Acupressure is, it refers to I guess the gentle massaging of specific target points in the body, and you could kind of do a 90 degree angle for like three minutes a day. It's what I do in my study. So, it's a slow form of massaging and what it's supposed to do is I guess the theory behind acupressure, there's Eastern and Western theories. The Eastern theory is that it regulates the flow of chi-it's an internal energy, that kind of flows through the body and it's suppose to relieve pain and restore balance to the body.
Whereas, I guess in the more western theory is that, they have the gate-control theory and if we have a pain sensation then rubbing it or itching it you're sending another sensation down similar nerves and then the second sensation might override the first sensation. So, I mean, there's different theories on and how it actually works, it's mainly for pain relief.
I believe the second part of that question was, ‘How was it different from acupuncture?' It's not too different. Acupuncture uses needles. It's basically the same target locations. Acupuncture is probably not minimal risk, whereas in acupressure you're just massaging the body, so it's a little gentler. Acupuncture's side effects are said to be more exaggerated, so I guess if you want to have more full experience you go to acupuncture specialist and get the needles.
I think it's a hard word to define. It's generally just a sense of balance. I feel it's an internal energy source that Easterners kind of refer to. So, when they say chi, I guess they mean energy in the body. It's a more spiritual term I feel. So, I guess that would be my general, loose, definition for it.