We do all sorts of things to try and stay healthy and feel well, everything from diet and exercise to seeing doctors, gobbling vitamins, and popping pills. But it can all be very confusing. A study comes out and says one thing and then a few years later, a new study says this opposite. And for all its amazing advances, modern medicine can still fall short. This has led some people to investigate “alternative medicine” in the quest to heal mind and body.
One popular form of alternative medicine is acupressure. Its basic principles are akin to acupuncture but the technique involves applying pressure rather than inserting needles. The idea is that there are special points on the body and when pressure is applied to them, blood flow to nerves in the immediate area is increased. This affects distant, but related, nerves resulting in positive effects in those areas. Proponents of acupressure swear it can relieve pain and discomfort. Scientists, on the other hand, are inclined to believe that it’s a placebo effect at best.
One of the most powerful points, according to acupressure theory, is known as the LV3 or Tai Chong. A basic claim is that its connection to the liver makes it key to detoxification of the body. The LV3 is located on the top of your foot, near the metatarsal bones. The way to find it is to start at the gap between your big toe and index toe and move about two fingers’ width back. There should be a slight depression, as the LV3 is between the bones. Press gently but firmly on this point on and off for 4 or 5 seconds for at least 2 minutes. If you do this several times a day, acupressure proponents claim it can help with a whole host of ailments, to name just six: pain of many sorts, depression, stress, digestive problems, sleep disorders, and even Parkinson’s disease.
What are your thoughts on acupressure? Honest-to-goodness remedy? Harmless placebo? Quack medicine? Let us know in the Facebook comments and be sure to like and share!
