Acupressure Techniques

I just finished another great book in my naturopathy courses. The book is called Acupressure Techniques and it's written by Julian Kenyon, M.D. It's a great do-it-yourself book to treat common ailments at home. The book gives some scientific backing on how acupressure can help a wide number of conditions and it then explains the treatment of approximately 30 common pain problems and thirty other minor conditions. After reading it, I am by no means an expert at acupressure massage, but the book did help me relieve some very pesky neck pain my husband was experiencing so I do think there is some value in reading this book and trying out acupressure at home. After reading this book I would love to have a professional acupressure massage and am even a little more open to the idea of acupuncture. Acupuncture has always freaked me out a little what with all the needles.

Acupressure centers around deep finger pressure over the traditional acupuncture points. Acupuncture is a very ancient treatment in Chinese medicine. The ancient Chinese considered that energy circulated in the body along specific channels, which they called meridians. This energy had to be able to circulate freely around the meridians and if there was a break in its circulation anywhere then illness or pain would result. If the energy got "stuck" somewhere then a needle inserted at the piont of discomfort whould encourage the flow to reestablish itself. In acupressure, instead of needles, one uses massage of the "stagnant energy" to reestablish the flow. Many think this all sounds a little hoky and don't understand how this can work. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has researched acupuncture and found it effective for several conditions including pain from knee osteoarthritis, post-traumatic stress disorder, improved rates of pregnancy in women following IVF, and pain from fibromyalgia. Check out their site for more details.

Deep pressure with the thumb is the best way of stimulating the points. If the initial pressure is not uncomfortable then it's not being done correctly. Either the pressure needs to be increased or the correct point has not been located. Acupressure can be carried out on yourself, but if is much more effective if you can get a friend or significant other to do it for you. I've included a few diagrams below to get you started. Try them out. Massage in the direction of the arrow on the diagram.

Karla

Neck Pain

Insomnia


Headache (Migraine) Temporal

Headache (Migraine) Frontal

NIH surveys on use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

I was looking around the National Institute of Health's (NIH) website the other day, and found the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). I had no idea this even existed and found it interesting to see what sort of research they are doing in the area of alternative medicine. Now as a caveat I would add that I don't necessarily need NIH to validate alternative medicine and after being a nurse for 14 years I've learned to read between the lines of "studies". There are really so many variables encountered in any study that you really have to weigh what the study actually proves or disproves. What does encourage me about this is that I hope that the NIH has heard the masses, that we want natural ways of healing, less invasive procedures, and real cures.

Consider these interesting statistics and facts from a survey completed in 2007:

• In 2007, 4 out of 10 adults had used some sort of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM).


• The most commonly used CAM therapies include non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products; deep breathing exercises; meditation; chiropractic care; yoga; massage; and diet-based therapies.


• The most commonly used non vitamin, non mineral, natural products used by adults for health reasons in the past 30 days were fish oil or omega 3 or DHA, glucosamine, echinacea, flax seed oil or pills, and ginseng.


• The prevalence of many individual therapies was similar between 2002 and 2007, acupuncture, deep breathing exercises, massage therapy, meditation, naturopathy, and yoga showed significant increases.


• CAM therapies are most often chosen for back pain or back problems, head or chest colds, neck pain or neck problems, joint pain or stiffness, anxiety or depression, and less prevalent, but still used to treat symptom relief for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung diseases.


• CAM is more prevalent among women, among adults who had higher educational attainment or who engage in leisure-time physical activity, as well as among adults who had one or more existing health conditions or who made frequent medical visits in the prior year.

While I think we as a nation have a long way to go in pursuing complementary and alternative medicine, it's encouraging to see the interest that is out there both from the public and NIH. I will look forward to seeing more data from their website and will share with you.

Karla