Acupressure: Simple Steps to Health: Discover your Body’s Powerpoints For Health and Relaxation. Jacqueline Young. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Jacqueline Young
Издательство: HarperCollins
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Здоровье
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9780007498253
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       Dedication

      For my mother and stepfather, Joosje and Don Angel – for all their loving support.

      For all the participants at my acupressure classes and clinics;

      I have so much enjoyed sharing and learning together.

      And for all those who read this book: may you gain many

      benefits from the practice of acupressure.

      Table of Contents

       Title Page

      Dedication

      Foreword

      Part 1: Introduction

      Part 2: Acupressure Health Workout

      Chapter 1: Acupressure Health Workout

       Chapter 3: the Joints

       Chapter 4: The Respiratory System

       Chapter 5: The Heart and Circulation

       Chapter 6: Digestion

       Chapter 7: The Urinary System

       Chapter 8: The Gynaecological Organs

       Chapter 9: Sexual Health

       Chapter 10: The Whole Body

       Chapter 11: Mental Health

       Chapter 12: Pregnancy and Childbirth

       Part Four: Acupressure First Aid

       Chapter 13 Acupressure

       List of Acupoints

       Further Reading

       Useful Addresses

       Practical Reiki A step-by-step guide

       Reflexology for Women

       Big Book of Ch’i An exploration of energy, form and spirit

       Searchable Terms

       Acknowledgements

       About the Author

       Also by the Author

       Copyright

       About the Publisher

       Foreword

      This book is different from previous acupressure books written for the lay public in that it focuses on health and preventive health care rather than just on disease. It clearly describes how to balance acupressure points, what the correct sensation is, and how much pressure to apply. It also explains the principles of direction of flow of chi along the meridians and includes complementary techniques such as breathing and visualization, both of which quite definitely affect the flow of chi.

      It is an eminently practical book and is very simply set out, with very clear photos and diagrams on what points to use to both optimise health and to treat a whole range of conditions. It can be used perfectly easily without reading the whole book by simply reading the introduction, then looking up your area of concern in the index and turning up the particular part of the book which tells you how to approach it from an acupressure point of view. In each section there is an explanation as to what the points are actually doing, so making this discipline more understandable to the Western mind. This is of great importance, as the concepts underlying acupuncture and acupressure are foreign to the Western mind, making it difficult for us to think in terms of energy and flow of energy around the body. We are culturally pre-programmed to think in terms of organs that we can actually see.

      Jacqueline Young has produced an eminently readable text which will be of benefit to anyone who buys this book.

      Julian Kenyon, M.D., M.B., Ch.B.

      Medical Director, The Dove Clinic for Integrated Medicine, London.

       part one

      Introduction

      Nowadays there is so much you can do to help yourself to health and to stay healthy. Both ancient and modern wisdom and techniques for promoting health are widely available to guide us along the path. Modern research has demonstrated the importance of diet and nutrition, for example the importance of balancing proteins, carbohydrates and other foods and of reducing fats, or the effects of specific vitamins and minerals. Similarly, sports science has clearly demonstrated the importance of regular exercise, and it is now possible to know exactly how to combine different types of exercise and training for peak fitness. Work in psychophysiology and psychology has clearly shown the effects of stress on both the physical body and on the mental state: performance is impaired, chemical changes occur, concentration deteriorates and a sense of well-being is lost. This work has led to the development of a range of psychological techniques to promote both mental and physical health-techniques for relaxation, stress management, positive thinking and attitudinal change.

      As we assimilate this wide range of knowledge and experience and try to put it into practice in our daily lives, our attention must also be drawn to the wonderful range of self-care practices advocated by ancient healing traditions. These traditions were based not on scientific research, but rather on long and patient observation of the natural cycles in nature and the rhythms of life. All the ancient Oriental medical systems of China, Japan, India, Tibet and Korea advocate thorough self-care regimes as preventive medicine and as a curative approach for simple health problems. In the same way, the Western traditions of folk and herbal medicine have always recommended specific actions alongside the ingestion or application of remedies in order to prevent ill–health and bring about cure.

      Within the Oriental systems a common theme is the importance of the flow of ‘vital energy’ (known as chi or qi in Chinese and ki in Japanese) in the body to promote and prolong health. When this flow is blocked or depleted there is ill-health; when it flows freely and abundantly there is good health and well-being. The supply and flow of this vital energy, which courses through invisible channels in the body known as ‘meridians’, is dependent on diet, life-style, environment, posture, breathing, habits, body movement and exercise, mental attitude, personality and spirit. As a result, self-care approaches emphasize the importance of eating foods according to the seasons and according to what suits your physical constitution and body type. They also recommend behavioural changes such as the need to live a balanced life-style with regular sleep and exercise, living in a moderate environment (avoiding extremes of temperature for example), and the importance of keeping good company. There are also a wide range of exercises for promoting the flow of energy within the body and for both calming and strengthening the mind and spirit, leading to increased mental powers and heightened awareness.

      One of the simplest and most effective of these techniques is acupressure, the application of fingertip or thumb pressure at specific points on the body (known as ‘acupoints’) to stimulate meridian flow and internal organ function in order to promote health and prevent, or ease, health imbalances. The technique dates back thousands of years and is both safe and effective. Acupressure is easy to learn and takes only a short time to apply.