Acupressure is the act of applying gentle pressure to specific points on the body. In kinesiology we use this in two ways: as a communication method with your body, and to correct imbalances.

How can touching one point on the body help with a seemingly unrelated collection of symptoms?

To understand this, we need to go right back to the origins of your body.

When you were first conceived, you started out as just one single cell, known as a ‘zygote’. This is the fertilized egg.

From there, cells started dividing and morphing into different types of cells to form your organs, glands, bones, etc.

How did each cell know what it needed to become, and where it needed to go?

An organising force in the form of electricity (Piezoelectricity) managed the development of your body like a highly skilled orchestra conductor. 

Throughout the process of transforming from a zygote to a fully formed human being, many cells that were once side by side are separated by great distances within the body.

The electrical connections between these now distal cells remain, forming electrical channels throughout the body. Chinese medicine has mapped these channels in lines called ‘meridians’.

This organising force directed the creation of your body from within – and is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity throughout your body for your entire lifetime by managing cell regeneration and other important processes.

How can we improve the flow of Piezoelectricity?

Scientists across biology and biotech disciplines have developed methods to detect and measure the presence of electrical currents within the living tissue – known as Piezoelectricity ^(1,3) and have been exploring how these currents can be manipulated to change the way cells behave ⁽²⁾.

These currents have been found to be altered by mechanical interference (like touch), supporting the body of evidence for acupressure promoting cell regeneration and healing ⁽²⁾.

Researchers have found acupressure to assist with improving wellbeing through:

• Improving cognitive function ^(5,6,7)
• Improving sleep quality ^(6,10)
• Reducing depression, anxiety and stress ⁽⁸⁾
• Reducing back pain ⁽¹⁰⁾
• Reducing period pain, menstrual migraines, and other menstrual related side effects (dysmenorrhea) ^(12,14)
• Reducing chronic neck pain ⁽¹⁵⁾
• Reducing the fight/flight response (sympathetic nervous system hyperactivation) ⁽¹⁵⁾

Acupressure uses the same understanding of meridians as acupuncture – just without the needles. Some studies have found acupressure to be equally effective as acupuncture ^(10,12).

It’s important to note that kinesiology does not treat cancer – or cure it. Your oncology team will guide you through your options and help you choose the most appropriate medical treatment.

However, as a complementary therapy kinesiology can ‘turn down your internal thermostat’, which may improve your quality of life and overall feeling of wellness through removing additional stress burdens on you.

Kinesiology may support you through:

• Balancing your emotional state.
  A cancer diagnosis is often an emotionally intense experience. It can trigger a range of feelings, depending on past experiences and available coping strategies.
  This emotional intensity can dysregulate our nervous system which disrupts our biological processes, redirecting energy to navigate the emotional challenges faced.
  These disruptions can be helpful in the short term – moving to a ‘fight or flight’ state can mobilise the energy needed to get to appointments, or even just face the day.
  But if nervous system disruption continues for too long or is too intense, it can lead to chronic dysregulation: either stuck in fight or flight mode where the body’s ability to rest and heal is compromised, or in a ‘freeze’ state where we dissociate from our bodies’ missing important internal cues guiding us on how best to care for ourselves.
• Calming your nervous system to help your body return to a ‘rest and digest state’.
  Kinesiology may help create space to take a step back from the whirlwind of appointments and interventions, which allows you to return to a calmer state. The parasympathetic (rest and digest) state is where deep healing can occur.
• Unscrambling your thoughts to unfold a sense of clarity. Overwhelm is an exhausting and unpleasant state to be in. Kinesiology may help clear your thought processes so you can focus on what is most important to you at this time.
• Addressing any unhelpful patterns that can form barriers to healing
  If we have assumed a caregiver role throughout our life, it can be difficult or uncomfortable for us to accept help. Reducing or removing this internal stress frees up energy that would otherwise be tied up in those emotions.
• Balancing your hormones and metabolic processes to help your body adjust to internal and external changes
  Through returning your body to a rest and digest state regularly, your body may be able to redirect more energy towards cell regeneration, digestion, and hormonal balance – essential biological processes your body needs for wellness.

For a confidential chat about how kinesiology may support you, please click here to contact me.

If you have experienced pain for more than 3-6 months, you may have heard the term ‘Chronic pain’. ⁽¹⁾

This pain may have started with an acute injury or disease, or maybe it seemed to come out of nowhere.

When pain becomes a daily companion it can be debilitating in many ways^(2,3)

• Brain fog: It can be harder to concentrate ⁽⁶⁾
• Restricted movement: It often restricts our mobility and strength as we try to avoid further pain
• Anger and frustration: ⁽⁷⁾
• Strained relationships: It affects our moods, with a flow on effect of straining relationships ^(4,6,7)
• Social isolation: It can prevent us from fully participating in activities we used to enjoy ^(4,6)
• Fatigue: often we are unable to sleep due to the constant discomfort ⁽⁶⁾
• Depression: all of the above can lead to a sense of hopelessness and depression ^(4,6)
• Medication and digestive issues:

All of which may affect our sense of self, our sense of purpose and can really shake our understanding of the meaning of our life ^(3,4)

To add insult to injury, the actions we take to avoid further pain can often lead to other issues. For example, if we have chronic pain in one hip, this is likely to negatively affect our posture and ‘good side’ as we rely more one the other leg to take more of our weight.

How can kinesiology work with chronic pain?

Kinesiology works to uncover the root cause of your symptoms, and what your body needs to return to a more comfortable state.

Some of the contributing factors kinesiology explores includes:

• Primitive and postural reflexes
• Holding patterns creating unnecessary tension
• Anxiety
• Fight/flight response
• Breathing habits/vagal tone
• Centring and proprioceptive systems
• Inflammation
• Structural imbalances
• Social factors⁽⁵⁾