Acupressure is acupuncture without the use of needles. By applying pressure to acupuncture points prescribed by ancient Chinese medicine, specific organs and areas of the body can be successfully treated. With this science, the energy of the meridian system called Yin, Yang and Qi is aligned, allowing the body to heal itself.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture has been used to treat digestive disorders for more than two thousand years. Recent studies suggest that acupuncture, acupressure, and acupoint electrical stimulation applied to pericardium 6 (P6) reduce lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation. Relaxation of the LES is the main cause of acid reflux. A study with electrical acupuncture point stimulation showed a 40% reduction in these LES relaxations in the majority of cases studied. This is an amazing claim and could be the beginning of one of the most important discoveries ever made for the treatment of acid reflux.
What is P6? P6, also called Neiguan, is an acupuncture point located at the bottom of the wrist between 2 tendons. If you hold your hand out and bend it towards you, P6 is located in the middle of your wrist, about two finger widths from the crease where your hand and arm meet.
What is the LES? The lower esophageal sphincter is a muscular valve located between the esophagus and the stomach, which opens to allow food and liquid to enter the stomach. It is supposed to close tightly to prevent gastric fluids from backing up into the esophagus. When it relaxes, you have acid reflux. Many things can cause the LES to relax; acidic foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, tobacco, chocolate, and stress, to name a few.
Acupressure at P6 has been used for years to relieve nausea and vomiting. It has recently been used to treat travel sickness and motion sickness, morning sickness in pregnant women, and postoperative nausea. Acupressure wrist bands, also called “sea bands”, are now used for this purpose. The wristband fits snugly on the wrist and has a small plastic button that applies pressure to the P6. It is now believed that these same wristbands can reduce acid reflux.
You can also pamper yourself without the use of wrist wraps by using your fingers. Note that when applying pressure to P6, the sensation should be a slight numbness, never a sharp pain. All acupuncture points are normally next to and between bones, ligaments and tendons. They are never found in bones, blood vessels, or arteries, but in depressions between or next to them.
Interestingly, P6 is also used to treat insomnia, chest pain, epilepsy, fever, and migraines, as well as nausea, vomiting, and acid reflux. Stimulating this acupuncture point can be beneficial for the entire body.
Ancient Chinese medicine supports the theory that acupuncture points connect the internal parts of energy conduction and that the stimulating pathway of these points accelerates the flow of this energy. On the other hand, allopathic medicine is just beginning to understand these principles. They attribute the success of acupuncture to nerve signals and chemicals released by the central nervous system, but they have no idea how it works. Given enough time, hopefully modern medical science will catch up with these ancient healing methods.
Regardless of what you believe, acupuncture really does work. It is relaxing and absolutely pain free. The needles used are so fine that you don’t even feel them. Acupressure is a simple variation on this theme whereby we can treat ourselves without the use of needles or expensive acupuncture sessions. Just find an acupressure chart and start working on yourself. It’s also fun treating others. Even pets benefit from this science. I work on my thirteen year old Jack Russell Terrier, Jack Pot, every morning to relieve his allergy symptoms. He’s very grateful, actually.
I encouraged a friend who recently developed acute GERD to try a pair of P6 wrist wraps, which I bought online. We found that they really work to reduce acid reflux, but only if you place them on your wrist so that the pressure of the wrist cuff button is precisely at P6. It took a bit of experimentation, but we were successful after an hour or so. A company on the Internet claims that you only need to wear a wristband. Others suggest that it only works with two. Maybe they are both right, who knows. I know it’s worth a try if you suffer from acid reflux, even if you only have a 40% chance of success. What do you have to lose?
If you’d like to try wrist wraps, they’re available online and at many health food stores for reasonable prices. You may also consider a massage from someone who specializes in acupressure and have them work on the P6. I find that a visit to my reflexologist is always beneficial. But whatever you do, it’s always good to keep an open mind about healing in general and exercise your right to treat yourself. We all have the ability to heal ourselves. When it comes to acid reflux, there are plenty of natural ways to at least keep it under control, if not cure it.
© 2006 Editorial Wind
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