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Acupressure

How Does it Work?

The improved energy flow produced by acupressure results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities.

As with Acupuncture, there is no scientific consensus on how Acupressure actually works. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory states that energy meridians run in specific patterns throughout the body. These meridians are like rivers flowing through the body which irrigate and nourish the tissues. Any obstruction in the movement of the energy through these meridians affects the flow of energy distributed through the rest of the body.

Modern scientific theory suggests that the stimulation of various acupressure points (acupoints) located along the energy meridians can lead to a wide range of physiological changes within the body.

When pressure is applied to various acupoints within the body, this pressure causes the body to assume damage has occurred at that area. The body then produces various chemicals such as endorphins (morphine-like chemicals produced in our own bodies during times of pain or stress and which act as pain killers) to relieve the distress within the organ or system corresponding to the acupoint.

These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or trigger the release of other chemicals and/or hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating systems. Many acupoints are near nerves which, when stimulated, cause the muscles to respond. The stimulated muscle sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins. Endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters (body chemicals that modify nerve impulses), block the message of pain from being delivered up to the brain.

Acupressure is often used to treat musculoskeletal issues. As an acupoint is pressed, the muscle tension yields to the finger pressure, assisting muscle fibers to elongate and relax, and the blood to flow freely. This causes the toxic build up that accumulates within the muscle tissue to diffuse. Increased circulation also brings more oxygen and other nutrients to affected area which can reduce stiffness throughout the body. Stiffness within the muscles can place pressure upon nerves, blood and lymph vessels, which may also result in affecting the function of both the skeletal systems and internal organs.

A nationwide survey in England found that Shiatsu (the Japanese form of Acupressure) practitioners most commonly treat musculoskeletal problems including neck, shoulder, and lower back problems, and well as arthritis. Psychological conditions treated include depression and anxiety.

Research does show that the stimulation of acupoints can lead to a wide range of physiological changes including electrical changes in the skin at the location of the acupoint, changes in brain chemicals, and altered internal organ function such as changes in heart or respiration rates.

Several processes have been presented to explain the effects of acupuncture (which may also explain the effects of acupressure), primarily those on pain. Research has found:

•	Evidence that acupoints are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating these points causes electromagnetic signals to be relayed at a greater rate than under normal conditions. These signals may start the flow of pain-killing chemicals (e.g. endorphins), and of immune system cells to specific sites in the body that are injured or vulnerable to disease.
•	Stimulation of acupoints causes changes in brain chemistry, sensation, and involuntary bodily functions. This is done by altering the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones, affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary bodily functions, such as immune reactions, regulation of blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.

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