ACUPRESSURE
A method of maintaining health, treating disease
and alleviating pain by applying pressure or
massaging certain points on the body surfaces.
Discovered 5000 years ago by the Chinese
Traditional Chinese medicine believe that life is
the result of Qi, or life energy.
2 aspects of Qi:
YIN and YANG
 YIN –yields the negative and feminine force
 YANG-yields the dominating and masculine
force
 When the person is healthy, there is a balance
in the Yin Yang forces.
 When there is imbalance of Yin Yang forces,
there is illness.
CAUSES OF ILLNESS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
EXTERNAL FACTORS:
Wind
Cold
Summer heat
Damp
Dryness
Heat (fire, mild heat)
Emotional Factors:
 ANGER- liver
 JOY- Heart
 Meditation-Spleen
 Grief/Melancholy-Lung
 Fright/Fear-Kidney
Other Pathogenic factors:



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Irregular food intake
Overstrain and stress
Lack of physical exertion
Traumatic injuries
Stagnant blood and phlegm
How acupressure is
applied?
 Posture
-lying down or sitting up
-must be relaxed, comfortable or natural
-practitioner must be able to utilize fully
his/her fingers/hands and strength
manipulation:




Thumb pressure (1 or 2 thumbs)
Hypothenar pressure
Thenar pressure
Elbow pressure
Pressure must be tolerable and firm
Press points using circular movement, 2-3 cycles
per second
1-5minutes per point
Frequency:
 As frequent as very 4 hours
 Usually once a day
 In chronic disease, 2-3x a week
Precautions
 Never massage with a full stomach.
 Don’t massage pregnant women and
cardiac patients.
 Room should be warm and wellventilated.
 Practitioner’s hand should be clean and
warm, nails should be trimmed.
Foods/drinks to avoid
during treatment:




Iced food or drink
Sour food e.g. vinegar, pickle, lemon
Alcoholic drinks
Irritating foods e.g. pepper, hot sauces,
spices
 Seafoods such as lobster, shrimps, crab
 Peanuts
 Salty foods
How are acupressure
points selected?
 Use of prescribed points
 Use of Ahshi points-painful spots or
nodes
How are acupressure
points located?
 By the use of anatomical landmarks
 By the use of Tsun measurement
- 1 tsun
1.5 tsun
2 tsun
3 tsun