Acupressure
- More than 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered that pressing certain points on the body relieved pain -
The origins of acupressure are as old as the instinctive gesture of placing one's hand on one's forehead or temples when one has a migraine. Everyone has at least once spontaneously placed their palms and fingers on tense or painful parts of their body.
Little by little, they found other points that not only made the pain disappear, but also influenced the functioning of certain internal organs.
The oldest known collection of classical Chinese medicine is the Huangdi Nei Jing, the Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor. In this work, the legendary emperor questions his physician, Ch'i Po, about the medicine, diseases, and health problems of his people.
In one of the most famous passages, Ch'i Po explains that various forms of medicine developed in different regions depending on the prevailing local climate and the resulting constitutional problems in human beings.
Treatments using herbs, needles, and heat were attributed to the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions, but the development of body therapies was attributed to China.
These methods became known around 530 BC under the name of Tao Yin, the art of guiding subtle energies in the body to make them circulate freely.
Tao Yin involves a series of self-massages and finger pressure at certain key points of the body, designed to eliminate toxins and rejuvenate the body.
Tao Yin, which has become an integral part of health practices, is gradually spreading to Korea and the whole of Southeast Asia, at the same time as other Chinese techniques.
Each region will then develop its own styles: Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, etc.
HOW ACUPRESSURE WORKS:
Acupressure follows the fundamental concepts of Chinese medicine, which has 5000 years of history: vital energy, meridians, yin and yang, and the 5 elements.
The Eastern tradition describes the world in terms of energy. Everything is considered a manifestation of universal vital energy. It is the elemental substance and driving force of life. It is also a synonym for "breath".
Qi evokes breath, movement, life force. It is divided into two complementary aspects, Yin and Yang. Without energy, there is no life. Vital energy, or "vital breath", circulates in the body of every living being. Vital energy goes far beyond simple muscular energy. This term covers all the energies that a human body can mobilize, both physical and mental, physiological and psychic.
This current has different names in the world. In Japan, it is the ideogram "Ki" (which is found in "aïkido"). In Chinese, it is the same ideogram, written "Qi" as in "Qi gong", or "Ch'i" as in Tai Chi Chuan, and pronounced "t'chi". In Ayurveda, a health practice originating in India, we find vital energy under the term "Prana".
Ancient Chinese physicians noted that the health of each individual depends on the proper circulation of vital energy in the body and its two polarities, Yin and Yang.
According to Chinese medicine, the Qi in the human body is not constant: it circulates and is regularly supplied by external inputs (food, drink, air, sun).
It also depends on the internal potential of each individual.
The Qi which circulates in the body is, according to the Chinese Classics, formed in particular from the "original Qi", given at birth by one's parents, then from the nourishing energy or "ying Qi" which comes from food and breathing.
Two other types of Qi are involved: "Shen Qi" or psychic energy, since the body is not separate from the mind, and "Wei Qi" or defense energy which governs immune functions in particular.
WHEN TO USE ACUPRESSURE:
- The applications of acupressure are numerous -
All spheres of being can benefit from it: physical, emotional, mental. From a Western perspective, acupressure works directly on the autonomic nervous system, which has the effect of calming nervous tension and increasing resistance to stress.
By stimulating the circulation of blood and lymph in the body, acupressure regulates muscle tone
and the functions of internal organs.
The benefits of acupressure include relaxation of the body, and its positive effects on the mind.
When tension disappears, one feels better not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally. When the body relaxes, the mind relaxes as well, and reaches another state of consciousness. This expansion of consciousness brings mental clarity and physical well-being, thus reducing the boundary between body and mind.
Regular monitoring therefore helps to reduce sensitivity to stress and gradually make the symptoms disappear.
from excessive stress (see “Dysfunctions”).
PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTIONS:
Because it stimulates the body's natural self-healing abilities, acupressure helps regulate dysfunctions in many areas. These include:
Anxiété
Arthrose
Crampes, spasmes
Déprime
Dérèglements alimentaires
Douleurs (tête, dents)
Fatigue, épuisement
Fragilités gastriques
Hyperactivité
Insomnie
Irrégularités du cycle menstruel
Jambes lourdes
Mal de dos
Nervosité
Perte de confiance
Sinusite
Stress
Tensions musculaires
Furthermore, by facilitating and strengthening the flow of vital energy, acupressure tends to strengthen the immune system.
Although acupressure is not a substitute for medical treatments, it is a complementary treatment appropriate for many cases.
This technique can, for example, speed up the healing of a fractured bone after it has been put back in place. It can help a patient undergoing heavy treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy) to cope with the side effects of such treatments (pain, anxiety, nausea).
Similarly, acupressure is an effective complement
to osteopathy. By helping to relax the muscles, it helps with repositioning and adjustments, and increases the duration
results. In fact, these two therapies were practiced together in ancient China.
- Four out of five people suffer from severe back pain at least once in their life -
Traditional Chinese Medicine, mainly acupuncture and acupressure, considers that in most cases, back pain is due to an accumulation of tension or a void in certain acupuncture/acupressure points.
Poor circulation of Qi in the meridians that run along the back can strain and weaken the back muscles, which are no longer supplied correctly with energy and fluids (blood, etc.).
In many cases, this tension of acupressure points is generated by a minor injury to the muscles, poor posture, a fixed posture for a long time, or stress.
Stress tenses the muscles in the neck, shoulders and back, which form barriers to the free flow of Qi.
Another cause of back pain is being overweight and atrophied abdominal muscles.
Finally, an energetic imbalance in the back can also be generated by gastric problems, a knotted stomach, a tight solar plexus. These tensions in the front of the trunk are reflected in the back of the trunk.
A COMPLETE ACUPRESSURE SESSION ALLOWS:
To relax the individual, reduce the physical and physiological effects of stress (stomach knots, tight solar plexus, tense back, neck and shoulder muscles, etc.) Work on closed points, and thus "reopen" the valves (back, stomach, plexus)
Warning : Acupressure, like any unconventional practice, is not a substitute for allopathic medicine in the West. It is an excellent complement. You should consult a conventional practitioner for any recurring and/or intense pain.
When acupressure is practiced properly, its benefits are numerous. Among others, it often provides a feeling of general calm, a restoration of each of the major systems of the body and a marked improvement in the symptoms that afflict the subject.
However, there are situations where the application of acupressure is delicate or even inadvisable.
Without being absolute contraindications , caution should be exercised in the presence of contagious or inflammatory diseases, advanced osteoporosis, serious spinal problems (hernia, scoliosis) or even heart problems or cancer.
Furthermore, certain acupuncture points are prohibited during pregnancy.
They can be stimulated by acupressure