How does Acupressure help the Lymphatic System ?

One role of the lymphatic system is as the disposal system of the body’s waste products. The serum which flows from the blood in the capillaries to bathe the cells in oxygen and nutrients travels a one-way street, its return prevented by a pressure gradient. As the serum passes by the cells they interact with it. Nutrients are absorbed and used, waste products are expelled. These waste products include toxins, dead cells, and the by-products of cell functioning. They must be carried away by the lymph, which travels through the lymph vessels, so that the living cells do not lose their efficiency or perish sitting in their own waste.
The challenge is to get this waste product-laden lymph to the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin for processing and elimination from the body. The lymph doesn’t have its own pump. There are however different ways to move it through the system. Acupressure’s application and release of pressure on these vessels and the surrounding tissues throughout the body helps to move the lymph. The contraction and expansion of the muscles during exercise also helps. Acupressure enhances the contraction and expansion ability of the muscles through toning, relaxation and improved blood circulation.
The abdominal area houses deep as well as superficial lymph vessels. Deeper abdominal breaths act as a powerful pump for the movement of lymph too, alternately increasing and decreasing the pressure levels in the abdomen and chest. Acupressure applied to the diaphragm and the rest of the abdominal area reduces tension in this area thus allowing you to take deeper breaths, which in turn enhances the pumping of the lymph up the body to the subclavian vein above the heart (where the lymph returns to the blood circulation).

Can Acupressure & QiGong Benefit Me Economically ?

They most certainly can, if we take the time to think about their effects.

Sickness & Injury
​If you get sick or injured you can use Acupressure & Qigong to help you recover faster, and so be able to return to your job or business that much earlier.

Prevention
Receiving regular Acupressure and/or practising Qigong will help to prevent you from getting sick or injured, so you won’t have to take too many days off work.

Physical Vitality
Acupressure & Qigong will give your body more physical vitality which is especially helpful in physically and/or mentally demanding work and sports. You’ll be able to do more with less expenditure of energy.

Psychological Vitality
Acupressure/Bars & Qigong help the body and mind to rid itself of excess stress, giving you the energy and freedom to think more clearly, calmly, and insightfully about work situations, business plans etc.

Long term Health & Vitality
Acupressure/Bars & Qigong help the body to maintain and increase its core energy reserves, flexibility and strength deep into the golden years. This is achieved by not forcing the body up to and past its limits again and again, which causes energy to be burned up and the body to become worn out. They help the mind to maintain and increase it’s inherent powers of concentration, awareness, inquiry and memory. All this means you can remain productive, enthusiastic and creative in your work for the long term.

How Does Acupressure Help With Blood Circulation ?

Acupressure helps the blood circulation in the following ways :

1. When pressure is applied to the body via the thumbs/palms the blood in the local area is flushed out. As the pressure is held the blood flowing into the area receiving pressure is stopped momentarily, causing a build up of force. When the thumbs release their pressure the blood gushes with extra force into this area, bringing in oxygen and nutrients and flushing out waste products.

2. The gentle, yet firm rhythmic application and release of pressure tones the blood vessels, increasing their elasticity. The vessels can now expand and contract with more vigour which causes the blood to circulate better. This also takes the load off the heart which doesn’t need to work so hard anymore.

3. The acupressure balances the autonomic nervous system (ans), which controls the contraction and expansion of the smooth muscles lining the blood vessels. With the ans properly balanced (so the body can dynamically respond to the demands of the moment) the blood vessels are able to help circulate the blood around the body with optimum efficiency. If the ans is unbalanced the blood vessels can lose their elasticity due to their smooth muscle holding too much tension or being too lax, thus negatively impacting their ability to circulate the blood.

4. An acupressure session treats the whole body, helping to bring fresh blood to all areas of the body from head to toe, and flush out stale, stagnant blood.

Can Acupressure Influence the Health of the Internal Organs ?

Yes, it can. But how does it do that ?
Expanding and contracting rhythms animate all of the internal organ functions. Think of the expanding and contracting rhythms of these organs :

1. Heart – blood flow
2. Lungs – air flow
3. Stomach – flow of food contents
4. Intestines – flow of food contents, excretion
5. Liver – storage & release of blood, bile
6. Gallbladder – storage & release of bile
7. Bladder – storage & release of urine
8. Spleen – blood filtering, storage & release of blood
9. Pancreas – storage & release of digestive juices
10. Kidneys – blood filtering & excretion of waste products

All of these organs are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ans). When a person is suffering from ill-health the expanding and contracting rhythms are often disrupted in some way. Acupressure’s gentle, yet firm application and release of pressure on acupoints alongside the spine and on the organs themselves directly influences the ans, calming and toning it. This effect is automatically passed on to the internal organs, which are under the direct influence of the ans. The organs’ inherent, natural expanding and contracting rhythms can then be restored over time to their optimum levels, returning health to the body.

Can Acupressure Help With Posture ?

When muscles are tight they pull on the bones via the tendons. This pulls the bones out of alignment. If this continues for a long period of time it will cause our body to become unbalanced. Acupressure helps the muscles to release the excess tension, reducing their pull, which in turn allows the bones to naturally realign.

The muscles are also strengthened through increased circulation. The blood can bring more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, and take away more toxins. The muscles now have more power available to support the body in upright positions such as sitting at a desk, standing and walking etc.

​Additionally, receiving acupressure enlivens the nerves throughout the body, increasing our level of awareness regarding the position we are holding our body in at any given time. This enhanced body awareness gives us the opportunity to make changes to our posture for the better.

Can Acupressure Help With Pain Relief ?

The answer is “yes.” Pressure is applied with the thumbs and hands in the vicinity of or directly to the tender muscle, or is applied to an area reflexively related to it. The pressure fatigues the connecting nerves, slowing the flow of impulses. This allows the affected tissues to relax and release tension.
At the same time, blood circulation around the nerve connections and muscle tissue is improved, resulting in an increased supply of nutrients and oxygen, and the drainage of toxins.

How Does Acupressure Help With Flexibility ?

The pressure applied and released by the thumbs and hands of a practitioner cause knots in the muscles to break up, be absorbed back into the blood stream and disperse. The muscles are then able to move more freely. The knots are the accumulated by-products of cellular metabolism which have been blocked, due to tension, from naturally re-entering the circulation for processing and excretion.
The acupressure also calms the sympathetic nervous system (sns), which is responsible for readying the body for action and the “fight or flight” stress response by various means, including contracting the muscles . People who repeatedly experience stressful situations become locked in this sns response and their muscles are in a contracted state most of the time. When the sns is calmed the muscles can then start to release the held tension and be in a softer, more flexible condition.

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