In the current times, due to the increasing usage of treatment through medicines, wonderful therapies such as acupressure and acupuncture have lost their significance over time. Realize that your health is in your hands!

what is Acupressure?

Acupressure is an alternative medicine that has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. It is often used in combination with acupuncture.

There are several healing points in our body, which are connected with our brain and various organs through the energy channels called “Meridians”. In Ayurveda, these energy points or healing points are called “Marma points”. There are 107 “Marma points” and each point has a specific purpose.

These points are connected with 12 major and other meridians or energy channels. The energy that flows into these meridians is known as “Life force energy” or “qi (Chi)”. These meridians are invisible. They begin from the fingertips and connect to the brain and through the brain, they connect to the other organs of the body. If one of these meridians is blocked or imbalanced, the disease arises. So the main goal of acupressure is to encourage the movement of this “Life force energy”.

In acupressure, a therapist uses the fingers, palms, elbows, feet, or special tools and presses different healing points. These points stimulate the flow of positive energy or life force energy and clear the blockages from the meridian channel. Pressure points are spots along these energy channels that can improve the free flow of “Qi.” They are also called acupoints.

Few techniques are used to impact qi. These techniques include tonify, disperse, and calm. Weak qi would require tonifying. Blocked qi would be dispersed, and overactive qi would be calmed.

There are two types of energy flow in our body.

1) Negative energy 2) Positive energy  

Negative energy blocks the meridians or energy channels and triggers diseases. On contrary, the positive energy assists in the activation of the body’s natural self-healing ability and helps to cure diseases. When our energy channel gets stuck at some parts of the body, then the function of that body organ gets disturbed. The disruption of this energy flow causes the symptoms such as pain, inflammation, uneasiness, etc.

What conditions does acupressure cure?

It can be applied in the treatment of back pain, headache, fatigue, anxiety, stress and tension, depression, and immune system deficiencies.

It is generally not age-restrictive, however, people with high blood pressure and pregnant women should refrain from it as it can also cause miscarriage.

How do you perform acupressure on yourself?

One good advantage of acupressure is that you can do it all by yourself. It can be applied to specific acupoints or utilised to cover an entire area like the foot or hand.

Follow these general steps:

1. Locate the acupoint using the diagram.
2. Try using your thumb or index finger to massage the acupoint gently with steady pressure in a circular or up and down motion. Be cautious not to remove the thumb or finger from the skin. Massage the point for one to two minutes.
3. Focus on massaging the point while applying acupressure and relax with deep breathing while visualizing healing at the respective area.
4. Repeat acupressure as often as you like in a day

Do acupressure mats work?

Yes they do especially plastic power mats have been proven to show quicker results. Few people prefer wearing acupressure magnetic therapy slippers for full-body circulation. Apart from these, there are also acupressure tools to help improve your health condition and keep you sane.

What are the risks of acupressure?

Acupressure can be a beneficial therapy, but it’s important to be aware of the potential risks. Below are few potential dangers of acupressure

Injury from improper technique.

Infection from unsterilized equipment.

Aggravation of existing medical conditions.

Delayed diagnosis and treatment of serious health issues.