Acupressure therapy was known in India even 5000 years ago. Unfortunately, it was not preserved properly and went to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the form of acupuncture. From Sri Lanka, this therapy was taken to China and Japan by Buddhist monks or nomadic Aryans, and at present, China is teaching Acupuncture to the world.
This therapy was known to the Red Indians way back in the sixteenth century. In the twentieth century, research has been made in the U.S.A., which has contributed greatly to the development of this therapy. It is practiced by many allopathic and naturopathic doctors. Now, the World Health Organization, too, has paid attention to this simple and easy therapy.
The word acupressure’ is related to ‘acupuncture’. ‘Acu’ means a needle, and ‘puncture’ means to ‘pierce’. Acupuncture is the art of treating diseases by piercing specific points in the body. Acupressure means the art of treating diseases by applying pressure to specific points with the help of one’s thumb or unpointed things.
Principle: As our body consists of five basic elements
- Water
- Fire
- Air
- space
- Wood/Earth
These five elements are controlled by the electricity of the body, known in the West as bio-electricity. The current of electricity. ‘Chetana’, comes from this non-changeable life battery.
This battery was installed in our body at the time of conception. The white, dazzling light generated by this battery can be seen in the middle of one’s forehead with eyes closed through certain Yogic methods. Many people, including myself, have seen this light.
Out of this battery, electric current (‘aci’) passes through the body through the lines shown in Fig. 38. These lines, known as ‘Meridians’, start from the tip of each finger of the right hand, go all over the body, and end in the toes of the right foot, as well as on the left side.
So long as this current of electricity flows properly in the body, the body remains fit and healthy. If, for any reason, this current does not reach any part of the body, there is malfunctioning of that part accompanied by pain. In some cases, if not attended to in time, it may invite illness. So, if the current is properly sent to the affected parts, the pain, if any, would subside, and the disease of malfunctioning in that part would be cured.
Thus, acupressure is the science of nature that teaches us to cure diseases through the in-built mechanism of the body—the technique of how to send the current to all the desired parts of the body.
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