Acupressure Points to Stimulate for Chronic Pain
Prescription medications should not be your first line of defense for chronic pain. Most of these pain-relieving medications are highly addictive, and do no long-term work to target the source of your pain. There are also a variety of adverse, and often dangerous side effects associated with prescription medications.
To control your pain, make use of the acupressure points on your body! These are the same points that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) specialists target when they treat patients with acupuncture needles; acupressure points do not require needles.
These points are sensitive to the electrical impulses within the body and they conduct the body’s own electricity readily. Pressing these points produces high levels of endorphins. These endorphins help to alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain.
Here are several key points you can begin to use to lessen your chronic pain:
Kidney 1
This point lies in the middle of the metatarsal arch on the foot. The metatarsal pad correlates with the ball of your foot. This point is in the midline of the foot, at the center of the ball of the foot.
Liver 3
This point is on the top of the foot. To find it, start at the web between the big toe and the second toe; move your finger up a thumb’s width. Once you find a natural depression, you’re there!
Heart 6
To find this point, identify your wrist crease. Hold your hand in front of you, palm upward, and bring your wrist towards your body. As you do this, you’ll notice that two tendons in your forearm become prominent. The Heart 6 point is on the thumb side of those two tendons, one-half finger width above the wrist crease.
Small Intestine 3
Make a fist (not too tight). Notice a crease forms in your palm, that extends to the skin near the bottom of your pinky finger. In this same location is a meeting point of the red and white skin of your hand. The acupressure point is at the juncture of the red and white skin on that crease.
Gall Bladder 41 Acupuncture/Acupressure Point
This point is on the foot. It’s between the fourth and fifth toes, halfway between the web of the toes and the anklebone.
CV 17, A Point that Relieves Stress
If you experience chronic pain, there’s another point you need to know about. It’s located in the center of your breastbone; it is an emotional balancing point.
Try pressing these points for between one and five minutes. You should notice a decrease in pain.