Dr. Supriya

Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing therapy for curing a host of chronic diseases and ills, from headaches to back pain, infertility and menstrual cramps.

It is built on the concept of maintaining the balance of various body elements including blood, nutrients and the energy force known as ‘chi’ which flows along lines called meridians in the body for optimum health. Putting pressure by finger placements at designated points from where these meridians can be accessed, is supposed to unblock the flow of energy to get rid of chronic pain and disease.

Acupressure for pain-relief

• Acupressure is used for a variety of ailments. One of its most common uses is to relieve pain, such as back pain, sciatica, menstrual cramps and headaches.
• It can also be used to help with nausea and vomiting, fatigue, stress, weight loss, and even addictions.

Acupressure helps relieve pain in different ways, like

• It is believed to cause deep relaxation and a decrease in muscle tension and is thus useful in relieving low back pain, post-operative pain, and headaches.
• L4 point, for example, is commonly used for stress, facial pain, headaches, toothaches, and neck pain.
• It is located on your hand between your thumb and the index finger.
• Liver 3 point (LV3) is also used for stress, lower back pain, high blood pressure, menstrual cramps, insomnia, and anxiety.
• This point is located in between your big toe and second toe, in the soft flesh.
• You can press these points yourself for about 4 seconds and then steadily reduce pressure to experience relief from pain.

How does acupressure work?

• Studies have been done and are still being done to understand how acupressure relieves pain.
• They suggest that acupressure releases endorphins and promotes anti-inflammatory effects, helping with pain due to arthritis like back and limb pain.
• Endorphins are the pleasure-inducing, painkilling chemicals that flood the brain and numb pain signals.
• A few theories also call acupressure something that’s all in the mind and no more than a placebo. But either way, it does provide relief to patients when done over long periods of time.
• Acupressure is also an effective way to treat depression during pregnancy, and to reduce the pain of menstrual cramps, according to a new research done at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Similarly, a recent Korean study has found that acupressure treats menstrual cramps more effectively than pain killers. If you want to benefit from acupressure, you need to press the pain points over time as each time you manipulate the pressure points, you help balance your ‘chi’. Some people may see results immediately, and sometimes results are seen after some time. Pain can also return. You have to keep pressing the pressure points to keep the pain away forever. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.

Simple sugar is also known as monosaccharide, is the basic unit of carbohydrates. The simplest forms of sugar are usually colourless and crystalline and exist in forms of glucose, fructose and galactose. Simple sugar is deemed to be a major concern according to all health nutritionists.

Here are five reasons why you should avoid them:

Sugar is the biggest cause of obesity sugar present in all kinds of junk food is considered to be the biggest cause of obesity as fructose easily converts into fat inside your body. Consuming too much sugar can put too much pressure on your liver as it is responsible for converting fructose into fat. Large amounts of sugar are directly converted into fat, thus, putting you at a very high risk of becoming obese. Increases risks of contracting heart diseases consuming too much sugar throughout the day causes a hike in your insulin levels which can further affect your nervous system. An excess of sugar in your blood stream also causes your blood pressure to rise which makes you more likely to get a heart stroke. Thus, to avoid cardiac problems at a young age, you must cut down your sugar intake. Weakens immune system: sugar is a major reason for inflammation which affects the central immune system adversely. With an excess intake of sugar, the body becomes less effective in dealing with infection and common cold because phagocytes (white blood cells) cannot do their job properly of engulfing dangerous bacteria. Thus, you should aim at boosting your immune system by cutting down on sugar completely. Sugar can make you age faster: the sugar content in your body creates molecules known as ages (advanced glycation end products) which attack the fibres in elastin and collagen (the building blocks of the cells on your skin). A study also proved that consuming too much sugar can result in acne as the collagen in your skin weakens. Thus, to maintain youthful looking skin for longer, you should remove sugar from your diet completely. Sugar can be addictive: most people who consume too much sugar get addicted to it. According to a study, the addiction to sugar is very similar to addiction to tobacco and drugs. You might start craving sugar and depending on it to change your mood more often than required. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult me.

Dr. Kapil Dev Gupta
Homoeopathic Physician 
Ramashram Homoeo Care
Chandigarh