Acupressure

Acupressure, or shiatsu massage, is a traditional Far Eastern therapy based on applying gentle pressure with the fingers, hands, or feet at specific points on the meridians, or channels of electromagnetic energy flow, in the body. From the macrobiotic and holistic community, acupressure is moving into mainstream society. Its benefits, as part of a balanced lifestyle, are increasingly recognized, especially as a substitute for drugs and potentially harmful medications.

• Acupressure Beneficial to Pulmonary Patients - In a case-control study of 31 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, medical researchers in Taiwan reported that acupressure was useful in reducing dyspnea as part of a pulmonary rehabilitation program.
Source: S. H. . Maa et al., “Acupressure as an Adjunct to a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program,” Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation 17(4):268-76, 1997.

• Acupressure Reduces Post-Operative Pain - In a study of the analgesic effect of acupressure on postoperative pain, Swedish scientists reported that stimulating 15 classical acupoints in one half of a group of 40 patients undergoing knee surgery resulted in a decrease in pain. The control group received stimulated in 15 points in the same area as the acupoints.
Source: D. Felhendler and B. Lisander, “Pressure on Acupoints Decreases Postoperative Pain,” Clinical Journal of Pain 12(4):326-29, 1996.

• Shiatsu Benefits Heart Patients - Sixty-nine patients in Denmark with severe angina pectoris were treated with acupuncture, shiatsu, and lifestyle adjustments and followed for two years. Forty-nine of the patients were candidates for bypass surgery. In comparison with a large prospective trial of cardiovascular patients, those receiving the alternative treatment had a rate of death and heart attack of 7 percent compared to 15 percent for patients undergoing angioplasty and 21 percent for those undergoing bypass surgery. Further, invasive treatment was postponed in 61 percent of the alternative patients due to clinical improvement, the number of net in-hospital days per year was reduced by 90 percent, and each patient saved on average $12,000.
Source: S. Ballegaard et al., “Cost-Benefits of Combined Use of Acupuncture, Shiatsu, and Lifestyle Adjustment for Treatment of Patients with Severe Angina Pectoris,” Acupunture Electrotherapy Research 21(3-4):187-97, 1996.

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