While many people head to a physiotherapist or chiropractor, few decide to visit a Chinese medicine practitioner. The truth is that ancient acupressure might help rid people of lower back pain.
Acupressure is a major part of Chinese medicine. It’s a type of massage that, just like its cousin acupressure, targets specific areas of the body. When performed, it helps promote the flow of blood and qi (energy) through the painful area. Rather than using needles, an acupressurist uses thumbs and fingertips to deliver precise amounts of pressure to points on your body. It is used most often to treat pain.
In a recent study, researchers looked at 130 patients who got either acupressure or physiotherapy for one month. The patients filled out questionnaires before and after treatment about their level of pain and discomfort. It found that people taking acupressure had less pain and disability than those who visited a physiotherapist.
Six months later, the patients were asked how they felt. Just one of 64 people in the acupressure group still had bad back pain. That’s a success rate of over 98%. Physiotherapy was also good, but in that group, eight of 65 people were still in pain with disability. The success rate there was 87%. This was a major study not only in helping prove the abilities of acupressure, but also in that it was a Western study. It was published in the “British Medical Journal,” considered one of the world’s top health publications. The study helps prove that acupressure and acupuncture do more than just trigger the placebo effect (which is what many conventional doctors believe). Placebo effect means that you want to believe something is working so it translates into actually feeling that it works.
Well, it’s tough to ignore a 98% success rate. The best way to get started is to ask an acupressurist or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner what they would suggest.
Where the acupressure massage is delivered varies from person to person, depending on symptoms and on many other unique diagnostic methods these practitioners use.
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