Learn About Wellness with Traditional Chinese Medicine in 30 Minutes, Extract 1

Meridians, Acupressure Points

In TCM, meridians refer to a widely branching system of channels that run through the entire body and through which the life-energy known as Qi flows. There are 12 main meridians in the human body.

Meridians can be considered very much like a mass-rapid-transit or train system (see the following image). The various lines (green, red, yellow, purple, blue) are just like the various meridian channels: liver meridian, heart meridian, spleen meridian, lung meridian, kidney meridian. The train stations are very much like acupressure points (acupoints).

When the train we are on has to stop because of some fault on the line, we do not reach our destination and we often complain. Similarly, in our body, when some acupoint or other becomes blocked, Qi cannot flow smoothly along meridian channels, and our body also complains, in the form of aches and pains.

We can do simple self-care to ‘unblock’ blocked acupoints. This is done by stimulating these acupoints.

Acupuncture, Acupressure, and Alternatives

There are various ways of stimulating acupoints. The first we tend to think of when we talk about TCM treatment is acupuncture, ie using needles. Acupressure, on the other hand, requires only your fingers.

However, this book is about simple self-care methods, not treatment using acupuncture. Here are five alternatives to acupuncture: — Acupressure Massage 穴位按摩: Acupressure massage stimulates specific acupoints on the human body so as to stimulate the energy of the person’s meridians and thereby unblock or activate them, adjust body functions, dispel pathogenic factors, and generally strengthen the body.

— Cupping 拔罐: Cupping is an ancient technique involving local suctioning of the skin with cups made of glass, plastic, bamboo, or silicon.

— Moxibustion 艾灸: Moxibustion is a form of therapy that entails the burning of mugwort. Mugwort is a small, spongy herb that is believed to enhance healing due to its medicinal properties. The leaves and sometimes stems are made into various shapes and sizes and burnt close to the skin’s surface to achieve treatment effects. Sometimes people also make them into cones and put them on a piece of ginger, garlic or some salt, on the skin.

— Tapping 拍打: Tapping means using the flat of the hand to tap along meridian channels.

— Guasha 刮痧: Guasha, pronounced gwahshah, from the Chinese word for ‘scraping’, is the practice of using a tool to apply pressure and scrape the skin to relieve pain and tension. This action causes light bruising, which often appears as purple or red spots known as petechiae or sha.

Selecting Your Guasha Tool

Guasha boards come in various shapes, sizes, and materials. You can even use a porcelain spoon for guasha!

My Journey with Guasha Boards I started with buffalo horn ones. I still love them: The grip is good and buffalo horn does not break easily. However, I do not know how to differentiate it from the other materials that look like it.

I tried Bian stone guasha boards during COVID. (Bian stone is a micro-crystalline stone that contains over 30 minerals and trace elements that are beneficial for us.) Bian stone guasha boards have rave reviews, but they broke my heart: Despite being protected with bubble wrap, several of them broke when I sent them by postal mail, which I had to do because the workshops I was conducting then were all online.

Since then, I have been using stainless-steel guasha boards. Not only do they provide a firm grip but also, and more importantly, the board does not break! I can post them out without worrying about having to replace them due to breakage.

My professor states that the material used for the guasha board is not an important consideration. More important is that the surface should be smooth, so using the board does not cause any injuries.

Let us answer some commonly-asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions: Q: On which side of the body should I do the massage? A: Massage on both sides, except for Reset 5 (see page 30).

Q: How much pressure do I apply? A: Depends on you. Don’t apply so little pressure that you end up not stimulating the acupoint, and don’t be so hard that it becomes painful.

Q: How long do I massage for? A: 1 minute per acupoint

Q: How many strokes do I do? A: 20. Do not guasha again till the red spots disappear.

Some Common Conditions Let us begin locating the acupoints. I encourage you to watch the demonstration videos and practice along.

Tired Eyes How much time do you spend with digital devices? Long hours of looking at electronic screens is putting a severe strain on our eyes. Simply massaging the acupressure massage around our eyes helps relieve the tension!

As the image above shows, there are six acupoints around our eyes: on our brows (left, midpoint, and right) and below our eyes (left, midpoint, and right).

Rub your palms together to warm them up then cover your eyes. The heat helps to improve circulation.

Using your fingertips, gently massage or rub the six acupoints on your brows and below your eyes in a circular motion, or gently tap these acupoints. Watch the demonstration video here.

If it is not convenient to massage the eye area, like when we have makeup on, massage these two acupoints on your last finger instead.

Sinus Many, perhaps most, environments around the globe are getting more polluted. Many people suffer from sinus, an inflammation of the tissues lining the sinuses in the nasal cavity. This inflammation causes facial pain, nasal congestion, and other symptoms. The condition is not life threatening but it does distract from daily activities. I understand how frustrating it can be.

The ying xiang point is particularly good for relieving a blocked or running nose. It acts like an on/off switch: If you have a running nose, massaging this point helps to stop it, while if you have a blocked nose, massaging the point helps to unblock it. Watch the demonstration vide here.

Stiff Neck & Shoulders We spend long hours on our laptops and mobile phones, usually in postures that easily lead to a stiff neck or shoulders. Do the following simple massage to relieve the tension.

The feng chi point is at the hair line on your neck area; you can feel the indentation. To stimulate this acupoint, place your palm over your neck and move your head up and down. Watch the demonstration video here.

To locate your jian jing acupoint, cross your arms over your chest so each palm lies over the opposite shoulder. The arms should be resting comfortably over your chest. The jian jing point is where your middle finger lands. You will notice that it is not at the top of the shoulder but slightly lower and behind (as shown in the previous picture).

You can use your thumbs and fingers to massage the feng chi and jian jing acupoints. Alternatively, apply some massage oil and guasha these acupoints (20 strokes). Watch the demonstration video here.

Bloating, Constipation, Indigestion (Stomach Issues) Many people today experience stomach issues as they don’t take their meals in a timely manner — besides not having a balanced diet! Some people skip meals; others overeat.

Often, all it takes to relieve stomach aches is a quick massage around the stomach area. The zhong wan acupoint is around four fingers above your belly button, while the tian shu acupoint is two fingers on the left and right of your belly button. Massage clockwise for constipation, anti-clockwise for diarrhoea. If you cannot remember the direction, just massage downwards. Watch the demonstration video here.

Back Pain Sitting is the new smoking! Many people today have desk-bound jobs or lead a sedentary lifestyle that involves sitting down for long hours. Poor posture leads to back pain.

A lower back rub helps with back pain. You can also gently massage, tap, or guasha the wei zhong acupoint located midpoint behind your knee cap. Watch the demonstration video here.

Insomnia We live in a fast-paced, stressful environment. Many of us face anxiety issues and do not sleep well. Massaging the following acupoints helps.

The nei guan point is on our inner arm, 2 to 3 fingers from our wrist line, midpoint of the arm. The shen men point is on our wrist line. Draw an imaginary line between your 4th and 5th fingers towards your wrist until you feel an indentation on your wrist line. That is the shen men point. The wan gu point is at the c-shape bone behind your ears. Watch the demonstration video here.

Elementum eBook Minute #21

Learn About Wellness with Traditional Chinese Medicine in 30 Minutes LEE Hui Fang https://elementum.asia/product/learn-about-wellness-with-traditional-chinese-medicine-in-30-minutes/