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New Choices in Natural Healing: The Many Flavors

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The Many Flavors

The Many Flavors of Acupressure

Ice cream is one food, but it has lots of flavors. It's the same with acupressure. It's one technique with a lot of varieties. Here are your choices.

Do-in. This system of stretches, breathing, exercises and acupressure techniques is great for beginners. You can use do-in every day as a kind of acupressure workout.

Acu-yoga. This method uses yoga postures for the purpose of pressing many acupressure points with your whole body instead of with just your hands. It's meant for use at home. The yoga stretches are particularly helpful when you want to work on your back and other hard-to-reach places. (For more on yoga, see page 150.)

Jin Shin Jyutsu. This is a Japanese form of self-help acupressure that involves gentle touching or cradling of the body rather than massagelike movements. The goal of Jin Shin Jyutsu is to harmonize body, mind and spirit by touching 26 "safety energy locks" found along energy pathways in the body. Sessions can include a series of touches or can be as simple as the holding of one finger.

Shiatsu. This technique, also from Japan, involves rhythmic pressing of acupressure points for short periods, from three to ten seconds. The thumbs are used whenever possible, because they can exert firmer pressure than the fingers. Shiatsu, which means "finger pressure" in Japanese, tends to be more vigorous than acupressure.

Zen shiatsu. Zen is a form of Buddhism that originated in Japan, and it often involves strenuous practices such as hours of meditation a day. Zen shiatsu is also strenuous, adding yogalike stretches to help open the meridians. Health professionals who practice this technique also apply heavy pressure, using their full body weight when they press the points. This isn't an at-home technique.

Barefoot shiatsu. No, this isn't a massage you receive with your shoes off. You use your feet to rub and press the points. Practitioners say this method delivers more pressure.

Some of these acupressure therapies are do-it-yourself; some require a qualified professional. But if you choose to visit a health professional who practices acupressure, make sure he is properly certified or licensed. (Look for a degree such as C.A.T., which indicates that the practitioner is adequately trained.) And ideally, just as when you go to a dentist or a doctor for the first time, it's always best to have a recommendation from a friend or relative who has used the practitioner's services. Refer to the resource list on page 631 for organizations that will help you locate an acupressurist.

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