Acupressure Articles

Learn many aspects of Acupressure, from using self-treatment for relieving common complaints,
immune boosting, stress and pain relief to enhancing sexual intimacy.

Hover over a topic to see its articles — click the button to go to that section.

How Acupressure Relieves Pain
Acupressure for Headaches & Migraines
Self-Healing Acupressure for Relieving Pain
Knee & Hip Pain Self-Acupressure Points

Acupressure Points for Colds & Flu
Stress Relief & Immune Boosting Using Acupressure
Acupressure for Relieving Coughs or Sore Throats

Chi: The Healing Life Force Energy
Acupressure History & Origins
Glossary of Acupressure Terms
Acupressure Practice Guidelines

What is Acu-Yoga?
Acu-Yoga for Pelvic Problems
Acu-Yoga for Shoulder Tension
Balancing Hypertension High Blood Pressure
Acu-Yoga Chakra Healing
Acu-Yoga & Meditation

Acupressure for Anxiety & Nervousness
Acupressure for Emotional Healing
Acupressure for Depression

Acupressure & Shiatsu Therapy
Acupressure & Tuina: Chinese Massage
Thai Massage with Acupressure

Acupressure & Massage Therapy
Chiropractic Care with Acupressure
Reflexology with Acupressure
Reiki on Acupressure Points

Sexual Pleasure & Orgasm
Acupressure for Premature Ejaculation
Acupressure for Sexual Healing

Acupressure Pain Relief

Michael Reed Gach giving acupressure treatment.

Acupressure Therapy provides a natural way to cope with pain and stress. You can learn Acupressure point formulas for different kinds of pain, and for relieving it in various areas of the body.

Acupressure pain relief can be as simple as gently holding the Acupressure points directly on painful or aching areas. Hold the points for two to three minutes to significantly reduce pain.

Woman practicing self acupressure.

Most headaches are caused primarily by tension, which constricts the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the brain. A headache is the body’s warning signal that the brain may not be getting enough oxygen. Too often, we choose to repress the warning signals of a headache by taking aspirin or another pain reliever, instead of dealing with the stress and the real cause.

Acupressure Pain Relief book cover

Self-Acupressure pain relief uses the points and principles of Acupuncture, which is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Instead of inserting needles, Self-Acupressure applies pressure, mainly with your hands, to release blockages and, in turn, relieves pain.

Hip pain being held by hand.

Hip or knee disorders are often particularly painful, since these joints support the weight of the upper body. If you stand on one foot, your body weight (minus the weight of the standing leg) would be resting on your hip and knee joints.

When you walk or run, the hip and knee have to absorb forces many times the weight of the body.

Acupressure for Emotional Healing

CV 17

Fortunately, you can help yourself feel better from anxiety and nervousness with a combination of holding Acupressure points, deep breathing, a balanced whole foods diet, and getting plenty of daily aerobic exercise. This comprehensive approach gives you all the elements you need.

Acupressure for Emotional Healing book cover

Traumatic events and painful experiences cause the body to shut down and trap negative feelings. This can result in physical ailments and emotional imbalances. Self-Acupressure releases the muscular tension from traumatic experiences and restores the flow of vital energy, making resolution possible.

Thai Massage with Acupressure

Acupressure helps relieve depression. Counseling or therapy can get to the emotional roots of depression and support positive life changes. Acupressure and other lifestyle methods can complement counseling, for a more complete body-mind approach.

Acupressure for Stress Relief & Immune Boosting

Woman sneezing

Acupressure strengthens the immune system and can help you ward off colds and flus. Many of the immune boosting points can strengthen your over wellbeing so stimulating them both for preventing a cold and even when you catch a cold can make you feel better. Using these Acupressure points can enable your internal organ to function at optimal levels and uplift your body’s ability to cope with colds and flus.

Michael Reed Gach giving acupressure treatment.

Acupressure and deep breathing strengthen the immune system and can help you ward off illness. Each of the points illustrated in this article strengthen the vital systems of the body which in turn fortifies the immune system. Each of these important points benefits the immune system by enabling the internal organs to function at optimal levels.

Man coughing into his elbow.

Specific points on the chest, throat, neck, and upper back benefit the respiratory system, relax your body, and relieve coughs and sore throat. During a coughing fit, many of the large muscle groups in the upper back area can go into a spasm. In this article, you’ll find a routine with Self-Acupressure Points and exercises for coughs and sore throats, plus instructions on how to use fresh ginger for sore throats and coughing.

Additional Acupressure Techniques

Michael Reed Gach giving Shiatsu treatment.

Shiatsu Therapy is the traditional therapeutic form of Asian bodywork and massage that uses deep penetrating pressure to stimulate the Acupressure points. Releasing these healing points opens the flow of energy in the meridians, tones the musculature and also increases the circulation of the blood.

Tuina Demonstration

Tuina Chinese Massage (also known as Tui Na) stimulates the Qi or Chi (the healing energy flow) using Acupressure hand movements, full body stretches, joint rotations, and other Chinese massage methods. Tuina is a vigorous form of massage that originated in China.

Thai Massage with Acupressure

Thai Massage is an ancient healing practice that uses massage and Acupressure along with stretching exercises to reduce stress and promote well-being. This article will explore how to fully combine Acupressure with Thai Massage, including wisdom about how the vital life energy works in both.

Acupressure Core Principles

Sunset over the ocean

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the life force healing energy is called Chi or Qi (both pronounced chee). In Japan, this energy is termed Ki (pronounced as key), while Yoga practices refer to the body’s life force as prana. These terms all relate to the same universal healing energy, which exists in our bodies, our food, and within our environment.

Ancient chart of Acupressure points

The origins of Acupressure Therapy is as old as the instinctive impulse to hold your forehead when you have a headache. Everyone at one time or another has spontaneously held painful or tight areas on their body. The basis of trigger points is how pressing or stimulating a point can effect results in others parts of the body.

Chinese man caricature

Learn about the terms used throughout this site: Acupressure Point Terms, Acupressure Vocabulary, Acupressure Aspects, Holistic Concepts ,Acupressure Related Healing Methods ,Acupressure Styles & Techniques, Acupressure Body Related Terms
Acupressure Anatomical Terms.

Woman demonstrating acupressure point P 6.

Acupressure is safe, effective, and easy to learn and use. Here are some basic guidelines on how to practice it correctly. They answer basic questions about how to apply pressure properly and skillfully to the Acupressure points. You’ll also find precautions and contraindications for situations involving medical conditions. Follow these common-sense instructions when you are using the points and you’ll have more confidence in practicing Acupressure, both for yourself and for others.

Acupressure with Other Healing Methods

Demonstration of acupressure points on cervical spine.

By including Acupressure skills, Massage Therapists can protect their own body’s stress by using Asian Bodywork’s body mechanics. Shiatsu and traditional Thai Massage incorporated with Acupressure Massage can give a Massage Therapists greater power in their healing work and protect their body from various work related injuries.

Woman receiving chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic treatments and Acupressure Therapy complement each other. They were traditionally practiced together in ancient China.

Acupressure increases the circulation of both blood and healing energy through the spinal column. This relaxes the back muscles and eases chiropractic adjustments, helping them to last longer.

Hand Acupressure Point Locations

Reflexology points on the hands and feet stimulate the nerve endings, which send healing messages to all parts of the body via neurological pathways.

Acupressure points have similar comprehensive benefits, which stem from balancing the body’s life energy through a system of Meridian pathways. This healing energy — known as Chi, Qi, or Ki — functions to nourish all parts and systems of the body.

Woman receiving reiki treatment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has mapped out the human body’s energy system of specific points located along the meridians, which are lines of energy that flow throughout the body.

Channeling Reiki energy into the Acupressure points through your fingertips as well as your palms can further direct this healing energy into the meridian system.

Acu-Yoga
Acupressure + Yoga

Acu-Yoga Pose

Acu-Yoga is a system of exercises that integrates two ancient holistic self-healing methods — Acupressure and Yoga. It’s based upon centuries of practice and research in Asia. Today, we can greatly benefit from their traditional healing wisdom. Combining these holistic practices provides increased effectiveness.

Acu-Yoga Pose

Pelvic tension is a very common condition, since the pelvis is exposed to a great deal of stress and thus easily accumulates tension. It is important, therefore, to practice techniques which help release tension from the pelvis if you want to improve your strength, flexibility, and overall balance.

Acu-Yoga Pose

With Acu-Yoga exercises, shoulder tensions can be released and a wave of warmth can flow into the extremities. A new sense of vitality and rejuvenation can emerge. Balancing this area has strong effects on the entire body, and is a key part of an overall body release.

Acu-Yoga Pose

Holistic health involves seeing ourselves as integrated wholes. We look beyond symptoms for underlying causes, imbalances, and patterns of weakness. Hypertension is a symptom, a manifestation of imbalances in the body. Whether dietary or emotional factors predominate, we must look deeply into ourselves and our lives to learn more.

Acu-Yoga Chakras Pose

When you combine these two complementary practices of self-healing, the result is increased effectiveness. Each Acu-Yoga technique stretches or presses various muscles, nerves, and Acupressure points. This releases muscular tension and promotes the flow of the life force – known as Chi or prana – through the Acupressure Meridians and the chakras.

Acu-Yoga Meditation Pose

One purpose of meditation is to transcend the usual limitations of human consciousness and expand to higher levels of awareness. This can be accomplished by focusing your mind, which allows you to temporarily step aside from its constant chatter. The mind can then go beyond its normal scope into a vastness that cannot be described, only experienced.

Acupressure for Lovers

Acupressure for Lovers

For thousands of years, the Chinese have practiced erotic techniques that enhance sexuality and overall well-being. The legendary Yellow Emperor, who lived more than four thousand years ago, was personally interested in ways to use sex to maintain radiant health.

Man holding acupressure points with tennis balls.

Acupressure can be helpful for both promoting healthy sexuality and for addressing a number of sexual problems. This article covers the definition of premature ejaculation, a case study, causes, four aspects of erections, dietary recommendations, and helpful Acupressure resources.

Acupressure for Lovers

Inhibited sexual desire is simply the inability to enjoy normal sexual activities. It affects both men and women. In this article, you will learn about various causes for this condition and the seven key steps you can take for sexual healing and to cultivate a healthy sexuality.