In our previous blog on acupuncture therapy, we discussed the health benefits of why acupuncture may be right for you and how it can help you achieve your goals, whether it be weight loss or pain management.
In today’s blog, we are going to discuss the at-home self-treatment that may be used if you experience pain, insomnia, depressions, nausea or other symptoms. These self-treatments do not take the place of an acupuncture therapist, like the doctors at Ascends Natur’l Medicine, but they may help reduce symptoms.
Acupressure Points for Self Treatment
Acupuncture sessions from a certified and experienced practitioner are quite expensive, ranging from $100-$500. There are, however, some common pressure points that are useful for the general population in the sense that they are easy to apply and have precise and useful functions that do not require in-depth knowledge and more developed diagnosis before use.
Headaches: Joining the Valley (L 14)
- Between the forefinger and thumb, at the highest point of the muscle, where the two fingers are joined.
Nausea and vomiting: Pericardium (P6)
- About two finger widths below the base of your palm and in between the two large tendons on the inside of your wrist.
Eye strain and fatigue: Third Eye (GV24.5)
- This point is located where the bridge of your nose meets the middle of your eyebrows.
Depression: Sea of Tranquility (CV 17)
- It is located in a dent in your sternum (breastbone), about 2–3 finger widths above the base of the sternum. It is pretty much in the center of your chest, between your nipples (5th intercostal cartilage).
Knee pain: Commanding Middle (B 54)
- Just behind your knee, right in the center of the kneecap area.
Insomnia and stress: Heavenly Pillar (B 10)
- These points are located one finger width below the base of the skull, on the neck muscles (trapezius muscle) that jut out on either side of your spine.
Acupuncture for Post-surgical Management
No matter how safe and advanced surgical techniques are these days and despite recent advances in anesthesiology and postoperative care, surgery is still a type of major trauma that the body must recover and heal from afterward. Traditional prevention has not been entirely effective in this regard. Pharmacological drugs, even in lower doses, may be associated with serious adverse effects. This may lead to worsening of an already hard to manage condition.
In recent decades, alternative medicine has gained much popularity in association with traditional practice. Postoperative care has shown an incredible trend toward acupuncture. Several studies document decent evidence in favor of acupuncture, especially acupressure at the PC6 point for the prevention of postoperative pain, emesis, nausea, vomiting, and post anesthetic recovery.
A recent Duke University study demonstrated that acupuncture therapy not only reduced the postoperative pain but also lessened the need for pain relief medication. Anesthesiologists from Duke University analyzed data from over sixteen tests and discovered that for effective results, it is best to receive acupuncture therapy both before and after surgery. Similar studies have also shown a decrease in nausea and the intensity of postoperative vomiting. American Society of Anesthesiologists investigated the research and concluded that acupuncture therapy decrease dizziness by almost 42 percent, pruritus by about 24 percent, urinary retention by 71 percent, and nausea by as much as 34 percent, all compared to those who received standard procedures.
In a broader term, taking acupuncture sessions before and after surgery result in following potential benefits;
- It can reduce preoperative stress and anxiety
- It can strengthen your immune system and prepare your body for trauma (surgery)
- It will help you recover faster, heals up wound quickly and can reduce post-surgical wound scarring.
