Handbook of Acupressure (50 Case Studies)

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Dr. A. K. Saxena was introduced to acupressure by Dr. Daleep Saxena, a Senior Allopathic Physician, about 30 years ago. Learnt this ‘Art & Science’ from Dr. Attar Singh ji, in Chandigarh. Started healing his family and friends with the help of this therapy. The results were so encouraging that Dr. Saxena took voluntary retirement, from the post of Under Secretary to the Govt. of India, five years before the age of attaining superannuation. Forums such as Rotary Club of India; India International Centre; UNDP(UNWA); Print & Electronic media etc., provided a platform to Dr. Saxena to take the message to the masses about the healing power of the human body. He has been associated with many hospitals of repute on call. Has successfully treated approx 27000 patients suffering from various diseases from all walks of life. He has also been training hundreds of desirous persons in using this easy to learn therapy in healing various ailments without any medicine.

Dr. Preeti Pai, BNYS, from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore has been working in various prestigious Government Hospitals of Delhi such as Dr. RML hospital; GTB Hospital (UCMS); Lady Hardinge Medical College, under AYUSH; as also a good number of Private hospitals, for more than 15 years. She has been co-coordinator in the Research projects on Coronary Artery Diseases, Neurological/Mental Disorders. Has also been associated with All India Radio (Akashwani), for about a decade as Yoga & naturopathy Expert. Besides being a skilled Clinical Acupuncturist/ Acupressurist, has successfully treated more than 8000 patients and trained scores of aspiring learners of Acupressure. She is a skilled Curative Hypnotherapist treating psychological, Gynae disorders as well as disorders involving Endocrine system. She has also been successfully handling Musculoskeletal and neurological ailments and the patients suffering from the dreaded condition ‘Cancer’. Has been educating people in Stress management, Work Ergonomics, Dietary Counseling, Life Style Principles in the Corporate Sector as well.

Ever since the release of our third book on the subject, viz. 101 Q&A Acupressure and Reflexology (English) in the year 2012 which was brought out to fulfill my quest to reach out to the people at the grassroot level and the long-awaited demand of my readers and students to bring out a book in question & answer form, incorporating the trigger points used by the practitioners of 'Acupuncture' and friends, from other streams of medical science, particularly some physiotherapists, who had adopted practicing 'acupressure', side by side, desired that I should share my experience(s) with them in the shape of "case studies", in a book form, so that the same could be used as a guide by prospective upcoming practitioners of this 'Art & Science' of Acupressure. Hindi translation of the aforesaid book was also brought out by the publishers in December 2014. The demand for bringing out the book incorporating Case Studies grew again.

Accordingly, the present book, Handbook of Acupressure is evolved. To share our experience(s), various cases have been incorporated in details. It gives details e.g. to give pressure on which trigger points, for how long, how many times, how many sessions, etc. Dietary regime/suggestions besides, Yoga tips (Aasanas/ Pranayam), where necessary, have also been added to get even faster and long-term relief. I pen down my sincere gratitude to Dr. Preeti Pai, Yoga & Naturopathy Physician, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Hospital, New Delhi, whom I consider the best amongst the scores of. Dieticians/Yoga & Naturopathy Physicians I have come across, for having agreed to co-author this book and provide detailed disease specific diet charts as well as Yoga tips, which shall go a long way in prevention as well as cure to the readers who imbibe these means in their life-style.

I would like to reiterate that going by the established norm that the prime concern of the patient is to get relief from pain and disease, whereas we advocate co-management, i.e. taking treatment using acupressure technique as a home remedy side by side while taking treatment in either of the conventional streams of medicine, of the choice of the patient depending upon the seriousness of the ailment. What should never be allowed to lose sight off is that the treatment should always be preceded by proper diagnosis at the hands of a physician, so as to ensure that in case(s) where vital organs of the body, e.g. heart, kidney, liver, etc. are involved, the symptoms might not get overlooked and on a later date disease of more serious nature raise its head. However, in case(s) of day-to-day ailments, e.g. back/ knee/heel pains; cervical spondylosis; migraine; insomnia; indigestion; constipation; piles, etc., where apparently there is no immediate risk to life, a fair trial to non-conventional stream of treatment, e.g. diet regulation, Yoga, acupressure should be banked upon. As a word of caution, in case enough relief is not felt within a week, the patient should opt for other modes of treatment.

With all humility, we invite positive suggestions/ criticism towards further improvement so that our effort is put to the best use for benefit of suffering mankind for the times to come.

There can be no second opinion about the fact that modern medicine has greatly contributed towards the improvement of health care, thereby increasing the life span. But in the process science took precedence and administration of medicines became mechanical, as life was unfortunately looked at as a purely chemical phenomenon. Practitioners of modern medicine regarded human body more or less as a machine, made up of complex collection of parts. Ancient natural medical practices were pushed into the background or frequently suppressed.

However, several decades down the time-line, disillusionment with modern medicines as a panacea, has resulted into resurgence and demand for natural form of therapies. Realization has dawned upon the people that each of the conventional and non-conventional practices has their role in healthcare and that ideally these should work together. It has been realized that a holistic approach has to be taken and health care aspect handled by taking care of not only 'body' but that of 'mind' (emotional aspect), and of 'soul' (spiritual aspect) too.

One of the World Health Organization reports reads:

"For too long traditional systems of medicine and 'modern' medicine have gone their separate ways in mutual antipathy. Yet are not their goals identical — to improve the health of mankind and thereby the quality of life? Only the blinkered mind would assume that each has nothing to do with the other."

Human body possesses immense natural strength to heal itself from most of the diseases. What is required is to tap this natural energy to rejuvenate it. Growing consciousness about the side effect of the medicine and the exorbitant cost factor has perhaps led to the emergence of so many 'Alternative Therapies'. A few of these being Zone therapy, Magnet therapy, Hydro therapy, Color therapy, Aroma therapy, etc., besides Ancient Indian Science of 'Yoga & Naturopathy' coming back with a bang and getting recognition at the international level, thanks to the interest and effort of our Hon'ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Besides, Acupressure, an improvised version of the 'Ancient Science' called "Acupuncture" has of late, gained lot of prominence over the recent decades and has emerged as one of the most sought-after systems that are capable of reviving and revitalizing the hidden curative powers within our bodies. Moreover, it is non-conventional and non-interventional besides being simple to perform, usable as a home remedy and without fear of any side effect because no medicine in any form has to be administered. All the more it is totally non-invasive.

In this context, we shall be failing in our duty, in case we don't clarify, that we prefer to call all the aforesaid therapies as "Complementary Therapies" and 'not' "Alternative Therapies", as the term 'Alternative' improperly communicates, as if an alternative to the conventional medicine is being provided. It smacks of unacceptability, whereas there is no such attempt whatsoever. The ultimate goal of all of us, i.e. the patient, the physician or surgeon or the practitioner of the non-conventional (complementary) therapy, is to achieve a state of health/well-being at the earliest, irrespective of how and by what means it is achieved. It is heartening to note that the practitioners of medicine and complementary therapies have started joining hands to work together for the benefit of patients. With more practitioners of medicine qualifying in complementary therapies, they have started laying emphasis on body, mind, and soul; eating for health and vitality, awareness about exercise and self-help measures to enhance and improve physical, emotional and spiritual health, and well-being.

One is in good health when the flow of energy (the vital force) through the meridians of the body is smooth, balanced and unobstructed. The moment this flow is adversely affected, it may result in pain or disease. Stomach disorders, colds, allergies or fatigue are the warning signals given by our body to alert that the flow of vital force is disturbed or blocked. In case one does not take a timely note of these warning signals to take corrective steps, serious ailments may occur. By learning to apply gentle pressure on certain key pressure points with one's thumb or finger tips, these imbalances can be corrected to restore good health and overcome pain.

Acupressure is capable of regulating various systems in our body, including nervous and circulatory systems. Increasing circulation helps in flushing out the toxins from the body and bringing in nutrients and oxygen to cells. It also triggers the brain to release a chemical called 'endorphin', which is a natural pain killer and capable of bringing a feeling of well-being in our body. When pressure is given at various pressure (reflex) points, pertaining to various organs, while treating a patient, toxins, calcium, urea etc., deposited in crystalline form at the nerve endings in the soles and the palms gets crushed and thrown out of the body from different outlets. In this manner, acupressure has been found to be one of the simplest and most effective methods of healing and restoring normal functioning of the body in a natural way. Acupressure cleanses the body of toxins and impurities which accumulate at the nerve endings leading to many ailments. These toxins obstruct the normal flow of energy to various organs thereby disturbing the balance of whole body.

My experience of over 25 years with various patients, reveals that the results attained through application of "Acupressure—Reflexology" technique are very encouraging, not only in helping out patients suffering from common ailments, e.g. cervical/lumber spondylosis; sinusitis; backaches; knee/heel pains; sciatica; prolapsed disc; piles; I.B.S.; P.M.S.; C.T.S.; insomnia; depression; asthma; hypertension; fits; ulcers; tennis elbow, etc., but also, at times it has been found to be of immense help in providing almost complete cure to the critically ill patients, following the co-management concept. Needless to say that a lot depends on the willpower, body response and of course faith of the patient in the therapy as well as in the therapist. The Body-Mind connection hold so true!

What encourages us further in our resolve to take this 'Art & Science' to the grassroot level is the growing number of its admirers in the most sought-after stream of Medical Science— "Allopathy". Even senior allopathic physician and surgeons have been recommending patients to take Acupressure treatment while continuing to take treatment in conventional stream. The results too are highly encouraging. Our resolve further strengthens when practicing medicos/ physiotherapists approach me for 'Training' in Acupressure at our Centre.

Our sincere advice to our students as well as to the readers of our book(s), is that "The therapy is fool proof and in case you do not get the results to the desired extent, blame the therapist not the therapy". Be honest, give a second thought to find out (re-access—assess) where we went wrong, not to give up, and try again, as sooner or later the body will favourably respond.

Many natural forms of therapies have emerged in the recent past, like Acupressure/Reflexology, Zone therapy, Reiki, Shiatsu, Color therapy, Magnet therapy, Hydro therapy, etc. Among these, Acupressure holds pride of place for its effectiveness, simplicity, and adaptability to self-care. It is totally non-interventional, non-invasive and all the more not only curative, but preventive as well. It was derived from an age-old therapy called 'Acupuncture', which is almost 5,000 years old. Both Acupuncture and Acupressure are based on Reflexology, and in fact, Acupressure is an improvised form of Acupuncture, to make it easier to practice, so that it can be used as a home remedy as no medication/incision is required. All that it requires is to use the healing power of human body itself to overcome the imbalances in the chemicals energy levels, within the meridians in the body. This is accomplished by applying pressure over the reflex points corresponding to various organs of body, which are located in the soles and the palms. A disease is the outcome of the imbalances caused by certain bottlenecks that impede smooth flow of vital chemicals and forces in the body. Once these bottlenecks are removed, the normal state of health is restored.

Reflexology is a fascinating science that has created a niche in the field of alternative medicine, being based on the physiological as well as neurological scientific factors. Skills of an expert practitioner add further value to it.

Acupressure is a technique, in which pressure is given over specific reflex points over the feet and is based on the premise that reflex areas on the feet correspond to all organs, glands, vital points of the body. The same can be achieved from palm/ears too. However, it can be done with ease over the feet where it is easier to locate the reflex points, the size of a feet being large.

There can be no doubt that modern medicine has contributed greatly towards the improvement of health care, for instance, handling of a complicated surgery is a notable contribution of modern science. But need of the times is that both modern and alternative streams help better to cure the patients. The best way, perhaps, would be that both supplement their roles and work together for the benefit of all.

In the line of above, I am highly impressed by the approach of the authors and their vision. They have tried to bring around this point and gone a step further by coining the word 'co-management' in place of 'alternate medicine', the former adequately recognizing co-operation between the streams to enjoy bliss of their confluence.

The authors, Dr. A.K. Saxena and Dr. (Mrs.) Preeti Pai, have brought out their rich and long experience, in a 'Capsule' form in this book for the benefit of readers, prospective practitioners. It is ably supported with figures to pin point the precise location of the pressure points. They have also effectively elaborated about the symptoms encountered in each case and given pressure points to achieve amazing results, for even successfully 'co-managing' certain dreaded diseases. Moreover, dietary and Yoga tips have been aptly added for faster and lasting recovery.

The authors, Dr. A.K. Saxena and Dr. (Mrs.) Preeti Pai are accomplished writers, between them having authored valuable books like (i) Miraculous Effects of Acupressure (English and Marathi with its e-book being brought out), Bengali (under print) and Assamese (under print); (ii) Acupressure our Swasth Jeevan Hindi and Gujarati; (iii) 101 Q & A Acupressure & Reflexology (English, Hindi with Bengali under print). They have also ceaselessly imparted effective training for more than a dozen of years, having successfully trained more than 200 persons from all walks of life. They have also been attending patients in the hospitals of repute on call.

I am sure that all stakeholders would find this book immensely valuable and utilize it frequently.

**Contents and Sample Pages**