ACUPRESSURE

What should one expect on a visit to a practitioner?
An acupressure session is typically performed with the patient lying on a massage table, but you can also learn acupressure as a self-care strategy, using certain techniques any time it is desired. Your therapist or practitioner should help you with this for continued self-care when needed between full sessions.

Typical sessions last 45-90 minutes and are often done in conjunction with some form of massage therapy. This means that the same acupressure points may be manipulated with various rhythms and pressures, using the fingers, hands, arms, elbows, even legs and feet.

Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and slow, full, deep breathing is often encouraged, especially with pressure applied to points that cause discomfort or that the practitioner regards as having blocked energy. Guided imagery or visualization is often added to allow further relaxation or movement of energy to and through pressure points.

Following treatment, a practitioner may ask for feedback and offer home exercises or self-care. Because energy work of any kind can cause profound relaxation, care should always be used when rising from the table and returning to a standing posture, as the leg and trunk muscles may feel weak for a time.

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Are there any situations where acupressure should be avoided?
Acupressure should not be considered primary treatment for serious illness but as a complementary addition, and should be used with care during pregnancy as certain points are thought to stimulate contractions. Pressure should not be exerted over areas with burns, infection, contagious diseases of the skin or active cancer.