Shoulder Pain Points Acupuncture points used for shoulder pain
Acupuncture Points Used for Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
LI15: Jianyu 肩髃 ：On the shoulder girdle, in the depression between the anterior end of ateral border of the acromion and the greater tubercle of the humerus.
LI16: Jugu 巨骨 : On the shoulder girdle, in the depression between the acromial end of he clavicle and the spine of the scapula.
SI9: Jianzhen 肩貞: On the shoulder girdle, posteroinferior to the shoulder joint, 1 B-cun uperior to the posterior axillary fold.
SI10: Naoshu 臑兪: On the shoulder girdle, superior to the posterior axillary fold, in the depression inferior to the spine of the scapula.
SI11: Tianzong 天宗: In the scapular region, in the depression between the upper one third and lower two thirds of the line connecting the midpoint of the spine of the scapula with the inferior angle of the scapula.
SI12: Bingfeng 秉風: In the scapular region, in the supraspinatous fossa, superior to the midpoint of the spine of the scapula.
Original article and pictures take www.acupuncturemoxibustion.com site
I never realized how much I relied on my shoulders until I experienced limiting shoulder pain. Every little action with my hands created pain in my shoulder. There are many causes of shoulder pain. Fortunately, there are many acupressure points for relieving shoulder pain.
Let me introduce you to two acupoints that can be used to reduce shoulder pain:
San Jiao 14 and Large Intestine 15
Gently massage L. Intestine 15 and San Jiao 14 to relieve shoulder pain
How to locate Large Intestine 15 and San Jiao 14
Place a hand on top of your shoulder. Feel for a bone at the top of your shoulder, it will feel like a “flat shelf.” Feel for the boney “shelf” at the top of your shoulder
Slide your hand down from this bone to the outside of your upper arm.
Keep your hand on the upper arm while you raise that arm to the side, away from your hip. Just raise it a little in order to activate the muscle (the deltoid muscle). Lift your arm out to the side
Now feel for two indentations in the muscle, just below the “shelf of the shoulder.”
The indentation that is more toward the front is acupressure point L. Intestine 15 (LI 15).
The indentation that is more toward the back is acupressure point San Jiao 14 (SJ 14).
Regular massage to these acupoints can help prevent pain
How to use acupressure points to relieve shoulder pain
Apply gentle pressure to these points. Experiment contacting both points at the same time or separately. I find that some people prefer to contact one acupressure point at time, some like the feeling of both. Use a gentle circular pressure to massage these points.
How much pressure?
Never cause pain with your pressure because that will only counteract the benefits of acupressure. Start with light pressure, and then slowly increase it until it feels “just right.” Be sure to keep your breath moving while massaging these points to help the energy flow. The intention of using acupressure points to relieve pain is to help the energy flow. Once the energy is flowing freely, the pain is relieved.
How long should you massage an acupressure point?
Start with massaging these acupressure points for 15-30 seconds. Then pause and notice how you feel. Try again for a few more seconds. Be sure to keep breathing and feeling into your shoulder area. Pause and notice the response. Once you are able to feel how you respond to these acupressure points, you will better know how much time is just right for you.
I prefer to massage LI 15 and SJ 14 for a short time (15 seconds to a minute) three or four times a day. A little at a time goes a long way.
Be gentle, experiment, and notice how you respond. Make adjustments based on how you feel. Things will change over time.
Listen to a recording of this blog post:
Original article and pictures take bigtreehealing.com site
Is your summer long, happy, days lazing in the sun… or do the stresses of life leave you feeling burnt out?
Think of those summer months… a time when you can raise your face and get that delicious, tingling sensation of the sun dancing over it and warming you to the core. Summer is associated with the Fire energy in Traditional Oriental Medicine, which is epitomized by our vibrancy, sociability and expressiveness. It is not surprising that the Ancient Chinese associated this element with the sound of laughter and the emotion of joy.
This is the time of year for openness – flowers are in full bloom in the hedgerows, poppies and cornflowers nod in the fields, and the leaves on the trees are out in full as if to soak up every last drop of summer. This is the time of year when we, too, are at our most open and outgoing – spending time outdoors, meeting up with friends and holidays with family – making the most of the long days and warm evenings. It sounds idyllic and infinitely achievable. And yet for many people such an idyll seems always to be out of reach.
As a Shiatsu Therapist, I tend to see clients when their energy is out of balance. An imbalance in Fire energy can manifest as physical pain – particularly in the neck, shoulders, arms and hips – or through other physical associations like weight loss, anaemia, menstrual blood problems (for women), or experiencing low energy levels. Clients often feel too hot or too cold – especially in extremities (hands and feet). An imbalance, however, is often also in evidence at an emotional level. Clients are often harbouring emotional stress or vulnerability which can produce symptoms like restlessness and insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, nervousness, irritability, or anxiety. In addition a disharmony can show itself in speech problems feelings of detachment or numbness, dizziness or palpitations.
Here are some signs that your Fire element may be out of balance:
Do you have times of emotional unease?
Are you easily wounded, rejected or offended?
Do you laugh frequently at inappropriate times?
Do you have a tendency to talk rapidly without taking a breath?
Do you feel tense when meeting new people?
Do you suffer from sleeplessness or have an overactive mind?
Do you have circulatory problems?
Do you have a ruddy or flushed complexion?
Do you often have cold hands or feet?
Do you have digestive problems?
What can Cause Disharmony?
Shiatsu is based on principles of Traditional Oriental Medicine. It thus works with Ki (often more familiar to people by the Chinese spelling ‘Chi’ or ‘Qi’), the body’s natural energy. Ki flows around the body via meridians, linking vital organs with other parts. Ki can get out of balance for a wide range of reasons, often due to an individual’s ability (or lack of ability) to adapt to changes going on inside or outside the body, and resulting in pain or ailment.
Emotions and lifestyle are significant contributing factors to this. Fire energy is associated with the Heart and Small Intestine meridians of the body, hence the close relationship with the emotions. The Heart, in particular, is seen as being responsible for maintaining a stable emotional core; it provides the seat of conscious and houses our spirit (‘Shen’) – keeping us emotionally balanced so that our body can flourish, and enabling us to have an open, warm and sensible disposition and a sparkle in the eyes. Meanwhile, the Small Intestine acts as a shock absorber. Its principle role is one of assimilation – on a physical level this relates to the assimilation of food into the body, and on a deeper level the assimilation of ideas and emotions. In its role as a ‘shock absorber’ the Small Intestine meridian takes on and processes the unpleasant things that life throws at us to protect the Heart – which is regarded as the most vulnerable organ in the body – from having to deal with too much. Emotional upsets – relationship problems and breakdowns, loss of loved ones, confusion and hurt, along with stress, anxiety and overwork – all require a considerable amount of processing and can upset the balance of our Heart and Small Intestine meridians.
Seeking Harmony through Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a subtle yet powerful and effective healing art originating from Japan. Shiatsu involves working on the whole person, addressing imbalances of the body at physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual levels, unblocking and encouraging the flow of Ki. In a treatment, an initial diagnosis is made to identify the client’s energetic disharmony. Gentle thumb and palm pressure are then applied along the meridians and to specific acupressure points, along with manipulations and stretches.
“It is a new name for the oldest form of medicine – healing with hands.”[Lundberg, 1999] The experienced Shiatsu therapist is able to tune in to the flow of their client’s energy and is able to sense how it responds to touch. Just as every person is an individual, every treatment will be different, as it is tailored to the specific needs of the client. So for some, the Heart or Small Intestine meridian will need to be calmed (sedated), whilst in others it will need to be boosted (tonified); this will be done bearing in mind the client’s specific set of circumstances. Factors like the location of aches and pains, other medical conditions or ailments, lifestyle and current situation, stress levels or emotional state are all part of the client’s make up and are all taken into consideration in determining how to give a treatment that will help them to feel relaxed and revitalized, and to regain a sense of calmness and connectedness.
Along with an energetic diagnosis and treatment, the Shiatsu therapist will often advise the client on lifestyle adjustments that will help to address the root causes of an imbalance. It is this holistic approach working at multiple levels and seeking out underlying causes rather than just treating the symptoms, that makes Shiatsu such an effective treatment.
Going with the Energy of Summer
Everyone can take responsibility for maintaining their own well-being. We can help to keep our Fire energy in balance by focusing on being grounded and emotionally stable, so that these extremes do not occur. Looking at how nature is balanced and adjusts with the changes from season to season provides us with a good indication of how to maintain a balance within ourselves. The key function of the Heart and Small Intestine meridians of the Fire element is to maintain a stable emotional centre. This stability enables us to be warm and open, to experience and express happiness, and to deal with life’s knocks whilst maintaining a zest for life.
Whilst there is a greater tendency for our Fire energy to get out of balance in summer, disharmony can occur at any time of year. It is important to go with the energy of the summer – to make the most of the warm weather, enjoying time with family and friends, we also need to make time for quietness and contemplation in order to maintain a sense of perspective and sense of balance with the intensity of living in the moment.
Top Tips for Balancing your Fire Element
Fire creates light, revealing the darker edges of our lives and bringing everything into bright relief. It is an intense experience, heightening our sense of being alive and more aware of every thought, emotion and sensation. It is easy to either
get carried away by this, or conversely to shy away from its intensity. There are practical things you can do to help keep your Fire energy in balance:
Make time to reflect on your emotions and note the quality of them;
Slow down and try to spend a bit of time everyday on living in the moment – not worrying about what’s gone before or what is to come… but concentrating on the here and now. Take time to notice what is around you, breathe deeply and just be;
If you have a tendency to withdraw from company, make an effort to arrange something social;
If you tend to take on too much, try saying ‘no’ to some invitations;
Give yourself permission to spend time doing nothing – sit quietly in the garden with a book or go for a stroll;
Meditation makes a lovely antidote to our busy lives. Spend ten minutes every day to just sit and breathe;
Practise Tai Chi, Qi Gong or Yoga – any form of exercise that helps you to relax, get grounded and clear the business from your head;
Book a Shiatsu massage to help rebalance your energy.
This is the time of year of openness – flowers are blooming and trees are in full leaf; and we, too, are at our most open and outgoing – making the most of the long days and warm evenings. Cherish this season. It is the time of year when we build up our reserves for the autumn and winter to come.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
While we offer some conventional services such as vaccination and surgery, our comprehensive approach to managing your pet’s health focuses on finding whatever therapy or combination of therapies addresses and resolves the problem with the fewest side effects.
Original article and pictures take www.naturalpetfamily.com site
Seasonal Allergies Acupuncture Could Help You With Seasonal Allergies
Dealing with seasonal allergies can be frustrating. A runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing aren’t easy to handle on a daily basis. There are many over-the-counter antihistamines that may provide a temporary relief but for the long term relief acupuncture is one of the best treatment options. Acupuncture is a popular alternative treatment that involves the insertion and manipulation of needles at fixed acupressure points in the body.
Understanding Seasonal Allergies and The Symptoms
Seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis and hay fever, are an allergic reaction that is active at specific times of the year especially during the fall and spring seasons. The symptoms occur when people come into contact with pollen, mold, dust, and animal dander that are spread by wind. Seasonal allergies are generally more common around spring time due to the new growth of trees and flowers blooming. Other allergens like dust, animal dander, and mold are present all year round. People with pets are more prone to experience more frequent reactions. Symptoms include nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, itchy ears, and hoarseness.
How Acupuncture Treats Seasonal Allergies
Acupuncture treats seasonal allergies by restoring the flow of Qi (life force or life energy) which flows through meridian channels in the body. From Traditional Chinese Medicine’s perspective seasonal allergies, referred to as “bi yuan”, occur due to a disruption or imbalance in the flow of Qi.
All imbalances, excess dampness, deficiencies, and stagnation, occurring along median channels and connected organs must be addressed in order to treat symptoms of seasonal allergies. Wind is believed to be the main cause for the imbalances resulting in congestion. Individuals with a deficiency or stagnation of Qi are more likely to catch colds and suffer from allergy symptoms during the windy season.
TCM also takes internal factors into consideration that may cause allergy symptoms to surface. The principle is to address all causative factors for the long term relief. Lungs, kidney, and/or spleen deficiencies, are often common among individuals who experience severe allergic symptoms. The aim of the acupuncturist is to establish an effective plan to address all the underlying immune system imbalances and other causes.
Acupuncture needles are inserted at certain acupuncture points during the treatment. Acupuncture needles inserted along meridian points are intended to help eliminating congestion, coughing, soreness, difficulty breathing, and asthmatic reactions. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines or naturopathic treatment may be recommended along with treatment.
Original article and pictures take www.acupuncturemoxibustion.com site
SCIENCE IS FINALLY PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF MERIDIAN POINTS THROUGHOUT THE HUMAN BODY
It may seem counterintuitive, but there are many instances where science can actually hold us back from new discoveries and knowledge. Unfortunately, mainstream science is quick to discount anything which cannot be physically seen or felt, making notions like ‘energy points’ within the body seem like pure science fiction. But just because we can’t physically see something, does not mean it doesn’t exist. Nikola Tesla told us that “the day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence,” and hundreds of scientists around the world have been taking on this task for several years. Within the next few decades, the examination of non-material science is going to skyrocket, and we all stand to benefit. What we know as science is definitely changing.
One example where non-material science could benefit the human race is healthcare, as a number of publications have revealed the importance of mind-body connections, and how our thoughts, emotions, feelings, the perception of the environment around us and more are all connected to the health of our body and regulation of our immune system. A study published in the Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies titled “The Primo Vascular System as a New Anatomical System” is one that has recognized the importance of these concepts.
The medical community, for the most part, discounts healing therapies using this type of knowledge — knowledge which was present thousands of years ago in various ancient cultures. Acupuncture, a technique that manipulates the human meridian system in order to heal the body, has worked wonders for many people, yet our science has yet to explain how it does so. This is one example of many. Despite being unable to scientifically explain how these techniques function, few could deny that traditional Eastern medicine has proven successful for many people, or that it’s been crucial for curing various diseases. It has been used for thousands of years, and one has to assume that if it didn’t work, we would have abandoned the practice by now.
According to Western medicine, no known meridian system has a physical anatomical basis. The above study offers a different perspective, however:
In the early 1960s, only one hypothesis was proposed to explain the anatomical basis of the meridians. By using different experimental approaches during the past 10 years, the number of scientific papers that report the discovery of different anatomical and physiological evidence confirming the existence of an anatomical basis for the meridian system has increased. Morphological science is greatly challenged to offer a new biomedical theory that explains the possible existence of new bodily systems such as the primo vascular system (PVS).
Researchers are calling it the Primo Vascular System, and, according to another paper published in the journal Evidence Based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, “even today, the meridian system is still being investigated with well-known anatomical structures.”
This includes connective tissues called the fascia system, which are representative of the function of the meridian system being established and understood, as outlined by a study published in the journal Anatomical Record that mapped acupuncture points in serial gross anatomical sections through the human arm. It found “an 80% correspondence between the sites of acupuncture points and the location of intermuscular or intramuscular connective tissue planes in the postmortem tissue sections.” The study proposed that “the anatomical relationship of acupuncture points and meridians to connective tissue planes is relevant to acupuncture’s mechanism of action and suggests a potentially important integrative role for interstitial connective tissue.”
Korean researchers (of the first study cited above) believe the primo-vascular system is in fact the physical component of the Acupuncture Meridian System. They’ve also suggested that this system is involved in channelling the flow of energy and information relayed by biophotons (electromagnetic waves of light) and DNA. They propose that the anatomical basis for the PVS and this energy, also known as “Qi,” is “an electromagnetic wave that is involved very closely with the DNA in the PVS and that DNA “provides genetics information” and “functions as a store of information that can be obtained from the electromagnetic fields of the environment.”
They cite several studies showing that the PVS has been detected in various regions of the body:
The PVs have been found inside blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The PVs inside lymph vessels freely flow in the lymph. The PVs and PNs flow in the third ventricle, fourth ventricle, cerebral aqueduct, and along the central canal of the spinal cord. The PVS has also been found on the arachnoid mater, cerebellum, perinervium, and epinervium of the sciatic nerve. The PVs and PNs are present on the surfaces of the liver, stomach, small and large intestines, bladder, spleen, kidneys and omentum, abdominal cavity, hypodermal layer of the skin, superficial fascia, fat tissue, and cancer fascia. The PVs also enter internal organ tissues.
The researchers injected a special staining dye which coloured the meridians, revealing thin lines along these acupuncture points which were not present at non-acupuncture point sites (where there are no meridians). The researchers discovered that the meridian lines are not confined to the skin, but are in fact a concrete duct system through which liquid flows. They also learned that this liquid aggregates to form stem cells.
After all of their research (as seen in the publication), the scientists concluded that PVS allows communication between living organisms and the environment, and that it’s a system which spans throughout the entire body and plays a role in all biological life processes. They concluded that it receives signals in the form of electromagnetic waves from the environment, and internal signals from the body as well:
The PVS, which until now has been a missing body system, can explain many of the mysteries of life. The physical substrate for the meridian system is the missing point that can be used to combine the knowledge of ancient Chinese medicine and that of modern science into one successful unit.
It’s always interesting to look at ancient knowledge and teachings, particularly because so much has been and continues to be confirmed by modern day science. Every day, it seems, we discover why an ancient practice works on a scientific level; every day we validate something which previous generations simply understood to be valuable. And these ‘new’ discoveries of old knowledge support the notion that many more of these supposedly antiquated or pseudoscientific practices are in fact worthwhile.
There remain many phenomena for which we have no explanation. For example, a study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, as seen in the the US National Library of Medicine, demonstrated that a women with special abilities was and is able to accelerate the germination of specific seeds for the purposes of developing a more robust seed stock. This is just one of many example where extraordinary things have been observed and documented yet cannot be explained scientifically.
As with meridian points and energy systems in the body, perhaps science is calling us to be more intuitive, more trusting, and more openminded. Perhaps a scientific explanation is not needed to confirm what people knew thousands of years ago and still benefit from today. It’s something to think about.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
