Acupressure - 10 amazing facts!

Have a bad headache, or a backache that just won't go away? Well, here is a therapy that can not only help relieve your symptoms, but can also calm your mind, align the working of your body and work as an efficient diagnostic tool acupressure. Here are 10 facts about acupressure you should know.

Fact 1:Helps the mind and body.

Anjali Nevrekar, holistic healer, says, 'Acupressure can give one a sound mind and healthy body, as it improves blood circulation, unblocks nerve impulses and relieves stress and tension.' Practicing it on a daily basis is the best way to help one's body recover, recoup and relax.

Fact 2:Is free!

Acupressure is cost free, since it can be practiced by oneself, in the comfort of your home. Moreover, for people practicing this art professionally, it does not require too much space. The best part about this therapy is that it can be practiced by people of all ages and does not take much time. So, for all the extremely busy professionals out there, this is your best way to stay in the pink of health.

Fact 3: Is an easy self-help tool.

Practitioners recommend that people should practice this art on a regular basis. They say that if it is responsibly followed; acupressure and its various manifestations can be an effective self-healing and self-regulating system.

Fact 4: The most painless diagnostic tool.

Acupressure is an excellent diagnostic tool. All you need to do is press the point on the hand, and if it is tender or painful, chances are that the organ or gland it represents is in need of repair. The system is so accurate that a trainer practitioner can diagnose a condition in the earliest stage of its onset.

Fact 5:One technique heals all.

Acupressure can heal everything from headaches, to anxiety to water retention and back pain. When the points corresponding to the area that needs healing, is gently stimulated it helps the organ heal. Slowly but surely you will be able to see the difference. Apart from the therapeutic value acupressure also soothes the mind making it refreshed and ready to absorb the stresses of the day ahead.

Fact 6:Two minutes a day is enough.

If you press the pressure points on either your hands or feet and find one that is particularly painful, it is a clear indication that the associated organ has a problem. Correlate the organ that the point represents, from the acupressure chart, and you have a diagnosis. Once diagnosed, keep the point pressed for about two minutes on a daily basis. But remember that while this might work for mild ailments, any serious disorders should be entrusted to a competent doctor.

Fact 7:Concentrate on both halves of the body

Acupressure practitioners say that one must stimulate bilaterally, i.e. on both sides of the body or both hands and feet. The symptoms may increase after the first stimulation, but this is an indication that the treatment is working and the body is throwing off the toxins. After applying the treatment for the required points, always press the kidney point as well, to stimulate it to throw out the toxins produced by the ailing organ.

Fact 8: Wearing jewellery is also acupressure.

The Indian habit of adorning oneself liberally with jewellery, such as rings, anklets, armlets, waistbands, toe rings, has a lot more benefits than just beautification. The places that people wear jewelry often closely relate to pressure points, that when stimulated, helps keep the body in sync. For instance in many Indian cultures women wear nose pins or toe rings. Both these points are associated with fertility and are supposed to ensure the proper functioning of the uterus.

Fact 9: Your hands and feet are the switchboards to your system.

According to the principles of acupressure, the human body has over 200 pressure points, but most practitioners believe that the hand and the feet are the parts that should be concentrated on. The principles of acupressure state that stimulating these points creates a reflex within its representative body part. All one has to do to ensure sound health within one's system or to diagnose impending problems is to press the points on the hand or foot thoroughly once a day.

Fact 10:Despite all its benefits, there are some precautions that must be taken.

Here are some important things that one should not do while practicing acupressure.

• Do not use it as a treatment for a chronic, long-standing illness or disorder.
• Do not do it within four hours of taking any drugs, medications, intoxicating food or drinks or medicinal herbs.
• Do not use it if you are taking regular medication.
• If you have a known heart condition or suffer from a disorder involving tissue change or degeneration such as chronic arthritis, cancer, cataracts, tumours or varicose veins.
• Do not use it immediately before or within half an hour after bathing in hot water, eating a heavy meal or doing strenuous physical activity.
• Do not do it when emotionally agitated.
• Pregnant women are advised not to do it, especially after the first trimester.
• Women should not press any point on the breasts.

Image source: pyptusa.org

For more articles, visit our Diseases and Conditions Section and for videos check out our YouTube Channel. Don't miss out on the latest updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.