Foot Massage Therapy for Pregnancy Nausea
Pregnancy nausea, known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as "Pregnancy Worsening Blockage," manifests as loss of appetite, mild nausea, and vomiting during early pregnancy. If mild and not affecting diet or work, it is considered a normal physiological response and typically resolves by the third month without treatment. However, some pregnant women experience persistent or severe vomiting, unable to eat, accompanied by general weakness, significant weight loss, reduced urine output, dry skin and mucous membranes, and sunken eyes. Immediate treatment is necessary to avoid harm to maternal health and fetal development. Foot massage therapy proves highly effective for this condition.
Basic Foot Massage Techniques:
1. Use the thumb to press and rub the Chongyang and Taibai points on both feet for 10 minutes each, once to three times daily.
2. Gently rub the stomach, liver, reproductive gland, and thyroid reflex zones on the feet for 3–5 minutes each. Rub the abdominal nerve plexus, kidney, ureter, bladder, and adrenal reflex zones for 3 minutes each, once to twice daily.
3. Rub the Neiting point on the foot for about 10 minutes to relieve symptoms.
4. Press the Lidi and Yinxue points on the foot for 10–25 minutes.
Supplementary Massage Therapy: For severe cases, while performing foot massage, rub the Shangyang point beside the fingernail of the index finger for 3–5 minutes daily.