Heartburn

Different patterns, one point

During pregnancy, women suffer from heartburn for various reasons including hormone levels and the growing size of the uterus. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, one of the functions of the Stomach is to direct food and qi downward into the Small Intestine. During pregnancy, this function is impaired, hence the prevalence of morning sickness and heartburn.

If you’ve tried antacids and they haven’t been too helpful, or if you’re trying to avoid the use of any over the counter medications, there is an acupoint that is very effective and simple to use. Directions appear below.

If your heartburn is more severe, consider having a few acupuncture treatments to bring it back under control. At your treatment I will also be able to give you extremely small “press needles” that can be left in acupoints for a constant, low-grade stimulation throughout the day.

Acupressure for Heartburn

Stomach 44 is located on your foot, between your second and third toes, right where the toes join the foot. Use your fingernails to put pressure on this point on both feet at the same time. Press until the heartburn subsides. You can use this point throughout the day.

Fingernail pressure on Stomach 44 for heartburn

Stomach 44 is the second to last point on the stomach channel. In acupuncture, the points on the hands and feet often have the strongest effects on the channels and the organs they pass through.