Acupressure is the natural cure for back pain that you are desperate for

No shadows in western medicine, but the Chinese variety is by far my favorite. My acupuncturist saved my life (hyperbole alert!) During a freezing cycle of excessively painful eggs, and I now rely on her for everything from herbal medicine to relationship counseling (only a part of which she is actually allowed to provide but meh).

Today, my superfan status has been justified by the discovery of a new study published in the journal Drug for pain, who found that the Chinese medicine acupressure technique can be used to effectively relieve lower back pain. This is good news because anyone who has had lower back pain (literally anyone under the age of 20) knows how difficult it can be to function in spite of their agony.

For the uninitiated, Los Angeles-based acupuncturist Jeiran Lashai explains that acupressure is "putting your hands on acupuncture points and applying different levels of pressure." self-massage. "If you read the traditional texts of Chinese medicine, the points are used to unblock and balance the energy flow pathways in the body, but we can really explain how the nerves, lymph, muscles and tissue connective body are accessible. and regulate hormones – for example, body painkillers such as endorphins, "says Lashai.

In the study, participants were divided into three groups. One group – the control group – continued with the pain management tactics they used, another used self-administered relaxing acupressure and a third used self-stimulating stimulant acupressure. "Relaxing acupressure is what Chinese medicine practitioners call" sedative, "while stimulating is what we call" toning, "says Lashai. Even though she says that these methods also have names like "entering paradise heaven" and "igniting the mountain," that does not mean that she or another practitioner will put ice on someone else. one or put it on fire. "You can think like this: if someone is exhausted, I will do my best to warm him up and help him to increase his energy level, whereas if someone is Injured, I can try to relieve some of the pressure or pain by "cooling" the area and allowing the blood to circulate better, "she says.

A lighter touch is considered relaxing while a heavier touch is considered stimulating.

Totally clear, no? Lashai admits that it is difficult to explain in lay terms. "When I use acupuncture needles, it depends on the depth of insertion of the needle and the direction in which I move the needles," she says. "To do this with acupressure, I would use stronger pressure for toning and lighter pressure to calm." In other words, a lighter touch is considered relaxing, while a heavier feel is considered stimulating – which makes sense in any language.

Participants in this particular study were trained in one or another of the acupressure techniques, which they then practiced on themselves for 27 to 30 minutes a day for six weeks. Both acupressure groups felt greater relief compared to the control group.

Since typical back pain management relies on pain pills that can be addictive (at least an opioid epidemic) and at best generate unpleasant side effects, non-drug therapies such as Acupressure is a desirable alternative. For this reason, bodywork is becoming more popular beyond the laboratory.

Lashai explains that it is easy to copy the acupressure techniques used at home by study participants:

1. "Put your hands on your waist. Where your thumbs hit your back, about halfway between your spine and your sides, is a good place to apply pressure with your thumbs. Let your thumbs rest with varying pressures for a minute or two. "

2. "Then I like to take my hands and rub my lower back very vigorously with the palms of my hands. This creates a feeling of warmth and simply helps to warm the tissues a bit. "

3. "Then I rub my knee's back with your thumb, in the crease behind the leg – again, for a minute or two on each side."

4. "Finally, I like to end up with some kind of" hug ". If you hug yourself, you will often find that you have some sore spots along the ribs (for women, this is right next to the bra line). This is a great way to circulate blood and help relieve body and joint pain. It is a neglected part of the body because it is under the arms – and again, anything you can do to help the blood and lymph to move usually makes you feel better. "

Acupressure can also be used to relieve jaw tension, headaches, premenstrual syndrome, depression, sinus problems, neck pain and insomnia or insomnia . "And that's for sure," says Lashai. "Really for anything, you can touch another human in a gentle way and they will feel better."

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