Acupressure, literally the method of applying pressure to certain areas or nerves , is one of the safest, simplest and remarkably effective methods for relief from pain and other common aliments. Although using the same pressure points and relying on the same channels of energy, unlike acupuncture, which involves piercing of the skin with needles, acupressure treatment merely requires application of pressure, sometimes both pressure and massage to stimulate the sites or nerves. The efficiency and effectiveness of the technique has been tested and proven, both in the east, where it has been widely used and practiced over the centuries, and relieves pain and tension, but can successfully treat complaints as varied as arthritis, headaches and migraines, hemorrhoids, menstrual cramps, impotence, frigidity, back problems, constipation, hypertension and anxiety, asthma, sore throat and sinus trouble, since no needles are involved it is easy to learn and use, and can be safely practiced at home.
The term pressure acupuncture is virtually self explanatory site. Sometimes both pressure and massage are advisable. However, pressure can be used without massage but not vice versa.
The first question is what is the acupuncture site? The answer is it is a small nerve that is most often embedded in or near a muscle or tendon sheath which serves to attach a muscle to a bone. Therefore, it can be anywhere from one quarter inch to two or three inches below the skin. It somehow is hooked up to other acupuncture sites.
Now its obvious that the site that appear from one quarter inch to several inches below the surface will require different pressure techniques. It is also obvious that the sites closest to the surface can respond to pressure and massage easier than the deep ones. Fortunately most of the points we will be dealing with are relatively close to the surface.
A second thing to note is that the acupuncture site is a circle about one centimeter or three eight of an inch in the diameter. Therefore, one must press and massage an area quite specify in location. Locations will be shown in details
Frequently there will be a measured distance from an easy-to-find, prominent anatomical part. Since each person has his own body symmetry, a unit of measurement such as an inch can cause gross inaccuracies in locating a point three eight of an inch in diameter. The Chinese found a solution for this by picking a part of the human body that was closely proportional to the individual’s general anatomy. They called this measurement a “tsun”—- the distance between the two points of the middle point of the middle finger when the middle finger is completely bent.
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