Acupuncture or Acupressure

Acupuncture and Acupressure are oriental therapies which utilise certain points on the surface of the body to influence internal organs. In Acupuncture, specific points are pierced with needles whereas in Acupressure, the same points are stimulated by deep pressure with a finger-tip or a blunt object. The WHO has given due recognition to these therapies.

It has been seen time and again that when acupuncture or acupressure treatment is added to diet and exercise, the need of medicines diminishes considerably. In quite a few cases, medicines can be discarded altogether.

Diabetes is a life-long disease and its control a life-timeresponsibility. In diabetes, acupressure is preferable to acupuncture because the former can be performed by the patient himself.

The description of acupressure points:

1. Point located on the middle of an imaginary vertical line, joining the anteriorly folded ears.
2. Point located on the side of the forehead, exactly above the vertex of the anteriorly folded ear.
3. Point located on the side of the neck, four finger­breadths lateral to the adam's apple.
4. Point located at the outer end of the crease formed by completely flexing the elbow.
5. Point located at the front end of the penultimate rib.
6. Point located at the back of the neck, below the most prominently seen vertebra, when the head is bent forward.
7. Point located at the back of the shoulder.
8. Point located four finger-breadths below the lower border of the round knee bone and one finger-breadth lateral to the verticle midline, after the knee has been bent at a right angle.
9. Point located in the fleshy part between the first and the second toes.
10. Point located four finger-breadths above the inner prominence of ankle bone, slightly towards the posterior side.

Method of giving pressure : Each point should be rythmically pressed for a minute, with the finger (or thumb) tip or the blunt end of a pencil. Treatment can be had at any time, but the time one hour after meals is preferable.

Acupressure treatment is absolutely safe and devoid of side-effects. Yet it is considerably effective as can be seen from successful clinical trials and the statistical data available.