Acupressure And Acupuncture

Although both acupressure and acupuncture are based on the same ancient Chinese philosophy, acupressure is the older of the two. Both practices believe that health is determined by a person's chi, or life force energy. This chi energy purportedly passes through the body along paths called meridians which are associated with specific organs. If something interrupts the flow of energy, this results in problems in the body, including pain. Both acupressure and acupuncture are used to correct the energy flow and return you to good health.

Acupressure

Acupressure involves using fingertip or nail pressure to stimulate acupuncture points on the body. The body contains over 350 acupoints. By pressing on these points, a practitioner of acupressure believes he can remove blockages and assist the flow of chi. Usually the middle or index fingers or thumbs are used, but in a type of massage called shiatsu, the knuckles, elbows or knees can be used to press large areas of the body. Acupressure can be learned by individuals and used as a self-help technique to control pain. It is considered a safe and inexpensive treatment.

Acupressure Uses

Acupressure is commonly used to relieve ailments such as headache, back pain, constipation, fatigue and asthma. The practitioner must learn how to pinpoint the acupoints accurately and determine which ones to use for various ailments. A February 2006 study published in the "British Medical Journal" followed 129 patients with chronic low back pain who either used acupressure or physical therapy for one month. The mean disability score after treatment was significantly lower in the group receiving acupressure than in the group that had physical therapy. The acupressure group also had more improved leg pain, fewer responses that their pain interfered with work, and fewer days missed from work or school.

Acupuncture

Among the oldest healing practices in the world, acupuncture aims to restore health by stimulating specific acupoints on the body through using needles. It is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, an estimated 3.1 million adults and 150,000 children in the U.S. had used acupuncture in the previous year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates acupuncture needles by licensed practitioners. The needles must be manufactured and labeled by certain standards. Few complications have been reported with acupuncture use, but when there have been problems, they have been due to inadequate sterilization of needles or from treatments that were not properly delivered. It is important to visit an acupuncturist with good credentials or someone recommended by a person you trust in the medical field.

Acupuncture Uses

In the U.S., acupuncture is most commonly used to relieve pain, including back pain and migraine headaches. It is thought that acupuncture might stimulate the production of endorphins, the body's own painkillers. There have been a number of studies on acupuncture, but some of the results have been difficult to interpret due to the size and design of some studies. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has funded research on acupuncture and has found some promising results in the areas of chronic low-back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee. Still, more research is needed to conclude that acupuncture helps these conditions.