ACUPRESSURE & MERIDIAN THERAPY

The human body has a bio-energy-circulation system similar to the blood-circulation system. The bio-energy flows along 12 main meridians, or channels. These are symmetrical on each side of the body, each pair being related to a specific organ.

In addition, there are two single meridians following the midline of the body, one at the front and the other along the spine. Many points are distributed along the meridians. These points are essentially transformer stations through which bio-energy flows into the muscle structure to allow organized activity to take place.

In disease, imbalances develop in these energy flows, causing some of the transformer points to become irritated or congested. This results in pain or weakness in the surrounding muscles. Stimulating these points with special needles (acupuncture) or pressure (acupressure) helps to normalize impaired conditions. In addition, you may use electro-acupuncture to treat points with a weak DC current. Electro-acupuncture instruments are relatively cheap and easy to use.

Try to find tender points by pressing with a thumb or finger in a circular motion around the area indicated for each point on the charts of the meridians. For treatment concentrate on the most painful spots, pressing them frequently as explained for reflexology in Chapter 2. Generally, the pain decreases after some time of pressing, but should it increase instead, then interrupt the treatment for several days.

Tender pressure points may stem from either a local condition or a problem in the main organ associated with that particular meridian; also, the pain may be referred from a more distant body part connected to the same meridian. There is, of course, an interaction between these different areas.

When the main organ is inflamed, most points along its meridian will be tender. The points especially useful for diagnosing and treating the organ directly are located around the ankles and wrists. They are called 'source-points'. Further source-points are situated along the bladder meridian close to the spine, and also as local-points on various meridians near the target organ.