The World of Alternative Medicine: Acupressure

Feeling stressed, anxious or perhaps you need an immune system boost? Acupuncture practitioner James Hill teaches us 4 DIY massage points for self-care at home or on the road.

Acupuncture originates from a group of practices known as Traditional Chinese Medicine, others include herbal medicine, massage, and martial arts like Tai Chi and Qi Gong. They are ancient techniques developed to help combat illness and promote wellbeing. Acupuncture itself has been practiced for over two thousand years.

For those who have come across acupuncture before, or even received treatment, you may know about the use of needles inserted into the skin. But understanding how these therapies work can inform a non-invasive DIY practice, helping you to reconnect and rebalance the mind and body yourself, from wherever you are in the world.

This week The 24hr Tourist has been working with James Hill, an acupuncture specialist who has been sharing his knowledge with clients across the globe during the covid-19 pandemic. Using simple DIY exercises you can help relieve your stress and anxiety, even when you don't have access to hands-on treatment and therapies.

Growing up in South West England, James was introduced to alternative medicine by his mum who trained in Shiatsu massage, a Japanese healing art which follows the same principles as acupuncture. Intrigued by the idea that you can use points around your body to feel better he decided to study acupuncture at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine.

By studying traditional acupuncture James' practice is holistic, which means it looks at the body and mind as one connected system. It's worth noting that Westerners may come across a different variation of acupuncture used in physiotherapy - while this practice is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, it only works with a very small part of the theory.

Traditional Chinese Medicine was developed centuries before modern western medicine, and because it uses a completely different language to talk about health than the one we are used to – often poetic and philosophical – it can sometimes be hard to make sense of it. For this reason Chinese medicine is often relegated to the realms of magic and witchcraft. By answering some frequently asked questions about acupuncture, James helped us at The 24hr Tourist better understand how and why it works:

- It is based around the concept of Qi, or energy. Illness indicates that the body’s energy is out of balance, and the goal of treatment is to bring health by restoring equilibrium -

James Hill

Qi loosely translates as Energy. We are familiar with this concept in the West – we are aware of “having lots of energy”, or feeling tired and “having no energy” – this is a first-hand experience of the body’s Qi.

Qi takes many forms within the body, flowing around a system of channels, rather like water flows in streams, rivers and seas. Just as water can flood or run dry, the body’s Qi can be in excess, deficient, or stagnated. The goal of acupuncture and other forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to promote the harmonious flow of Qi throughout the body, leading to health in body and mind.

Why does it work?

The body is a self-healing machine which is constantly at work to restore balance (in western medicine know as homeostasis). These treatments work by helping the body to do the processing, repairing, warming, cooling that it is already doing.

Sometimes due to the ways that we live: our lifestyle, diet, sleep-pattern, stress-levels and so on, these systems can stop working as well, resulting in ill health. Modern medicine might suggest taking a pill to treat the symptoms, while Traditional Chinese Medicine would say that the body’s energy, or Qi, needs to be brought back into balance.

What is it good for? When would I use it?

When Traditional Chinese Medicine was developed it was the only form of medicine. Its applications were, and are, practically every health issue we can suffer from. It will never replace certain modern medical procedures (for example ailments you would go to A&E for) but is applicable to many other problems.

As an acupuncturist I have treated everything from digestive issues, to depression, to infertility.

What can people do at home to help themselves?

During the lockdown, practitioners haven't been able to treat patients due to social distancing, but I have been able to recommend acupuncture points that benefit from applying pressure. This self-massage is known as acupressure and can be done by anyone seeking to restore health and bring balance to their life. There are points with effects such as calming the mind, aiding the digestion, boosting the immunity, helping you sleep…

---

Technique for all the following acupressure exercises: Start by relaxing and deepening your breath. Try breathing in for four seconds and out for seven seconds... make sure this is relaxed and not forced. Place a finger on the point shown and continue to breath slowly and deeply. After doing this for a few rounds, you may wish to massage the point in small circles, then in larger ones.

This point is called "Liver 3" (Great Surge), and is located in the channel between the first and second metatarsal bones of the foot, in a dip found when running the finger towards the ankle from the toe end.

This point is great for: -relieving stress, frustration and anger -relieving shoulder and neck tension -lifting depression -PMT

(This point has a particular relevance as we in the northern hemisphere head into springtime due to the Liver's connection with movement, growth and expansion)

---

The next point is "Heart 7" (Spirit Gate), and is located at the wrist joint, next to the tendon that runs in line with the little finger.

On the radial/thumb side of the tendon, in the depression at the proximal (towards the body) border of the little round bone (pisiform bone). This powerful point is great for: -calming the mind -relieving shock -relieving panic attacks -helping you drop off to sleep

---

This point is called "Stomach 36" (Three Mile Leg), and is located in a small dip four finger-widths below the kneecap on the lateral (outside) of the lower leg, one finger-width out from the shin bone. It is easiest to use the hand of the same side to measure the distance below the kneecap, although once you find the point you can swap hands as I have done in my third picture. This point is great for: -boosting energy levels -boosting immunity -aiding digestion

---

The last point is called "Large Intestine 4" (Joining Valley), and is located on the hand, in the muscle between the thumb and index finger. A good way to find this point is to squeeze the thumb against the base of the index finger, then press into the highest point of the bulge of the muscle. You can then relax the hand and you will be on the point. It will probably be quite tender!

This point is great for lots of things! But note this point should not be used in pregnancy: -relieving colds and flu -relieving skin conditions -helping relieve hangovers -helping any issue of the face (lockjaw, toothache, swelling etc) -relieving pain anywhere in the body

- Wishing you all health in body and mind -

Special thanks to James Hill from https://bristolacupuncture.org

Follow him on Facebook and Instagram for more: @jameshillacupuncture