Acupressure or Acupuncture: Two Eastern Therapies
by Michael Harold
1 Imagine that you are in pain. The medicine your doctor prescribed is not making it go away. Physical therapy isn't helping either. You feel like you've tried everything. What do you do next?
2 For pain relief, more and more Americans are looking to Eastern medical practices that access and stimulate the body's natural ability to cure itself. Two of the most popular of these therapies are acupressure and acupuncture.
Acupressure
3 Acupressure is a healing art developed in China over 5,000 years ago. Simply defined, it is very concentrated touch. Acupressurists believe that emotional imbalance causes pain, and that in many cases, pain is the body's response to unresolved issues and events. By putting intense and focused pressure on a tight muscle, practitioners are able to release underlying pressure and tension. In addition to easing pain, adherents of acupressure find it effective in relieving stress, boosting the immune system, increasing circulation, as well as helping people gain a better understanding of their own bodies.
4 In applying pressure to pressure points, acupressure practitioners use various rhythms, paces, and styles on the different points. To apply pressure, they may use their hands, fingers, arms, legs, and even their feet. Acupressure practitioners learn about and can identify fourteen pressure points on the body. These points are the places on the body that, acupressurists believe, channel healing energy most effectively. The Chinese call this healing energy qi or chi. In Japan, it is called ki or reiki.
A photo shows a therapist using thumbs to apply acupressure on a patient's hand
5 Here's what R.D. wrote after his first acupressure treatment:
I had pain and a limited range of motion in my left shoulder for two years. The pain was sharp, stabbing, and on a scale of pain was ten out of ten. It was impossible to lift my left arm, and at night my arm would just ache even while I was in bed. It was hard to shower, change my clothes, eat, reach for my wallet, close the car door, or even pet the dog. I tried medications and was even considering surgery. I began to feel improvement in my shoulder pain and had an increase in the range of motion in my arm seconds after getting the acupressure treatment. Even now, nine days later, my shoulder still feels much better. I'm so happy that I have less pain.
Acupuncture
6 Acupuncture and acupressure access the same pressure points, but while acupressure uses gentle to firm skin-to-skin pressure, acupuncture uses needles.
7 Like acupressure, acupuncture targets very specific spots on the body to treat pain and promote health. However, acupuncture triggers a stronger reaction than acupressure because it involves the insertion of extremely thin needles through the skin at the pressure points. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that pain is the result of a person's energy flow, or chi, being out of balance. Inserting needles into the pathways will restore balance to a person's chi.
8 Modern practitioners of acupuncture believe that the needles also stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue. This stimulation boosts the body's natural painkillers and increases blood flow, which raises oxygen levels and creates an overall feeling of vitality.
9 Acupuncture needles are as thin as a single hair, so most people feel very little discomfort when they are inserted. Between five and twenty needles are used in a typical treatment, and they usually remain in place while the person lies still and quiet for about 15 minutes.
A photos shows a patient's ear with three acupuncture needles inserted
10 Here's what L.Z. wrote after her first acupuncture treatment for major back pain:
I was skeptical about acupuncture but was willing to try anything to get my back pain under control. I went to my appointment today not knowing what to expect. But let me tell you first hand that when the visit was over, I got up and felt like a new person. Not the first bit of pain! It was amazing. I could not be happier. Also just to let everyone out there know, the procedure is painless.
Which Is for You?
11 Both of these therapies should only be performed by competent, certified practitioners. Because acupuncture is more invasive, many people try acupressure first. It is usually the safer choice because it doesn't involve breaking the skin. Acupuncture carries a slight chance of infection or internal bleeding, though these are extremely rare. No matter which you choose, if you are in pain, you may benefit from either, or both, of these ancient Chinese therapies.
Which sentence from the passage includes a subordinating conjunction?
“Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that pain is the result of a person's energy flow, or chi, being out of balance.” (paragraph 7)
“Acupressurists believe that emotional imbalance causes pain, and that in many cases, pain is the body's response to unresolved issues and events.” (paragraph 3)
“To apply pressure, they may use their hands, fingers, arms, legs, and even their feet.” (paragraph 4)
“Acupuncture carries a slight chance of infection or internal bleeding, though these are extremely rare.” (paragraph 11)