Acupressure is method of treatment originated in China and is probably already 7,000 years old. It involves the use of pressure applied primarily with the fingers, which leads to a healing effect. According to the principles of acupressure, applying pressure to the relevant points can alleviate the effects of stress, treat pain, strengthen the body's resistance, reduce muscle and nerve tension or increase libido.
Acupressure - ways of applying pressure
Pressure on the relevant points on the body is applied mainly by acting with the hands through various means of action: gentle touch, stroking, pressing, tapping. Sometimes an object in the form of a wooden pear is used to massage acupressure points deep in the skin with the long end. The pressure can be fast and rhythmic to stimulate or through circular, gradually strengthening movements to inhibit.
Principle of acupressure
In accordance with Chinese medicine The balance in the flow of Yin and Yang energy is responsible for the state of health, and any disruption of this balance leads to disease processes. As it turns out, there are many points on the human body whose pressure results in unblocking the flow of energy to individual organs. Acupressure also helps to treat pain. Thanks to the treatments carried out, more endorphins with anaesthetic properties are secreted in the brain. Its effectiveness is determined by the precise identification of the points, the influence. For this purpose, so-called cuns are used. These are specially developed units for measuring the distance to anatomical points in the body. A distance of 1 cun is the width of a person's thumb, while 1.5 cun is the distance of the combined index and middle fingers.
How does acupressure work on the body?
Acupressure, otherwise known as needleless acupuncture. Although it is an unconventional method, its principles are widely accepted, as modern science confirms the existence of a large number of biologically active points.
Even without believing in Chinese medicine - it is difficult not to agree that there are many nerve endings on our body, the stimulation of which triggers the course of impulses in the nervous system. The action of acupressure can produce effects similar to changes within the neurohormonal system - lowering blood pressure, dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow through the internal organs resulting in their oxygenation and detoxification.
A characteristic feature of certain biologically active points is often their soreness when pressure is applied, which disappears once the symptoms of the disease have subsided.
Application of acupressure
Emphasis on the right point can:
- improve circulation,
- pain relief,
- reduce muscle tension,
- improve sexual desire,
- enable the body to be cleansed of toxins.
The most popular uses of acupressure are primarily:
- beauty improvement achieved by stimulating circulation, toning facial muscles and strengthening connective tissue and ultimately reducing wrinkles,
- improving sex life by treating disorders such as decreased libido, premature ejaculation, impotence or infertility,
- sexual frustration,
- treating back pain by relieving muscle tension,
- treatment of emotional pain.
Indications for the use of acupressure
The positive effects of acupressure have mainly been reported for the treatment of a number of chronic diseases, so it can be used successfully for:
- headaches
- migraines,
- back pains
- menstrual pains
- dizziness,
- epilepsy,
- muscle weakness and atrophy,
- nausea,
- intestinal dysfunction,
- sinusitis,
- pharyngitis,
- cough,
- asthma,
- bronchitis,
- cold,
- mental fatigue,
- atherosclerosis,
- cardiac arrhythmias,
- rheumatic pains,
- inflammatory conditions,
- neuralgia,
- sleep disorders,
- muscular pains.
Contraindications to the use of acupressure and side effects
The main contraindications to the use of acupressure are:
- skin problems,
- pregnancy,
- acute infections,
- tumours,
- recent history of heart attack,
- coronary artery thrombosis.
It is worth knowing that excessive and incompetently performed acupressure can lead to a number of negative symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting or palpitations.
