Acupressure
Acupressure
is as old as instinct. The basic human impulses to touch,
to heal---were combined in China with the principles of
traditional Chinese medicine, dating back over 4,000 years.
Traditional
Chinese doctors discovered a system of channels and points
on the body that, if correctly touch or stimulated, would
relieve pain and speed healing. They described these
channels, called meridians, as the invisible wires that
conducted the body's "chi", or energy. If these channels
were disturbed---if the energy flowing through them was too
slow or too fast, too turbulent or too static---the body's
"chi" was said to be imbalanced. The goal of traditional
Chinese medicine is to restore "chi", the body's most basic
healing energy, to a state of balance, and acupressure
(along with proper diet, herbal nutrition, deep breathing,
gentle exercises and other methods) was one of its
techniques.
As
the art developed, more and more points were discovered
that not only alleviated pain, but influenced the
functioning of internal organs and body systems.
If
a person is totally healthy---mentally, emotionally, and
physically---energy will flow through the body freely, like
electricity is conducted through circuits. But none of us
is totally healthy. We all experience disease, injury,
emotional trauma, and environmentally-related stresses.
Acupressure considers symptoms as an expression of the
condition of the whole person, and focuses on relieving
pain and discomfort. It is also concerned with responding
to tensions and toxicities in the body before they develop
into illnesses.
With
acupressure, finger or hand pressure is used instead of
needles. But its goal is the same as that of acupuncture:
to stimulate and balance "chi". Acupressure can rebalance
or unblock the energy that flows through the body, so the
body can begin to heal itself.
To see the various meridian pathways and the functions of
each of the points,
click here.