Before reaching for that expensive and possibly harmful bottle of painkillers you may want to give acupressure a try the next time you experience a migraine headache. It's totally safe and can often be a very effective method of reducing pain.
Acupressure is a type of massage which uses finger, thumb, or palm pressure on specific areas of the body in an effort to promote healing, reduce pain, stimulate and regulate bodily functions, and bring about other beneficial results. Acupressure concentrates on the same bodily areas that acupuncture does, but it uses pressure instead of pins.
With the techniques we will be talking about in this article we will use either the pads of the thumb or first two fingers to apply the pressure. When applying pressure you should start out by pressing directly and gently on an area and then gradually increasing the amount of pressure until you have reached a comfortable, but firm amount. Never put enough pressure on any one area that will cause pain, especially in the more sensitive areas such as the face and head. Generally, you will want to keep the pressure on each area until some relief is felt, but usually not more than 60 seconds.
There are many different acupuncture points that can be used to relieve migraine pain. Since everyone is different, an area that will benefit one person may not benefit another. For this reason it is good to experiment and find the points that work for you. Once you know which areas work for you personally, you can then perform the same routine on the same acupressure points each time you develop a migraine headache.
One acupressure point that has shown good results from applying pressure is the fleshy web part of the hand located between the first finger and thumb. Squeeze this area with your thumb and first finger of the opposite hand and maintain the pressure until relief is felt or 60 seconds has passed. Once you are finished with one hand repeat the process with the other hand.
Another good acupressure point for migraine headache pain is located at the base of the skull at the top of the neck. There are two points here, one on each side. To find these points, start at the center of the neck at the base of the skull and then move about one to two inches to each side. You will find an indentation on each side of the neck just below the skull where pressure can be applied with your thumbs.
A third place that has shown good results for reducing headache pain is in the top center of the head. This point is found as follows. Draw an imaginary line from directly in front of one ear, over the top center of the head, and down to a point directly in front of the opposite ear. Next, start at the center of the forehead and draw another imaginary line directly up to the center top of the head. The point where these two imaginary lines meet is your next acupressure point. By applying direct pressure on acupressure points it's often possible to reduce the pain of a migraine headache.
Acupressure is a type of massage which uses finger, thumb, or palm pressure on specific areas of the body in an effort to promote healing, reduce pain, stimulate and regulate bodily functions, and bring about other beneficial results. Acupressure concentrates on the same bodily areas that acupuncture does, but it uses pressure instead of pins.
With the techniques we will be talking about in this article we will use either the pads of the thumb or first two fingers to apply the pressure. When applying pressure you should start out by pressing directly and gently on an area and then gradually increasing the amount of pressure until you have reached a comfortable, but firm amount. Never put enough pressure on any one area that will cause pain, especially in the more sensitive areas such as the face and head. Generally, you will want to keep the pressure on each area until some relief is felt, but usually not more than 60 seconds.
There are many different acupuncture points that can be used to relieve migraine pain. Since everyone is different, an area that will benefit one person may not benefit another. For this reason it is good to experiment and find the points that work for you. Once you know which areas work for you personally, you can then perform the same routine on the same acupressure points each time you develop a migraine headache.
One acupressure point that has shown good results from applying pressure is the fleshy web part of the hand located between the first finger and thumb. Squeeze this area with your thumb and first finger of the opposite hand and maintain the pressure until relief is felt or 60 seconds has passed. Once you are finished with one hand repeat the process with the other hand.
Another good acupressure point for migraine headache pain is located at the base of the skull at the top of the neck. There are two points here, one on each side. To find these points, start at the center of the neck at the base of the skull and then move about one to two inches to each side. You will find an indentation on each side of the neck just below the skull where pressure can be applied with your thumbs.
A third place that has shown good results for reducing headache pain is in the top center of the head. This point is found as follows. Draw an imaginary line from directly in front of one ear, over the top center of the head, and down to a point directly in front of the opposite ear. Next, start at the center of the forehead and draw another imaginary line directly up to the center top of the head. The point where these two imaginary lines meet is your next acupressure point. By applying direct pressure on acupressure points it's often possible to reduce the pain of a migraine headache.
