A new kind of pain treatment is sweeping the internet. Well it’s not so new and it has been around for thousands of years. Acupressure is said to relief any kind of pain by simply pressing the points on your palm. It’s free, non-invasive and seemingly effective. But is it too good to be true?
Acupressure Has Been Around for Over 5,000 Years
You will need to travel 5,000 years back in history to find where acupressure began in ancient China. It’s no accident that our human instinct is to put pressure where there is pain. Similarly, that is how acupressure was born. People discovered that pressing certain points on your body would not only alleviate the pain within that region but affected other areas in your body as well.
It has been said that early in Chinese history, some soldiers who were wounded by arrows or stones reported many life-long symptoms of disease simply vanish. Physicians couldn’t make a logical connection between the new trauma and the recovery of their health.
Through many years of trial and error, people have found ways to relieve their pain through pressing certain points on their body which are directly connected to other areas. Many people even today turn to acupressure and acupuncture for pain relief as an alternative to dangerous pain medications with long list of side effects. After all, pain killers are one of the top causes of drug addiction.
While there are many studies done which point to acupressure’s possible effects, there are just as many that point to lack thereof. Overall, there seems to be a consensus that even if it’s people tricking themselves into thinking that the pain is gone (placebo effect) it still relieves pain for people. Even so, it is hard to dismiss something that has been around for over 5,000 years and is so hard to study.
However, understanding how our body functions and how every tiny part of your body is interconnected together to form an incredible machine, it’s not hard to see how it could actually work. Think about when you are going to the gym. When lifting weights, you cause microscopic tears within your in the tissues and fibers of your muscles. With proper rest and diet, this results in your body growing bigger and stronger. Seems a bit backwards, but it is almost like pressing an area that is in pain, right?
Also, since pain killers are so addicting, they sell very well. How well? By 2017, it is said to be a $8.4 billion market. It is not hard to see, why this industry would want to keep people using pain killers and other medicine, instead of preventive care (changing their diets and lifestyle) or applying natural massages. Pain killers are also a terrible solution because they work by blocking pain receptors within your body. Which sounds almost good, but the fact is, they block ALL your pain receptors and not the specific one you need. Not to mention that you have to keep taking these repeatedly (with tons of potential side effects), until the body heals on its own naturally. This, and adding the fact that 44 people die every single dayfrom pain killer overdose, is one reason why trying out this “quacky” natural treatment may be a better way to start for those experiencing mild to moderate pain.
Try it For Yourself
The best part about acupressure is that you can do it yourself and it doesn’t cost a thing (especially to your health). So there’s no reason why you shouldn’t give it a shot.
Here’s the instructions:
- Locate the physical location of your pain within the diagram and press that point on your palm. Hold it for 5 seconds.
- After you’ve held it for 5 seconds, give it a 3 second rest.
- Repeat this simple process for several minutes.
- After repeating these treatments several times a day, over the next few days your pain should gradually decrease.
