Acupuncture

Acupuncture and Acupressure

When an acupressure point is stimulated in the area of pain or tension, it is called a local point. Because that point can relieve pain in a distant part of the body, it is also called a trigger point. This dual action allows acupressure points to benefit a wide variety of symptoms.

Acupressure can prevent and relieve sports injuries. The Chinese have also used acupressure as a beauty treatment for thousands of years. Psychotherapy patients can derive benefits from acupressure. When powerful emotions are unresolved, the body stores the resulting tension in the muscles. Acupressure can help restore emotional balance by releasing the accumulated tension caused by repressed feelings.

This triggering mechanism works through a human electrical channel called a meridian. The meridians are pathways that connect the acupressure points to each other as well as to the internal organs. Just as blood vessels carry the blood that nourishes the body physically, meridians are distinct channels that circulate electrical energy throughout the body.

They are thought to be part of a master communications system of universal life energy (called “chi”), connecting the organs with all sensory, physiological, and emotional aspects of the body. This physical network of energy also contains key points that can deepen spiritual awareness.

Image from Mail Online

While acupressure is not a substitute for medical care, it is often an appropriate complementary treatment. It can, for instance, speed the healing of a broken bone once it has been set, or aid a cancer patient by helping to alleviate some of the associated pain and anxiety of the disease. Similarly, acupressure can be an effective adjunct to chiropractic treatment. By relaxing and toning the back muscles, acupressure makes the spinal adjustments easier and more effective, and the results last longer. In fact, the two therapies were originally practiced together in ancient China.