Not to be confused with acupuncture, acupressure is a 5,000-year-old practice that consists of using your fingers to gently put pressure on trigger points in your body that release tension, increase blood flow, and maximize feelings of relaxation. According to eastern practitioners, it also will help release your “Qi” – or pronounced “Chi” by westerners.
To accomplish this, an acupressure therapist will run their fingers over the meridian lines on a client’s body, deep enough to cause physiological changes in the body, but not so hard that it causes bruising. Skeptics claim that the reason for the changes are not due to any change in the body’s energy, but rather the impact it has on muscles and blood flow. Others take a more holistic approach, believing that acupressure brings the body and the mind back together in one unified spirit.
But acupressure isn’t just to feel better – many claim that it also helps reduce wrinkles and possibly even solve some sexual problems, such as premature ejaculation and impotence, possibly even infertility. The studies on these types of claims are inconclusive, but anecdotal evidence abounds.
Though the practice of acupressure goes back 5,000 years to ancient China, it has only been practiced in America since the early 1800’s. A visit to an Acupressurist is very similar to what you would have at a massage therapist: wearing loose-fitting clothing, the client lays down on a long table. The client is asked to practice visualization while the therapist works various muscle groups over a normally hour-long session, asking for feedback afterward. In order to know how to proceed with further treatments, the therapist needs to know what is working and what isn’t.
Besides a general feeling of relaxation, there are other benefits to an acupressure appointment.
1. Relieve Pain
One of the major benefits of acupressure is the ability to relieve tension and pain in parts of the body, especially chronic pain that western medicine is unable to properly target. Acupressure increases blood flow throughout the body by working the veins and capillaries that could have been inhibited by blockages, bringing life-healing oxygen more freely throughout the body.
Furthermore, acupressure also helps untie knots and points of tension in various places as well. As the person deals with different life issues, the body begins to grow callous and hard on the inside, creating an impasse within the muscle groups that don’t allow the joints and ligaments to move freely. Acupressure gently relaxes these parts, removing the tension and decreasing pain.
One area that acupressure helps the most is in relieving chronic headaches, but this practice has also been linked to other forms of pain reduction, such as lower back pain, hand pain, and dysmenorrhea. By pressing on different parts of the body, you can activate the part that releases pain centers and alleviate the tension. One of the most popular is the LI4 spot, which sits in the webbing just between the thumb and the index finger; pressing firmly on this spot has been known to reduce headaches. Here is a chart with other popular areas.
2. Induce Labor
Whether or not a mom chooses to go through the all-natural route of a home or water birth, many moms simply don’t want a bevy of drugs inserted into their system in order to induce labor pains. As such, acupressure could provide them a means to get the birthing process started in a non-invasive and holistic way.
The most popular pressure points for this are LI4, BL67, SP6, BL60, PC8, and BL32. While all acupressure increases blood flow in some capacity, these have been shown to increase blood flow directly to the uterine area, which can also affect hormones and cause contractions. Still, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor directly before practicing acupressure while pregnant.
3. Migraines
People that suffer from debilitating migraine headaches are usually inclined to try just about anything that might help alleviate the pain. Fortunately, acupressure offers several different ways to help reduce the symptoms, as long as you know where to press. Points 01, 07, and 12 are popular areas to relieve migraines, but those are all located outside of the head. If you want to press directly on the skull itself, focus on the temple regions and the area at the top of the nostrils and just inside the eyes. While it might not be an immediate relief, prolonged usage of acupressure can help create a longer-lasting pain management than some medicine can. Since acupressure can cause premature labor pains (as mentioned above) women who are pregnant should be very careful about which points they put pressure on.
4. PMS Symptoms
A woman’s premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can be one of the worst times in their month, especially for those who suffer from even more hormonal imbalances than others. For that reason, acupressure points have proven particularly effective. In one study that included one group putting pressure on LI4, another on LV3, and a third group using a placebo point, the ones that used LI4 and LV3 showed a remarkable amount of pain management as compared to the placebo. While a woman’s PMS time is a natural occurrence in their body’s cycle and should not be necessarily avoided, there are definitely things – such as changing their diet – that can greatly reduce the symptoms and make them less unpleasant.
5. Nausea
If you’re feeling particularly nauseous for whatever reason, putting pressure on different parts of the body – specifically the P6, S36, and CV22 spots – can help reduce the symptoms, particularly after a surgery. After coming out of anesthesia, many patients reported feeling sick and queasy afterward; when advised to push on various points, the effects of post-anesthesia seemed to diminish. In addition, cancer patients have reported lower levels of nausea after a round of chemotherapy and have used pressure to help offset the symptoms as well. The S44 point, also known as the “inner courtyard” is found on the stomach and is one of the main points that clients look to for relief.
6. Insomnia
Tension and stress inside of the body can create a vicious cycle. First, you can’t sleep because of the stress, then the lack of sleep creates more stress. To break the cycle, try pushing on some pressure points to generate more blood flow and promote oxygen transmission. The B38 point, located on the back directly behind the heart, is one of the best to promote healthy sleep, as is the GV16 located at the top of the neck at the base of the skull. Regardless of which point you use, pressing on the right spots will help the energy flow freer throughout the body.
7. Lose Wrinkles
Wrinkles appear as a result of the eye muscles working too hard and sagging under the increased strain. To help alleviate these issues, gently massage the BL1, GB14, GB2, and ST1 spots, all of which are around the eye socket. Start on the inside of the eyes and use an upward sweeping motion to stretch the skin around the eyes up towards the temple. Repeat a few times every day and you should start to see some improvement. These actions help lift the skin back to where it should be and helps bring blood into the affected areas for replenishment.
8. Blood Flow
People with poor blood circulation generally report higher levels of stress and tension, as well as possibly even higher rates of illness. When you release that stress through pressing on pressure points, the toxins are released back into the bloodstream and the otherwise tight muscles are relaxed, creating a body that is looser and more able to transport blood. This creates a ripple effect to all other parts of your body, as oxygen and nutrients then return to parts of your body where it is most needed. Not only does this make you feel better, it improves your immune system as well.
9. Arthritis
Alongside acupuncture, acupressure is a form of non-drug non-surgical treatment that promotes energy growth through the surrounding muscles of a pain point. Though it most likely won’t eliminate the need for surgery in many patients who might otherwise need a hip or knee replacement, it can significantly delay it, even for several years. These acupoints are manipulated via deep tissue massage, and advocates for a freer transfer of energy throughout the body. As such, it’s a very effective technique to manage the pain and inflammation that is typically associated with arthritis. It can even help the body release endorphins and strengthen the immune system, helping to stave off any other toxins.
10. Anxiety
Anxiety is mistakenly thought as a purely emotional malady when in reality, the cause can be largely physiological. Hormones or the “chi” may be off, causing an emotional imbalance that you can’t just “think” your way out of. Two pressure points, in particular, can help calm anxiety in both you and other people: the Yin Tang, located directly between the eyebrows, and Ren 14, just above the diaphragm where the ribs and stomach meet. Though both of those points are primarily used by acupuncturists, they can still be valuable resources for acupressure as well, since the energy lines in the body are the same.
