Acupressure Techniques for Health Maintenance

Acupressure Techniques for Health Maintenance
Chinese massage promotes blood and qi flows, smoothes meridians and regulates organs, and thus benefits the overall physical condition. For musculoskeletal problems, it is best to obtain the services of a massage professional, as improper massage manipulation can easily lead to further damage. For general health maintenance, there are some acupressure techniques that you can do yourself. The techniques are simple and fairly easy to learn. Generally, you just need to select an appropriate massage plan that suits your health need, perform it in the morning and evening and make it last 20-30 minutes each time. When kneading or pressing on particular points, the force should bring about numbness or soreness, while rubbing or wiping should create a feeling of warmth.
Massage to promote the facial and head region
1. Place the middle knuckles of the index fingers in the center of the forehead, and push apart firmly and slowly, and then knead along the hairline, about 40 times.
2. Wipe the temples: thumb press firmly on the temples, wipe back and forth in the temple area, about 30 times.
3. Press-knead the back of the head: firmly press the thumb on the depressions below the occipital bone (Gb20), at the bottom of the skull, 10 times. Follow by kneading along the bottom hairline about 30 times; this usually creates a feeling of soreness.
4. Pat the crown of the head: sit still with eyes looking forward and teeth clenched, use the palm to pat evenly over the area about 10 times.
5. Rub the face: rub the hands together to warm them, cover the forehead with the palms, rub forcefully downward to the chin, and let the palm edges slide along the chin, rub toward the ears, proceed to the temples and to the forehead again. Repeat the procedure 20-30 times until the face feels warm.
This massage can invigorate mental functions, refresh the mind, and also benefit in the treatment of headache, dizziness, insomnia, amnesia, neurosis and facial paralysis.