Free Getting Pregnant Naturally by Winifred Conkling Page B

30c

6
Acupressure: Hands-on Healing

    F or more than five thousand years, healers have relied on the soothing touch of acupressure to balance the body’s energy and correct ailments and illnesses, including sexual dysfunction, gynecological complaints, and infertility.
    The ancient healing arts of acupressure and acupuncture involve the use of either fingertip pressure or fine needles to activate a network of key pressure points, promoting muscle relaxation and increasing blood circulation. Healers have refined the techniques over the centuries, as they have observed and recorded the relationships between healing and touch at various points on the body.
    The points used for acupressure and acupuncture are the same. Studies have demonstrated that acupuncturehas been successful in the treatment of infertility. According to
The Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture
, acupuncturists stimulated key fertility points for thirty to forty minutes every other day, beginning on the tenth day of the menstrual cycle. Fully 57 percent of the women in the study had conceived within two courses of treatment. Of course, acupuncture offers a more intense form of stimulation than acupressure, but you may be able to evoke a healing response on your own by practicing acupressure at home. If you would like to consult an acupuncturist, see pages 189-191 for information on finding a qualified professional.
UNDERSTANDING ACUPRESSURE
    Acupressurists and acupuncturists use two types of pressure points: local points (pressure points located where the pain occurs) and trigger points (pressure points located far from the site where the pain occurs). Trigger points stimulate a response in distant parts of the body because they lie along a network of electrical channels (called meridians) that run throughout the body. Ancient Chinese healers have identified twelve major meridians, each named after or corresponding to a different organ, such as large intestine, small intestine, or bladder.
    The meridians connect the acupressure points in what can be considered an invisible wiring system for the flow of bioelectrical impulses or the body’s “essential life energy,” known as
chi
or
qi
in Chinese. Traditional Chinese healers believe that chi comes in two opposite but complementary forms, yin (passive energy) and yang (active energy). When these two types of chi are balanced, the body is in harmony and in good health. When someone suffers from an injury or illness, however, chi falls out of balance. To correct an imbalance, you need to stimulate one or more of the appropriate pressure points.
    Western healers may not accept the traditional explanation for how acupressure works, but the evidence shows that it does. Research shows that acupressure stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and mood and immune-system regulators. In fact, studies have shown that endorphin levels in the brain double thirty minutes after a session of acupuncture. The evidence is compelling enough that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use in the treatment of several medical problems.
    Skeptics have argued that the benefits attributed to acupressure and acupuncture should be attributed instead to the placebo effect, or the ability of a patient’s expectations to influence his or her reported experience of healing. However, studies have shown that acupunctureproves effective in pain control 55 to 85 percent of the time, much more than can be explained by the placebo effect alone.
    While not intended to replace conventional medical care, acupuncture (in the hands of a trained professional) or acupressure (as a method of self-care) may help to boost your fertility.
GETTING TO THE POINT
    To the beginner, acupressure can seem complex and intimidating. But once you begin to experiment with the technique, it will become very natural, and you will be able to enjoy its relaxing and healing benefits.
    To help you get to the point—or more precisely