What is traditional acupuncture?
St Sweet, a practitioner in Houston, Texas, describes traditional acupuncture this way: “I feel a rush of energy in my hand, and it’s like a concurrent run of electricity.” Traditional acupressure therapy, using fingertips to diagnose a variety of states of the body, is a safe, effective, and private method of treatment that has been incorporated into modern medicine. It is concerned primarily with energy flow, rather than simply one organ.
What is a traditional acupressure massage?
St. sweet mentions three different types of traditional acupressure: Shingles, Lupus, and shiatsu.
Shingles is a very old correction/healing therapy. Ancient Chinese healers used toCentered on “Qi” which is the five element that defines space and time, and believed that specific points on the body could affect the flow of Qi. This incorporates many types of energy, such as a stone or wood fire, a stone, or a metal surface such as a metal oregano or a gold pan. This is known as “Qi” in Chinese and literally means “life force.” Certain points on your body have message for your system. Resistance to this messages can result in sickness and disease.
Lupus is a interesting case. Since the skin is a massive Connective tissue, and present throughout the body, it can be difficult to find what affects the “Qi” that would send messages from your body down to your cells and organs. There is a Lupus Treatment called “Lupron” that uses a tuning fork to change the behavior of your immune system. It has been used in Europe since the 1960s.
Shiatsu, (a Japanese yoga technique) has been used for over 50 years by the Japanese to treat a variety of ailments, most commonly, stress, headaches, sore muscles, and problems in the meridians that guide energy flow.
So, what has all this to do with traditional acupressure massage? A health professional can tell you what is acupressure, but the basic idea lies in the same place as acupuncture, in that when one is too stressed or upset, the nervous system becomes unbalanced and stimulation of some nerves irritates Others. The best correction for this is to reduce stimulation where possible. Unfortunately, this is difficult when it comes to the massage table.
A while back, the manufacturer of professional massage equipment, Health Master Products, noticed this problem and developed a tool called the “Acupressureomatic Stimulator.” It uses a device that is the size of a credit card that detects acupressure points on the hand, wrist, and feet, stimulating the body’s own acupressure points. The beauty of this tool is that it allows the therapist to optimize the technique, speed, and pressure for the patient. The detriment to the individual is that the machine is discreet, replacing the awkward rubbing of knuckles or hips which is associated with much of today’s massage techniques.
The future of massage, and of acupressure, is in the hands of therapists and acupuncturists. As more people seek healthier lives, mechanical stimulators will become enhabitable to the job. Currently, these devices are being used in holistic medicine, surgery, and rehabilitation by those who are trained. When Psychological problems are corrected, posture, stress, and energy imbalance is corrected, the body is restored to its natural purpose.