note: a small percentage of people only have one of these two tendons, if you are one of this lucky group, locate PC6 just to the little finger side of the tendon).
What does Pericardium 6 do?
PC6 has a couple of functions which are particularly useful.
First, PC6 is a primary point for treating nausea, no matter the cause. Its effect on nausea is what has earned PC6 the rare distinction of being able to treat a condition without the addition of other points. Whether it is post-operative opioid-induced nausea, motion sickness, pregnancy-related nausea or simply indulging a bit more than you should have at that killer party the night before PC6 is the place to start. Some of you may be familiar with the popular "Seabands," Seabands use magnets to activate PC6 and help fight motion sickness.
Another use for Pericardium 6 is to "calm the Shen." In more common language, this translates to calming the mind and reducing anxiety. PC6 also "opens and unbinds the chest." This refers to some of the types of physical symptoms that can be experienced with anxiety such as tightness in the chest and palpitations. Sometimes anxiety can produce nausea as well, in which case PC6 can help on both fronts.
The next time you are feeling anxious or nauseous, try massaging Pericardium 6 to feel better.
