At Home Healing

The Ease and Benefits of Acupressure

Shari Auth, DACM, LAC, LMT is a friend of PhytoQuant, and one of the top acupuncturists in New York City. Her studio, WTHN, located in Chelsea, is temporarily closed due to Covid19, but she’s still sharing… so we wanted to share her article on acupoints for at-home healing with you. We hope you enjoy it. Make a note to book a session with WTHN when you’re in NYC next. Enjoy!

PS. Shari sells PhytoQuant’s QuantaEPP at her studio, she thinks it’s the best grapefruit seed extract (GSE) available. GSE helps to strengthen your immunity and is a fantastic defense against infections, colds, and flu.

The Benefits of Acupressure

For thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupressure has been used for stress relief, deeper sleep + all-around wellness. Your body has hundreds of acupoints that interact with connective tissue, sending your brain signals to stimulate a healing response. The best part? Acupressure is an easy, effective treatment - and can be done from the comfort of your own home (which is great because that’s what we’re all working with).

How to Effectively Apply Acupressure

When applying pressure to acupoints, we recommend a firm but comfortable pressure. With the pads of your index and middle fingers together, push down on the point and move your fingers in a circular direction. Stay on each point for 10 slow, deep breaths.

Our 5 favorite acupoints for at-home healing

1. Feel grounded + calm the mind:
Point: Kidney 1
Location: Midline of the sole of the foot, 1/3 of the way down from your toes and 2/3 up from your heel - right where the arch of the foot begins.
Try it! Apply firm yet comfortable pressure, rub in a circular motion for 10 deep breaths. Repeat on each foot.

2. Soothe anxiety + sleep deeper:
Point: Pericardium 6
Location: Inside of the forearm between the two ropey tendons, a couple inches up from the wrist.
Try it! An acupoint famous for motion sickness, it’s also great for calming anxiety + helping you sleep. Press firmly in a circular motion for 10 deep breaths on each wrist.

3. Instant headache + tension headache relief:
Point: Taiyang
Location: One on each temple
Try it! Relieve stress-related headache symptoms by rubbing on both temples at the same time in a circular direction, slowly breathing in + out for ten deep breaths. Then rest your fingers in the center of your temples, and hold the point for two more deep breaths. Slowly release.

4. Balance hormones, reduce stress + insomnia:
Point: Spleen 6
Location: About a palm’s distance (or ~3 inches) above the inner ankle.
Try it! From a seated position, place your ankle on top of the opposite knee. Or lie down and bend one knee - then rest your other ankle on that knee. Press firmly and rub the area between the shin bone and back of the calf, taking 10 long, slow, deep breaths. Switch to the other side. This should be a daily go to for almost anyone.

5. Relief for pain in the upper body, neck, shoulders, jaw + head:
Point: Large Intestine 4
Location: The web between the index finger + thumb
Try it! Gently pinch the web between the index finger + thumb of your left hand with your right thumb + right index finger. Rotate the right thumb in a circular motion, applying just enough pressure to feel resistance without pain. As the resistance releases, gradually apply more pressure. Breath slow + deep as you do this and then switch sides. Keep rubbing until you feel a release in the area. Bonus: Large Intestine 4 is also good for getting things moving, like your emotions + digestion, so activate this point for stress or constipation too.

PhytoQuant recommends QuantaRelax to gently assist with relaxation, sleep, and anxiety.

Are you a Health Professional interested in learning more about our products and how we can work together? Please contact us at holli@steinerlabs.org