From the study of the previous articles you must have come to know that the greatest wonder in this cosmos is the human body. Our body is well equipped with the best, automatic, delicate but the most powerful machines – Heart and Lungs (a non-stop pumping set); Eyes – a wonderful camera-cum-projector system; Ears – an astounding sound system; Stomach-a wonderful chemical laboratory.
Nerves -miles of communication system. Brain-an unparalleled computer with infinite capacity. And the greatest thing about it is the unbelievable co-ordination of all these machines so that this body can easily work for over a hundred years or more.
It is a fact that in any good machine, provision is made whereby it automatically stops when there is a danger and restarts when you push its switch e. g. refrigerator and hot water geyser. It is not surprising that such a provision is made in the human body also. It is true that the system of our body is very intricate. But to maintain it is easy. Nature has provided in our body an ‘in-built mechanism’ to maintain these machines and to repair them if need be.
This science of health which makes use of this in-built mechanism is popularly known as Acupressure. This therapy is the most precious gift to mankind from the Creator Himself.
The Acupressure therapy was known in India even 5000 years ago, (according to Sushrut Samhita). Unfortunately, it was not preserved properly and went to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the form of Acupuncture. From Sri Lanka (Ceylon), this therapy was taken to China and Japan by Buddhist monks or nomadic Aryans took it there and at present China is teaching Acupuncture to the world.
This therapy was known to the Red Indians way back in the sixteenth century. In the twentieth century, researches have been made in the U.S.A. which have contributed greatly to the development of this therapy. It is practised by many Allopathic and Naturopathic doctors there. Now, the World Health Organization, too, has paid attention to this simple and easy therapy.
The word Acupressure’ is related to ‘Acupuncture’. ‘Acu’ means a needle and ‘puncture’ means to ‘pierce’. Acupuncture means the art of treating diseases by piercing specific points in the body. Acupressure means the art of treating diseases by applying pressure on specific points with the help of one’s thumb or unpointed things.
Principle:
Our body consists of five basic elements :Wood/Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space that is controlled by Electricity of Life Battery known as chi (Positive) and chen (Negative).
These five elements are controlled by the electricity of the body known in the West as Bio-Electricity. The current of electricity, ‘Chetana’, comes from this non-changeable Life Battery. This battery has been installed in our body at the time of conception. The white dazzling light generated by this battery can be seen in the middle of one’s forehead with eyes closed, through certain Yogic methods. Many people, including myself, have seen this light.
Out of this battery, electric current passes in the body through the lines shown in the figure. These lines known as ‘Meridians’ start from the tip of each finger of the right hand, go all over the body and end in the toes of the right foot and so also on the left side. Now so long as this current of electricity flows properly in the body, the body remains fit and healthy.
If for any reason this current does not reach any part of the body, there is malfunctioning of that part accompained by pain in some cases, if not attended to in time, it may invite illness. So, if the current is properly sent to the affected parts, the pain, if any, would subside and the disease of malfunctioning of that part would be cured. Thus, Acupressure is the Science of Nature which teaches us to cure diseases through the in-built mechanism of the body-the technique of how to send the current to all the desired parts of the body.