Acupressure
The history –
The exact period is unknown but it is strongly believed that it is a traditional Chinese medicine bodywork techniques. They believe that there are numbers of meridians (minute channels) that governs the whole body. There are two energies flowing inside the body. The negative and the positive. When there is an imbalance in these energies, the body gets into the diseased state.
These meridians have different regulators all over the body. Just like a telephone exchange have operators. When these particular points are pressed or pierced the concerned meridian gets opened and so the whole system. The points may now have direct visible relation with the organ or system but it does work.
While some practitioners believe that first hints of acupressure or reflexology have been found in ancient Indian texts, the first formally recognized mention of qi is in the Chinese writings of the Shang dynasty oracle bones, which were produced between the 16th to 11th centuries B.C.
The earliest evidence of use of the meridian system for health purposes has been found in Europe, of all places. Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,000 year old mummy found preserved in an Alpine glacier, had lot many tattoos, some of which correspond to points that a modern acupuncturist or tui na specialist would use to treat symptoms of diseases that Ötzi seems to have suffered from, including digestive parasites and degenerative bone disease. However, it was difficult to evaluate on the meaning of the tattoos as to whether they served a decorative, religious, or a medical function.
East Asian martial arts like judo, karate etc. also makes extensive study and use of acupressure for self-defense and health purposes (chin na). The points or combinations of points are said to be used to incapacitate an opponent. Martial artists do regular massage to their own acupressure points in routines to remove blockages from their own meridians, claiming to thereby enhance their circulation and flexibility.
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