Acupressure for Breast Cancer

Acupressure is a medical treatment used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which pressure is applied to specific points on the body where Qi, or energy, tends to stagnate. Left untreated, stagnant energy can lead to a host of medical problems, from minor ailments, such as insomnia and headaches, to diseases, including breast cancer.

Practicing acupressure regularly can help prevent breast cancer and its reoccurrence by promoting the smooth flow of energy in the meridians, or energy pathways, that run through the breast area. It is also very effective at lessening the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation by helping the body expel toxins introduced by these treatments. (For information how stagnant energy can lead to breast cancer, please see our introduction to TCM.)

In this section, we'll teach you how to massage seven acupoints that are specifically targeted at breast-cancer treatment and prevention.

Practicing acupressure

When you practice acupressure, don't worry too much about hitting each spot precisely. With these points, massaging the general area can be just as effective as focusing on the exact point. If you're unsure whether the spot you're massaging is correct, widen the area to which you're applying pressure. Usually, you'll find a spot that is especially tender. This means you're in the right place, as these points will be sensitive when energy is stagnant in the area.

If you have breast cancer, massage these points daily for at least five minutes each. For general breast-cancer prevention, three to four times a week is sufficient. Most of the acupoints are bilateral, meaning they appear in the same place on both the left and right sides of the body. Of course, if you have suffered any injuries, you should consult your physician before practicing acupressure.

To see the greatest health benefits, practice acupressure as often as you can, whenever you can. Massage these points individually every free moment you have. For example, rub the point hegu, which is on the back of your hands, while watching television or waiting for a bus. Or massage the yongquan, which is on the soles of your feet, by rolling a tennis ball under your feet while you sit at your desk. Collectively, these moments add up to a substantial amount of time for self-healing that would otherwise be lost.

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1. Yongquan breast cancer

The yongquan is located at the exact center of the bottom of each foot. Starting with your left foot, massage this point as deeply as comfortable using your thumb or even a tennis ball—anything you have on hand.

If you have breast cancer, you should also apply moxibustion to this point. To do this, you'll need a moxibustion stick, which is a stick of tightly rolled dried herbs wrapped in paper (available at most health-food or Asian-food stores). Light one until it starts smoking. It will burn slowly.

To apply moxibustion to the yongquan, place a thin slice of fresh ginger over the point and hold a lit moxibustion stick a few inches from foot so the heat (not the smoke) penetrates the ginger and drives its essence into this point. Hold for about five minutes on each foot.

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2. Guanyuan breast cancer

The guanyuan is on the meridian of the conception vessel. Massaging this point can also help relieve menstrual cramps.

		The guanyuan is located the width of four fingers directly below the navel.
		Using your palm, massage this point gently by making five small circles in one direction, then five circles in the other direction. Repeat for three to five minutes.
		If you have breast cancer, place a slice of ginger over this point and apply heat from a moxibustion stick for about five minutes.

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3. Zhongwan breast cancer

The zhongwan is the entire area from under your breastbone to above your navel. Massaging this area can help strengthen your digestive system and relieve nausea and lack of appetite caused by chemotherapy.

Massage this area gently by placing one hand on top of the other and slowly making five circles.

Reverse direction and make five more circles. Repeat this routine for about five minutes.

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4. Dabao acupressure breast cancer treatment

The dabao is on the meridian of the spleen. Its clinical name is SP-21. Massaging this point can strengthen the digestive system and relieve the side effects of chemotherapy.

		The dabao is a full hand's width under the armpit on the side of the rib cage.
		Use your palm to massage this point slowly and gently for about five minutes, starting with your left side.

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5. Hegu breast cancer acupressure

The hegu is on the meridian of the large intestine. Massaging this area stimulates the energy of the stomach, large intestine, and lung.

		The hegu is located on the back of each hand where the bones of the thumb and index finger meet.
		Use your thumb to massage this point as deeply as comfortable, making a small circle for about five minutes.
		Continue massaging down the side of the index-finger bone, toward the first knuckle.

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6. Taichong acupressure breast cancer

The taichong is on the meridian of the liver.

		The taichong is on the top of each foot in the crook where the big toe bone meets the second toe bone (analogous to the hegu on the hand).
		Massage this point with your thumb as deeply as is comfortable, starting with the left side, for about five minutes.
		Continue along the second toe until you reach the tip. You may feel some pain; this means you are in the right spot and are unblocking stagnation in your liver meridian.

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7. Jianjing acupressure breast cancer

The jianjing is on the meridian of the gall bladder. Its clinical name is GB-21.

		The jianjing is located on top of each shoulder, exactly halfway between the neck and the shoulder bone.
		Use your fingers to massage this point as deeply as is comfortable, starting with your left shoulder. Be sure to massage both sides.

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Acupressure treatment for breast cancer 7th stage, cancer in the breast are very dangerous.

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Acupressure Bands

Non Invasive Acupressure Bands Reduce Sickness In Chemo Patients

More evidence that acupressure wrist bands ‘Sea-Band’ may relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea for cancer patients

In a recent study[1] conducted by researchers from the Radiotherapy and Oncology department of the San Gerardo Hospital – Monza (Italy), 70% of patients undergoing chemotherapy found their related sickness improved whilst wearing Sea-Band during and after their treatment.

Recent studies have shown that approximately 60% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will experience related nausea. However, despite the availability of anti-emetic (anti-sickness) drugs, post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting affects patients’ quality of life. Nausea and vomiting can extend beyond the time of treatment and in fact can be more distressing to patients in the days following their course of chemotherapy.[2,3,4}

The preliminary study, presented to the 8th national congress of medical oncology in Milan, comes at a time when conventional pharmacological treatments for post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting are still proving ineffective for a considerable number of cancer patients, leading many to terminate their treatment altogether, so severe are its side effects and the impact on quality of life.

Professor Lissoni, who worked on the study, commented on its findings: “This preliminary study is encouraging for the many patients whose chemotherapy is causing symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy is a highly aggressive chemical treatment regimen so we would welcome the option of treating side effects with a non-drug, non-invasive therapy. In this group of highly medicated patients, less is definitely more when it comes to additional pharmacological interventions.

Naturopath and acupressure specialist, Jacqueline Young, of the Healthcheck Clinic in central London says,” Sea-Band wristbands have helped many of my patients undergoing the rigours of chemotherapy. They report feeling less nausea both before and after chemotherapy and more able to continue the treatment. Since the bands are without side-effects, affordable, re-usable and of proven effectiveness in reducing nausea, I believe they can have a useful role to play for chemotherapy patients.”

Chemotherapy is the treatment of diseases such as cancer with drug therapy. There are over 50 chemotherapy drugs, which can damage normal cells as well as cancerous ones hence side effects are common. Despite progress in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, many patients still experience symptoms.

Sea-Band has long been known to relieve feelings of nausea and have been used to treat morning sickness, motion sickness and post-operative nausea, as well as post-chemotherapy nausea. Worn around the wrist, the Sea-Band exerts a constant, gentle pressure on a point on the inner wrist called the Pericardium 6 (P6) acupressure point. Some of the leading cancer patient support groups, such as Cancer Research UK, recognise the use of Sea-Band for alleviating post-chemotherapy nausea

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Acupressure the New Cure for Acid Reflux

Acupressure is acupuncture without the use of needles. By applying pressure to the acupoints prescribed by ancient Chinese medicine, specific organs and areas of the body may be successfully treated. With this science, the energy of the meridian system called Yin, Yang and Qi is brought into alignment, allowing the body to heal itself.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture has been used to treat digestive disorders for over two thousand years. Recent studies suggest that acupuncture, acupressure and electrical acupoint stimulation applied to Pericardium 6 (P6) reduce relaxations of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Relaxation of the LES is the major cause of acid reflux. One study with electrical acupoint stimulation showed a 40% reduction of these LES relaxations in most of the cases studied. This is an astounding claim and could be the beginning of one of the most important discoveries ever made for the treatment of acid reflux.

What is P6? P6, also called Neiguan, is an acupoint located on the underside of the wrist between 2 tendons. If you hold out your hand and bend it toward you, P6 is located in the middle of the wrist approximately two finger-widths from the crease where the hand and arm meet.

What is the LES? The lower esophageal sphincter is a muscular valve located between the esophagus and the stomach, which opens to allow food and liquids into the stomach. It is supposed to close tight to prevent gastric fluids from coming back up into the esophagus. When it becomes relaxed, you have acid reflux. Many things can cause the LES to relax; acidic foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, tobacco, chocolate and stress, to name a few.

Acupressure to the P6 has been employed for years to relieve nausea and vomiting. Recently it has been used to treat traveler’s motion and sea sickness, morning sickness in pregnant women and post operative nausea. Acupressure wrist bands, also called "sea bands", are now being used for this purpose. The wrist band fits snugly on the wrist and has a small plastic button which applies pressure to the P6. It is now believed that these same wrist bands may reduce acid reflux.

You can also treat yourself without the use of wrist bands by using the fingers. Keep in mind that when applying pressure to the P6, the feeling should be a slight numbness, never a sharp pain. All acupoints are normally beside and in between bones, ligaments and tendons. They are never found on bones, blood vessels or arteries, but in depressions between or beside them.

Interestingly, the P6 is also used to treat insomnia, chest pain, epilepsy, fever and migraines as well as nausea, vomiting and acid reflux. Stimulating this acupoint may be beneficial to the entire body.

Ancient Chinese medicine supports the theory that acupoints connect the internal pathways of energy conduction and that stimulating these points accelerates the flow of this energy. On the other hand, allopathic medicine is just beginning to understand these principals. They attribute the success of acupuncture to nerve signals and chemicals released by the central nervous system, but have no idea how it works. Given enough time, hopefully modern medical science will catch up with these ancient healing methods.

Whatever you believe, acupuncture really does work. It is relaxing and absolutely pain free. The needles used are so thin that you don’t even feel them. Acupressure is a simple variation of this theme by which we can treat ourselves without the use of needles or expensive acupuncture sessions. Just find an acupressure chart and start working on yourself. It’s also fun to treat others. Even pets benefit from this science. I work on my thirteen year old Jack Russell Terrier, Jack Pot, every morning to relieve him of his allergy symptoms. He is very appreciative, indeed.

I encouraged a friend who recently developed acute gerd to try a pair of the P6 wrist bands, which I bought on line. We found that they actually do work in reducing acid reflux, but only if you have them placed on the wrist so that pressure from the wrist band button is precisely on P6. It took a bit of experimentation, but we were successful after an hour or so. One company on the internet claims that you only need to wear one wrist band. Others suggest that it only works with two. Maybe they are both right – who knows. I do know that this is worth trying if you suffer from acid reflux even if you only have a 40% chance of success. What have you got to loose?

If you want to try the wrist bands, they are available on line and at many health food stores at reasonable prices. You might also consider a massage from someone who specializes in acupressure and have them work on the P6. I find that a visit to my reflexologist is always beneficial. But whatever you do, it is always good to keep an open mind about healing in general and to exercise your right to treat yourself. We all have the ability to heal ourselves. As far as acid reflux is concerned, there are many natural ways to at least keep it under control, if not actually cure it.

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