Acupressure is now recognized as a simple, safe, effective and economical form of therapy. While acupressure can be used with conventional methods of pain relief, it can also provide a cost-efficient alternative to medical or surgical procedures. Some of the other advantages of Acupressure are that acupressure is non-invasive and there are no negative side-effects.  Acupressure promotes and generates overall healing from various diseases and ailments, along with symptom relief.

How the healing process works in acupressure therapy?

There is a natural source of healing power in human being. When this healing power is activated, it releases a series of complicated internal processes producing a response. Pain or injury act to signal the body about the damage and indicates that a fix is needed. Automatically the natural healing response begins and endorphins are generated to repair the affected area. This increases the heart rate and alters the blood pressure to speed up the elimination of toxins from the damaged area.

Acupressure induces this healing response by simulating injury through pressure. When applied to specific sore points along the meridians at different points for different conditions, this pressure creates the same response from the body as while it has been damaged. So the process of producing endorphins to relieve distress in the organs and systems starts. So the goal with acupressure is to learn the points that will produce the healing response for the conditions we want to fix. Through repetitive acupressure treatments, the body learns a new and effective way to respond on its own and increases the power to heal itself without any outside intervention.  

The electrical theory of acupuncture states that acupuncture works by influencing the electromagnetic field in the body. This electrical field influences the growth, maturation, and functioning of some types of cells. The body also continually generates tiny, but detectable electrical discharges. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. Acupuncture points, which lie along the meridians, when stimulated, alter the amount of neurotransmitters, leading to an altered sensation of pain.

How you get relief from pain and discomfort applying acupressure therapy?

Acupressure therapy has also been used for management of pain relief as well as an anaesthetic agent. The important effects produced by acupuncture are analgesic, sedative, homeostatic or regulatory, immune- enhancing, tranquilizing apart from mere sedation, and motor recovery in paralytic patients.

We know that chemical or haromonal mechanisms are involved in relieving pain. These substances, called endorphins, are present in the brain, spinal chord and the intestines. The pituitary responds to acupuncture by releasing this painkiller, into the blood and cerebro-spinal fluid. This indirectly decreases the pain by reducing the firing rate of the pain impulses by the nerves at a distance.

Getting cure with acupressure therapy:

In acupressure system of healing it is believed that 'it is not necessarily the organ that relates to the system the cause of the problem. It is the "root cause" that is the main cause of the malfunction and if the root problem is cured, the external problem is cured as well.'

Therefore in acupressure the whole body would be studied by reading energy pulses located on the arms to diagnose the root cause and once the root cause is diagnosed, that specific problem would be cure and not just the surface problem. It is a slow process and it takes a long time ranging anywhere from one day to probably more than five years depending on the problem and its severity.

Which ailments or conditions can be treated with acupressure therapy?

Acupressure has been used for the healing and cure in many diseases which are difficult to manage with conventional forms of therapy.

Conditions or diseases:

• Acupressure is used frequently for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and post traumatic and post surgical pain.
• Treating chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction, such as psoriasis, allergies, and asthma. Treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, menopausal symptoms, and depression. 
• Treatment to improve the circulation of blood, decrease high blood pressure, stabilize the rhythm and stroke volume of the heart.
• To control the secretion of the gastric acid, increase the production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.
• To cure metabolic disorders, body deformity, inflammation of body tissues, digestion related problems, heart related problems and problems with nervous system.
• It also accelerates healing from injuries and surgery.

Source and excerpts from: Health Indianetzone

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* How to get self healing from acupressure?