PRINCIPLES: HOW CAN ACUPRESSURE BE MADE TO WORK

Yoga & Cure

Acupressure is one of the most popular alternative therapies of healing. Acupressure helps cure ailments without regular hospital visits, swallowing pills and the unwelcome side effects.
Skilled acupressure practitioners apply pressure on certain points on the body by using their elbows, hands, and other devices. The reflex points are situated along 14 meridians or the lines of energy running through human body, all of which are linked to vital organs. By helping energy flow in a balanced way through these meridians, acupressure alleviates pain and cure patients ailments. Acupressure is especially effective in treating ailments, such as chronic asthma, arthritis, circulatory problems, and high blood pressure.
Apart from treating ailments, acupressure is also used by East Asian martial arts veterans to promote or restore health as well as for self defence. They keep their acupressure points well-toned to boost and maintain flexibility and energy circulation in the body. This also helps keep the acupoints soft and less susceptible to attacks.
The practitioners of acupressure think the treatment helps energize the body’s internal regulatory system and generates a natural healing reaction. Two-point acupressure is a variant to the treatment that tries to avoid obstacles in vital energy flow. First, this stream uses an acupoint that is then linked to the collateral meridian; then, the other acupoint is used to reduce or stimulate the flow near the hindrance.
The Equipment used in Acupressure
The most widely used techniques of acupressure are rolling, rubbing, and gentle stretching and pressing. The pressure levels vary, and in most cases, are gradually increased during a session. The amount of pressure applied depends on the problem that needs to be cured. A light touch is advisable to treat acute conditions, while chronic conditions need a deeper touch.
Acuball: Acupressure practitioners use various tools, one of which is the acuball. This is a small rubber ball with bulges that can be heated. This is used by acupressure therapists to relieve joint and muscle pain.
Rollers: Therapists also use a variety of rollers. The energy roller is a small cylinder-shaped device with protuberances used to apply pressure on the hands by rolling it back and forth. A cylindrical foot roller is used to apply pressure to acupoints on the foot.
Spine rollers and Power mats: Spine rollers and power mats are other important devices used in acupressure. The spine roller is used to apply pressure to the spine, while the power mat has little pyramid-shaped bumps on which a person is required to walk.