Acupressure vs. Acupuncture

Both acupressure and acupuncture are based on the same Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory of meridians. Meridians are lines of energy that flow through the body; they are thought to be closer to the surface of the skin at certain points. These points are then treated by the administration of needles, known as acupuncture, or through manipulation by the fingertips, known as acupressure. These treatments are believed to be able to remedy a wide range of ailments.

History

• According to the American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, the use of acupoints and the meridian system in TCM is over 5,000 years old. The belief that many diseases are caused or affected by the flow of an energy through the body called "chi" is central to the theory of both acupressure and acupuncture. When chi stagnates, disease occurs, and stimulating the points at which energy is blocked allows the energy to return to normal and reverse disease. Over the course of its development, the meridian system has charted thousands of these acupoints on the human body.

Acupressure

• Most acupressure is administered in the United States by practitioners who have completed a 3- to 4-year degree in TCM, which usually also includes an in-depth study of Chinese herbology. Practitioners of acupressure come from variety of backgrounds but are usually massage therapists who have studied acupoints as one of many massage modalities in massage school.

Acupuncture Research

• Acupuncture is one of the few methods of alternative health in the United States that does indeed have some support by the mainstream medical establishment. Many health insurance companies cover acupuncture treatments for various conditions, especially pain. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in September 2007, German researchers did a rigorous randomized, multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group trial with three groups on acupuncture for low-back pain. They concluded that low-back pain did indeed improve after acupuncture for at least 6 months and was twice as effective as conventional therapy.

Acupressure Research

• Accupressure has not been studied as much as its more well known counterpart, but it may be just as effective, at least in emergency situations like nausea and vomiting. In a study published in Anesthesia Analgesia in 2002, Austrian researchers found that by pressing acu-point K-K9, they were able to alleviate the nausea and vomiting in women after gynecological surgery by up to 40 percent.

Considerations

• Acupuncture is really just a specialized and more precise form of the technique of manipulating acupoints to achieve desired results. It may be more effective in treating some illnesses, but may not be necessary when simple acupressure will do.