NaturalHealth: Power Points: Acupressure & Pain

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Misty L. Trepke

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Power points: shiatsu uses acupressure and gentle stretching to

relieve pain and stress, balance energy, and focus the mind

Natural Health, Oct, 2006 by Tom Weede

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_9_36/ai_n16765893

 

TRANSLATED LITERALLY as " finger pressure, " shiatsu is all about

balanced energy--something Sarah and Jack Quigley know firsthand.

They've been fans of this classic Japanese therapy for years: Sarah

credits it with decreasing her Parkinson's disease symptoms, while

Jack, a former airline captain, says his sessions helped alleviate

the effects of jet lag when flying his Hawaii-Japan route.

 

Shiatsu combines ancient Eastern techniques with modern Western

understanding of physiology. Essential to the practice is the

concept of ki (pronounced " key " ). It's the Japanese equivalent of qi

( " chee " ) in Traditional (TCM), a life force thought

to travel through the body along pathways, or meridians, to nourish

vital organs. When any of the hundreds of tsubos, or pressure

points, along these channels becomes blocked, your ki is disturbed

and you may feel tired or sick; blockages can occur for any number

of reasons, from overwork to excess of strong emotions like grief,

anger or fear.

 

" Think of [ki] as a mountain stream, " says Sandy Anderson, director

of education at the Cortiva Institute-Desert Institute of the

Healing Arts in Tucson, Ariz. " If a log falls in, it blocks the

water flow, and too much water collects at that point, upsetting the

course of the stream. " Shiatsu is a method of breaking down these

obstructions to restore the flow of ki. " Practitioners apply gentle

pressure along energy pathways to release blockages and stimulate ki

movement, " explains Yolanda Asher, a diplomate in Asian body therapy

(ABT) (awarded by the National Certification Commission for

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) and shiatsu practitioner from

Stone Mountain, Ga. " When your energy is balanced, you'll feel

calmer in many different ways--physically, emotionally, and

spiritually. "

 

What to expect

 

Compared to other forms of acupressure, such as anma (known as tuina

in TCM), shiatsu emphasizes less hand movement and more of a steady

intensity. Practitioners use their fingers, elbows, knees, and feet

to gently mobilize the limbs to correct the flow ofki. Unlike

massage, there is no disrobing, no off, and almost no stroking--and

the focus stays on the energy pathways. " Even ff you come in for

neck pain, I'm not going to touch your neck right away, " says Barbra

Esher, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), owner of the Baltimore Shiatsu and

Acupuncture Center. " Instead, I'll press points [along meridians] on

your feet or hands that correspond to the neck. An untrained

masseuse might not be aware of those pathways. "

 

An initial session of shiatsu begins with an interview about your

medical history and lifestyle. The practitioner will assess your

appearance, posture, and voice quality, then ask you to lie down on

a futon or table. He or she will lightly palpate the energy centers

in your ham, or abdomen, to determine the locations of imbalances,

evaluating them for kyo (weakness) or jitsu (overabundance).

 

A typical treatment covers the whole body and lasts about an hour.

At first, you may feel as though you're a piece of meat being

tenderized. But if you relax, you'll get used to the pressure and

soon feel a subtle but palpable boost in energy and focus that will

last well beyond your session. To enhance these benefits, use deep-

breathing techniques or progressive muscle relaxation, advises

Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., founder of the Acupressure Institute in

Berkeley, Calif. Avoid alcohol, large meals, or strenuous exercise

after a session; they tend to counteract its effects.

 

You can have treatments weekly, monthly, or seasonally. There are

lots of shiatsu styles, but almost all involve pressing with the

thumbs, palms, fists, or knees, as well as stretching and joint

rotations. In Zen shiatsu, the therapist presses points relatively

gently; macrobiotic shiatsu includes a dietary component. There's

also a self-administered method called do-in. (See " DIY Shiatsu, "

page 95.)

 

How it helps

 

As the Quigleys discovered, the rewards of shiatsu are many. While

scientists have just begun to measure the effects of shiatsu on

reducing pain, increasing flexibility, improving sleep quality, and

lessening anxiety and depression, the preliminary results are

promising. In fact, shiatsu may help relieve pain from chronic

conditions like fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal aches, irritable bowel

syndrome, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, according to Andrew H.

Heyman, M.D., integrative medicine fellow at the University of

Michigan and a former shiatsu practitioner.