Acupressure therapy is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique based on the technique of acupuncture. Acupressure is a primordial healing method that involves using skillfully pressing key points on the fingers and other parts of body to stimulate the natural healing ability of the body. When these key points are pressed, muscular tension is released which leads to enhanced blood circulation. Acupressure works through the meridian pathways.
Acupressure therapy provides a number of advantages to the body and helps to relieve pain, reduce stress, increase blood circulation, and provides a soothing effect to the body. Acupressure is based on a theory, that there is some sort of invisible energy in all individuals which flows in the body in a manner similar to that of the flow of blood. This energy is referred to as “Qi” by the Chinese, who are accredited with the invention of this technique called acupressure. When Qi gets stuck in the pathways, it causes an imbalance in various body systems. Acupuncture points are the points which are highly susceptible to blockages of Qi and as such, exerting pressure on these points in specific ways helps restore the normal flow of this energy, thereby maintaining homeostasis (steady state of body).
Acupressure and Reflexology
Acupressure works best in congregation with other similar techniques like reflexology. As acupressure and reflexology are complimentary and compatible techniques, their combination can lead to great results. This can be illustrated by an example. Suppose you have a spastic colon or problem in the bowels. You may use Acupressure to relieve the trouble. You are advised to rub your thumb along the side of index finger from fingertip to wrist. This relives tension in the large intestine meridian thereby relieving the ailment. This effect of acupressure on the meridian system can be complimented by the use of Reflexology on the reflex zones of feet or hands across the middle of the palm or soles of the feet. The combination of these two techniques will have long term effects on ailments of the digestive tracts.
Acupressure has a lot of advantages for physical, spiritual, and mental health. It can even be used as a home remedy for certain ailments. Suppose, you have a severe headache, you may press the relevant acupressure points to relieve the pain. The limitation here is that you must know the acupressure points for various organs and also the technique of performing acupressure. If wrong points are pressed, this may lead to further complications. As such, one must get basic training before practicing acupressure as a home remedy.