You may have heard of acupuncture or have seen images of people with needles on various parts of their bodies. Well, acupressure is just like acupuncture but without needles. It is a non-evasive approach to healing that uses your fingers to relieve pain, speed healing and bring balance to your body.
History
Acupressure began as a medical practice in China over 2,000 years ago. Acupressure involves pressing, rubbing or massaging certain points on the body to cure or help cure a variety of physical ailments. This form of therapy is regarded as massage therapy and it has progressed rapidly since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In Japanese, acupressure is called shiatsu.
Methodology
In acupressure, when a local area is pressed or rubbed in the same area where you have pain or tension, it's called a "local point." If a distant part of the body is relieved of pain while you press this local area, it's called a "trigger point." Trigger points send a signal through pathways along the body called "meridians" which connects the points and the organs involved.
There are 12 meridians on either side of your body. Each meridian matches a particular organ. In acupressure each pressure point is numbered to show where it's located along the meridian. Acupressure allows qi (chi) or energy and blood to flow along these meridians to cure illnesses or to alleviate symptoms associated with them like pain.
Cures
Realize that common acupressure cures are headaches (including migraines), weight loss, nausea, vomiting, angina, cerebral palsy, back pain, insomnia, hangovers and menstrual cramps (Reference 1).
A study at the Women's Hospital, School of Medicine in Zhejiang showed that "acupressure can be used as alternative treatments to relieve menopausal hot flashes for...women who are unable or unwilling to receive HRT (hormone replacement therapy)," (Resource 3).
Cure Examples
There are several acupressure points you can use to relieve pain, especially for headaches. Here are two techniques, from Dr. Mehmet Oz:
Between the eyes: Pinch the tissue just above the nose with your middle finger near one eye and the thumb near the other and slowly push upwards so you feel the pressure near your eyebrows.
The hand web: Using the thumb and index finger of the other hand, apply a pinching pressure to the soft fleshy web between the thumb and index finger, on the back of the hand (Reference 2).
The June 2006 issue of Fitness Magazine has an article called, "Press to De-Stress: 7 Acupressure Cures for Aches and Pains", with a cure for insomnia by acupuncturist, Don Phillips:
Press the spot between your eyebrows, called "yintang." This promotes relaxation, which can help you fall asleep, explains Phillips (Reference 3).
Tips and Warnings
Do not use acupressure as a substitute for medical care. Consult with your doctor about using it along with your current medical care.
Don't use acupressure if you're pregnant.
Do not to apply acupressure to legs with varicose veins (Resource 1).
Tags: , index finger, local area, medical care, relieve pain