Touch, Acupressure, and Acupuncture

By Anonymous -

When talking to our class, massage therapist Elizabeth Robinson, briefly discussed and demonstrated acupressure.  Acupressure can help immune support, tension, circulation, pain reduction, balance of the body, and emotional healing.  It uses what traditional Chinese medicine calls Chi, which is a human energy that is at certain junctions or points of the human body.  When these points are stimulated with pressure by a finger or tool, endorphins are released as well as increased blood flow, causing relaxation and healing.  Relaxation and increased blood flow also allows the releasing of toxins, which allows for a healthier body.  Similar to acupressure, acupuncture uses these junctions on the body as well; placing needles at these points to encourage chi and blood flow.




A few years ago I has severe tendonitis in my foot and when western medicine was no longer working, I turned to acupuncture.  A family friend worked with me once a week for about a month, hoping to assist me with not only pain relief but healing as well.  During our sessions I also received moxibustion, which is burning mugwort.  Although I did not receive immediate results after the first session, I found that it did temporarily decrease me pain.  At the end of the month I found that I had decreased pain and another month later I was almost completely recovered.  I cannot say for sure whether it was the acupuncture or massage that I also received during that time that allowed my foot to heal.  However it did allow pain relief and potentially encouraged my body to heal.









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