Treat Yourself at Home with Acupressure Therapy

People nowadays often complain about frequent pains and strain in different parts of the body like neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, joint pain and headache, strain in eyes. These problems mainly happen due to our unhealthy lifestyles and lack of proper rest.

But these problems can be easily treated at home with an ancient Chinese therapy called Acupressure. There are several pressure points in our body. These pressure points are linked with proper functioning of our body. If these pressure points are massaged properly, they can give relief from pain and suffering.

Acupressure can be used as a natural healing process to obtain relief from pain and illness. Here are 5 problems which can be treated by massaging acupressure points and the problems associated with it.

1. Toothache- 

• Many of us have gone through toothache at some point in our life. This pain is due to lack of proper dental care resulting tooth decay and swelling in the gums.
• 3 points related to toothache are:
  
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.
• Point underneath the cheekbone.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.

2. Shoulder Pain-

• Shoulder is one of the moveable joints of the body, and vulnerable to pain and injuries due to instability, inflammation and frozen shoulder.
• Here are 4 points connected to shoulder pain.
• The point is located on the side base neck and at the end of the shoulder muscle.
• • Another Point is on the back of shoulder and neck around the pointed bone in your upper back.
  • Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
  • Point between the thumb and the index finger.

3. Neck Pain-

• Neck pain is the result of hours of sitting in a same posture, inaccurate sleeping position, injury or whiplash. 
• Neck Pain includes massaging these 4 points.
• This point lies in the wrist joint, at the backside end of your hand and in the middle of your wrist.
• On inclining the head forward, you can feel two bones stand out, the pressure point is located between these bones.
• This point lies on the outer border of the forearms, 2 finger-widths above the wrist joint.
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.

4. Headache-

• Excessive use of cell phones, laptops and computers now a day’s often results in severe headaches and eyestrain. Sometimes headache can also be due to strain in the neck.
• Points for treating headache are:
• Point is located at the end of your foreheads and on the outer sides of your eyebrows.
• Another point is located on just above the middle of your eyes.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.

5. Back Pain-

• Common causes of back pain are poor posture or pressure on back for example, lifting heavy weights, twisting back suddenly. 
• 4 points for treating back pain are:
• Point between the thumb and the index finger.
• Two points located just above your hips on both sides of your spinal line.
• Point in between the skin of 2nd and 3rd  toe.
• Two points beneath the exact middle end of your hips.

Post workout pain is a thing of past

Most of the people are not satisfied with their body shape, someone wants to lose weight and someone wants to gain muscle and get in shape. However, the era of technology has resulted in less physical inactivity. Therefore, many people join gym to maintain their overall health and get engaged in some sort of physical activity. But initial days of workout in gym can be extremely sore resulting in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and puts you in the dilemma whether you can carry on with your fitness goals or not? Don’t worry. Here are 7 tips that can help you overcome post workout pain, so that you can continue with your workout and stay healthy and in shape.

1. Ice Pack- For new gym goers starting days are quite regressive and may have repercussion like unnecessary swelling of muscles. Applying ice pack on your muscles can reduce inflammation. Ice Pack scales down the swelling in the muscle tissues lowering your metabolic activity letting your muscle to recover after work out.
   
   
2. Stretching- After work out your muscles become stiff, and the muscle fibers get shorter. When you do stretching your muscles becomes more responsive and flexible. Stretching allows oxygen to circulate through your muscles, leading to rapid recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Stretching should be done before and after workout.
   
   
3. Massage-The main cause of the muscular pain after gym is lactic acid produced by the tissues in your muscles. Massage can aid muscles by breaking down the lactic acid and helping you recover from after workout pain. Massage can be done for at least 15 minutes to soothe pain after a tough workout.
   
   
4. Hot Steam Tub- A dip in a hot tub can help you sore muscles to relax. The heat from the hot tub causes the body to release endorphins which can have calm effects on your muscle. Steaming your body at bearable temperature also helps to increase blood circulation which further soothes your aches and pains.
   
   
5. Caffeine- Caffeine has the capacity to reduce DOMS by holding the central nervous receptors that cause pain. Caffeine elevates your performance in gym and reduces fatigue and helps in burning excessive calories. Caffeine also aids aging muscles to keep producing power. A cup of coffee should be taken 5 minutes before starting your daily workout to reduce soreness.
   
   
6. Eat berries and cherries to make your muscle merry- Blueberries and cherries help in producing melatonin hormone, resulting in sound sleep and faster recovery from sore and torn muscles. Blueberries and cherries also have potential of eliminating toxins from your body produced during a gym session. Strawberries, blackberries, plums and raspberries are also loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.
   
7. Foam Roller- After a vigorous session of workout foam roller can be used to lift muscle pain, soreness and fatigue. Foam roller is also the most conventional way to get rid of muscle spasm. Pressure the sore muscles using the foam roller to relive soreness in the tissues and promoting blood flow. Rollin can be done for 5 minutes, divided in 30 seconds sessions on a concentrated muscle.

Physiotherapy- Remediating Illnesses and Injuries

To treat and mend the body is what physiotherapy is about. It is a speciality that helps with the management of impairments and mobility using examination, diagnosis, and prognosis. The methods used are based on the medical history of each and customised activities can be utilised so the result is improved.

It is a complex field that incorporates individual medical exams that will show how the body is affected. The most current investigations used are imaging studies like CT scans, MRI, and X-rays. Other tests will complement the array of clinical studies as the sum of all will be used to create an accurate picture. Comprehensive testing is crucial when multiple health issues may be involved, a better understanding and a correct diagnostic will speed up the healing process.

Physiotherapists are specialised professionals that can work in various medical areas like neurology, cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, orthopaedics and others. The best way to treat and care for patients includes wellness aspects. To create a healthy lifestyle therapists work in preventing the degradation of muscles and joints. Maintaining habits that preserve movement and the overall functional abilities of the body is up to each. The specialists will guide each and everyone so they can reach their full potential.

To empower the patient and to help him create a lifestyle that brings joy and fulfilment is the goal of every medical specialist. Physiotherapists are not an exception, and each program that patients go through improves certain aspects. To treat only the body would be a mistake, and because of this, a great medical specialist always takes care of the mind.

Balancing the mind and the body and using unique methods of healing illnesses will result in a happy individual. The medical field we encounter is very specialised and offers a lot of solutions. These solutions are usually related to drugs and surgery. There are cases when only these methods are useful, and we should not diminish the power of medical treatment.

However another point of view that is also focused on treating the injuries, deformities, and other illnesses rely on physical methods of massages, heat treatment and more.

To use the body as a healing tool is an excellent idea and this has been confirmed, a great number of problems can be dealt with. Adding the power of the mind to the mix will result in a perfect mix that is ready to take on any challenge.

Massage therapists that use efficient methods for any number of illnesses will use the experience acquired so patients can benefit. Optimal health can be achieved as traditional medical practices aim to address the cause of the disease. Controlling the well-being of each patient and starting a wellness journey is easy as physiotherapy is the answer.