An idiot's guide to acupressure : The X-shaped balance way

[exorcist_1699]

That there is an omnipotent medicine hidden in our body , called qi , capable of healing most diseases, not only ailments, is the basis for acupuncture and acupressure. In recent decades, people start to find that acupressure ,although an old discipline of thousand years of history , strangely incorporates many features of modern Reflexology and holistic medicine .Qi's innate inclination , and its quest for balance and symmetry , make it a medium good for healing if we can harness it well.

Acupressure is safe and powerful, but to remember the names of those acupoints and to identify their locations is quite an uneasy job ; besides, how to choose an acupressure point suitable for a specific symptom is also challenging .All of these added together bars people from trying such a fantastic way of healing.

Now there is a simplified way , developed by an amateur Chinese doctor , Mr. Zhou ErJin, that allows people who know little about acupoints and meridians to make use of acupressure for healing . The so-called X-shaped balance way , based on TCM , in fact appeared in China many years ago, and has been tested for being effective by hundreds of thousands of people .

Its principles are as simple as follows:

1) If there is a symptom appears on your body, in whatever forms or due to whatever reasons it might be : a cut, a bite ( say ,a snake's), a pain , a swelling, a sprain...,serious enough to cause some stagnation or deficiency of qi, then likely on the other side of your body , there will have a corresponding point pressed and found painful ,emerges to heal it provided that the symptom is no broken bone .

2) While the area in trouble is called ' low' area/point, the healing point, pressed to be sensed painful , or very painful , is called the 'high' point. By pressing the 'high' point for 10-20 minutes, several times a day , and make it no longer painful , you resume the qi-and-blood balance of the body .

3) The X-shaped way doesn't ask you anything about TCM or meridians so as to let you proceed. Of course, the more you know about them and qi , the more you get confident in it , which makes you persist and proceed better
, however :

- you don't need to know the exact location of your disease or what acupoint or meridian it relates to ;

- it is unnecessary to know about the cause of the disease ( in fact, in many cases, people don't ) , just find the 'high' point and press it ;

- there is no need to talk about the skill of pressing ,say whether you do it in 'nourishing'( '補' ) way or ' draining away' ( '瀉') way ; you just press the point and hold it for 5- 10 seconds, or press it in circular way for minutes, for example, , with appropriate strength or pain you can bear .

In order to let readers grasp it easier , here are some simple examples:

-You cut your left thumb and it starts to ache and swell seriously , you then search and find that on your right toe, there is a point giving you special pain but can cure it .


-You twisted your right ankle , and it hurts so much that you can't move your foot ; after pressing the 'high' point at your left wrist, your foot can move again.

- An unknown pain on the right side of your chest was felt after you waked up this morning, and you are told that on the surface of your left foot , there is a point especially painful that can cure it, you try and it works.

Edited May 25, 2016 by exorcist_1699

[cheya]

Very interesting! I'll try it!

 

Just curious, no instruction to go front to back of body? Meaning if the back hurts, look for soreness on the front in that same X pattern? 

[liminal_luke]

Along these lines, I´m a fan of Jin Shin Do.

[Enishi]

Learning how to feel and palpate points is key in my experience, there's variance from person to person and the points aren't always exactly where they appear on acupuncture charts. Although not exactly the same, there's overlap as well between acupoints and myofascial trigger points.

 

Kind of annoying though when working with acupressure in the context of massage therapy, as many clients assume that "deep" pressure equals better, and thus expect me to kill my adductor pollicis muscle along my thumb by doing mortal combat techniques on their muscle knots. While the physical pressure can play a role, the perception of such is heavily linked to desensitization/over-sensitization of nerves, which can be balanced with the proper projected Intent rather than pressure alone.

[Aetherous]

There are all sorts of ways to use the "balance method" to find ah-shi (painful) points. Sometimes the opposite limb, or the opposite side of the body, doesn't reveal the point that would work. There are 5 systems, such as using the yin-yang paired channel location, the six division paired channel (such as Liver jueyin paired with Pericardium jueyin)...then there is "imaging" to consider, where a body part corresponds to another, such as the wrist corresponding to the neck, the elbow to the navel, the shoulder to the hip, etc.

It's probably best for general health to just press around the entire body and find the point that hurts the most, then massage that one primarily.

[thelerner]

So.. X really does mark the spot.  One healing system (Kaishan Golden Bell) I studied had the bottom of the lower edge of the rib cage being very important and stimulating areas around the body.  So many infact as part of its health regimen you knocked along the lower rib cage for stimulation and healing.

Edited May 20, 2016 by thelerner

[exorcist_1699]

 

So.. X really does mark the spot. One healing system I studied had the bottom of the lower edge of the rib cage being very important and stimulating areas around the body. So many infact as part of its health regimen you knocked along the lower rib cage for stimulation and healing.

 

Bottom right of rib case is the area of liver,an organ of temper, it is no accident that there are many 'ah- shi' points that are suggested to press.

 

People who get liver problems likely will find painful point on the surface of their left feet..

Edited June 1, 2016 by exorcist_1699

[exorcist_1699]

Very interesting! I'll try it!

 

Just curious, no instruction to go front to back of body? Meaning if the back hurts, look for soreness on the front in that same X pattern?

 

Thanks. If on the right side of lower back ,near waist, hurts, try to find point at the back of the left knee..

Edited June 1, 2016 by exorcist_1699

[exorcist_1699]

I seems I should add this ( copied from other post of mine ):

 

Simple rules for Acupressure:

-Don't do it within 30 minutes after your meal;
-Press the accupoint with appropriate strength that you can bear, likely you get some degree of sour pain which is normal.
-It is no good to do it in your period; for precaution against those symptoms , do it 2-3 day before your period starts.
-Inappropriate to do acupressure when you are pregnant , very tired or hungry ;

 

 

By the way  ,we can view qi as an invisible layer of abstraction about  the  energy and information aspects of the human body , which  can be used   to manipulate ( ie , heal) most physical features underneath  ,  just similar to  software as a layer of abstraction over some IT hardware   . However, even this layer of abstraction looks too complicated for most people to grasp:  We have at least 14 meridians, 300+ acupoints, qi running in different meridians in  different periods of time  ...etc, so some further abstraction that  filters more unnecessary detail is needed for ordinary people to benefit from it . 

 

Acupressure doesn't  penetrate the body ,and its technique of applying pressure  simpler than inserting a needle  or placing a moxa , so this X-shaped balance way  can be viewed as a further  simplified  version.

Edited June 2, 2016 by exorcist_1699

[vector]

Hi,

 

Really interesting! Great way to start with acupressure and the like

 

I was wondering how is it for the places like the neck or even the head? Should I imagine the Xs as continuing to go up on the front and back of the body?

Also for the back, the there is much less Xs, is it because it is not exhaustive or are things different on the back?

 

As an example, I have pain on the top of the shoulder and going on the neck, more on the back, where would the corresponding hot point be? I would guess on the top of the buttocks?

 

Thanks again, glad to have discovered that

[exorcist_1699]

Hi,

 

Really interesting! Great way to start with acupressure and the like

 

I was wondering how is it for the places like the neck or even the head? Should I imagine the Xs as continuing to go up on the front and back of the body?

Also for the back, the there is much less Xs, is it because it is not exhaustive or are things different on the back?

 

Thanks again, glad to have discovered that

 

Because  I only test some points and their related connections ( in many cases, you do need to really have some troubles in order to do some tests ) ,  I can only answer part of those questions:  For symptoms you find on face, head or neck , likely you can find some points painful, ie , the so-called  " Ah- shi ( 'yes')  "  points around  your wrist that can cure them  , and some of them likely are acupoints that   frequently used,  for example ,  the famous " He Gu"  ( LI 4) . Pressing'  He Gu ' can cure headache, sore throat and swollen face..etc .

 

Whether  people  use   fingertips ,  needles, plaster, moxa,  , scented oil  , even a visualized image , in Taoist framework , they are  only  different means for mobilizing  or making use of that  common underlying power : Qi   .  Keen readers  might then come to the following question , for example :  "  Can  I place a moxibustion in the middle of my palm or on my abdomen  so as to mobilize or enhance the power of  Qi...  ? "   so that even they are in bad mood , sickness or being bored of meditation , their practice can still keep advancing... ( Warning : you should NOT  apply any moxibustion  to places such as  face and head )

Edited June 1, 2016 by exorcist_1699