If you suffer from earaches, you're familiar with the sensation of tightness and pain they can cause. Acupressure---the manipulation of select spots or "pressure points" on the body---can help reduce or resolve earaches. Acupressure is among several integrative techniques used by The UCLA Center for East-West Medicine as a treatment for ear disorders, including eustachian tube dysfunction, according to their website. If your symptoms are severe or long lasting, use pressure points for symptom relief until you can get to a doctor.
Theory
The concept of pressure points comes from the Eastern medical theory that energy or "qi" is something we draw from our environment and receive through water, food and air. A healthy body draws qi abundantly and freely along pathways or "meridians" that run throughout it. Illness, injury or stress can block qi. Along the meridians, certain spots or "pressure points" lie just under the skin. By stimulating these pressure points, you release areas of stagnation and restore the abundant flow of qi.
Types of Acupressure
Four main disciplines have evolved to take advantage of acupressure points, according to Michael Reed Gach and Carolyn Marco, acupressure practitioners at the Acupressure Workshop in Berkeley, California. Acupressure first aid uses points that are directly related to your symptoms. Use first aid acupressure if your earache comes on suddenly and you want immediate symptom relief. A Shiatsu massage or Jin Shin practitioner can help you identify the root of your earaches by identifying and treating any energy blockages you might have. "Acucise"---a form of self-treatment---involves a combination of point manipulation and massage exercises to maximize qi flow.
Finding Points
Self-treating your earache with acupressure is as easy as familiarizing yourself with how to find pressure points. Use a pressure point chart or diagram to identify the location of the point you want to work. Once you know roughly where the point is, find it on yourself. You'll know you've found a pressure point when you press a spot that feels significantly more tender or sensitive than the surrounding tissue.
Techniques
The two basic types of pressure point manipulation will help you release stagnant qi and stimulate the flow of fresh qi, according to the website Eclectic Energies. While pressing the point gently but firmly, rub your finger in a clockwise motion. Don't drag the finger across the skin, just massage the point in a circular manner while maintaining light pressure. This action is called "reducing" the point, and it removes stale energy. Press and hold the point to "reinforce" it. This action draws energy into the point. Alternate between reducing and reinforcing the point for maximum effect.
Try This
Locate the three important ear points that sit in natural hollows in the skull just in front of your ear hole. Find the middle point by gently pressing your finger on your face, just in front of your ear. The point you're looking for is in the hollow that deepens as you open your mouth. The second point is half of your index-finger width down from the middle point, in another depression in the skull, and the third is the same distance above the middle point, according to the website Acupressure Online. Use the reducing technique---rubbing the point in a clockwise circle---alternately with the reinforcing technique---pressing firmly---until each point is no longer tender.
References
- UCLA Center for East-West Medicine: Head and Neck Disorders Clinic
- Swedish Institute: A College of Health Sciences: Energetic Evaluation
- "Acu-Yoga: Self Help Techniques to Relieve Tension;" Michael Reed Gach and Carolyn Marco; 1981
- Eclectic Energies: How to Apply Acupressure
- Acupressure Online: Ear Points
