Ask the Acupuncturist
« Back to Stomach, Digestive, Intestinal Problems Questions
| Q: |
I have always had a problem when it comes to my gag reflex. As a kid I even had a problem wearing a mouth piece and going to the dentist. but it still has not gone away, even today if i go to the dentist it is very hard for me to allow anything in my mouth without gagging and eventually vomiting. I also have a problem when shirts are tight around my neck. Is there any hope in acupuncture?
|
|
| A: |
There are some very simple acupuncture points that have been proven to calm down the gag reflex.
Acupuncture point: Ren 24
The first point is Ren 24, which is located midline between the lower lip and the chin.
A blind, controlled study published in The Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine. 2003, showed that using single-needle
acupuncture on Ren 24 (also called CV24 or chengjiang) alleviated the
gag reflex during transesophageal echocardiography.
In the study, the acupuncture group experienced significantly less gagging than the sham group
Acupuncture of Ren 24 is an easy to apply and effective method to
reduce gag reflex. If you wanted to try this out yourself, purchase
some acupuncture magnets or beads. The acupuncture magnets come on an
adhesive and you can leave it on the point for up to a week.
Ear Acupuncture Points to control Gag Reflex
Another very interesting study was published in the British Dental
Journal. 2001. this study used two points located on the ear and found
that acupuncture was able to prevent gagging during dental treatment on
people with a moderate to severely exaggerated gag reflex.
“Ear acupuncture was successful in controlling the gag reflex,”
said Fisk in her article in British Dental Journal. “It is a safe,
quick, inexpensive, and relatively noninvasive technique. ”
The anti-gagging point is a little harder to find. It is between the
triangular fossa and the concha of the ear and is located where the
vagus nerve innervated the ear. If you can find the triangular shaped
hollow in the top portion of the ear (triangular fossa), the point is
directly below the hollow.
You may want to have an acupuncturist help you find the point on
yourself. Again, you can purchase tiny adhesive acupuncture magnets and
pellets to place over the point. |
Ask Your Acupuncture Question
Still can't find the answer to your acupuncture related question? Ask a member
of our experienced and knowledgable team of acupuncturists.
Ask your question here » |
|
