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Acupressure has been used for thousands of years as a healing therapy for a variety of symptoms and diseases. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), it’s believed that healing is facilitated through balancing Qi, or the life force inside the body, notes the University of Michigan Health's Rogel Cancer Centre. According to TCM theory, Qi flows along paths throughout the body, known as meridians, on which the acupressure points lie.

Today, acupressure is used as a complementary therapy in conventional Western medicine, and although robust research is limited, some studies suggest that it may help with a number of symptoms, including pain, nausea, vomiting, and trouble sleeping, as well as possibly benefiting mental health.

Here are some ways that acupressure may potentially improve overall health and wellness, though it’s important to note, that more research on acupressure is needed to further explore and better understand its impact on the body and mind for various conditions and groups of people.

1. May Relieve Pain

One of the most researched benefits of acupressure is its therapeutic effects on pain. “This is something where we see positive studies, and yes, some people will chalk it all up to bias, but real acupressure outperforms sham acupressure [applying pressure to non-acupoint spots],” says Tom Ingegno, a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Charm City Integrative Health in Baltimore.

A retrospective, uncontrolled study published in May 2019 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine looked at a non-academic database of self-reported effects of acupressure therapy on pain in more than 500 people across several states from 2012 to 2018. Treatments lasted less than 30 minutes, and participants included hospitalized patients and nurses who received acupressure from a trained practitioner, as well as members of the public who self-applied acupressure after being minimally trained.

The participants used a scale to rate their level of pain before and immediately after acupressure treatments. When comparing their average scores before and after, the researchers found that acupressure significantly improved pain among participants, seeing the most improvement in scores for hospitalized patients.

Here is the Natural Power of [Meridian Acupressure] Therapy

Another study of 79 athletes who had sustained an acute musculoskeletal sports injury determined that just three minutes of acupressure therapy was more effective at decreasing pain compared with the two control groups: one that received pressure to non-acupoints and one that received no treatment at all (resting in a room).

2. May Boost Mental Health and Well-Being

Acupressure is also thought to boost mental health. It’s anecdotally said to have a relaxing effect, says Matthew Cavanaugh, a doctor of chiropractic based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Research suggests that the treatment may help alleviate stress and improve well-being.

One study result found that 15 minutes of acupressure a day for three days led to significant improvements in stress, fatigue, and anxiety compared with the control group. (Study of 59 shift-work nurses in South Korea)

Other research suggests that acupressure may even help with symptoms of depression. A systematic review published in January 2022 in the World Journal of Psychiatry concluded that the practice reduced symptoms in people with mild to moderate depression compared with the control group. However, it’s important to note that the studies in the review were limited, and more robust research is needed to validate these findings.

3. May Promote Better Sleep

Some studies have found that acupressure can help promote better sleep and may be useful in treating certain sleep disorders.

“There has been good research on acupressure and sleep issues, including insomnia and difficulty falling and staying asleep,” Ingegno says.

One meta-analysis found that although the 13 studies that met the criteria showed a lot of variability in results, in a sub-analysis, there was evidence of some improvements in sleep, such as with latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) as well as overall sleep duration.

Find out the Natural Power of [Meridian Acupressure]

4. May Reduce Nausea and Vomiting

Some studies show that acupressure may be beneficial in minimizing nausea and vomiting due to various health concerns, including those experiencing pregnancy and receiving chemotherapy.

Alongside anti-nausea medication, auricular acupressure was found to be more effective at relieving nausea and vomiting than the standard medication alone in a study of 114 people with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

In another study of 90 pregnant women, for the 30 people in the acupressure group, 10 minutes of acupressure four times a day was associated with a significant reduction in the severity of nausea, vomiting, and retching compared with 30 non-acupoint participants and 30 medication-only participants (who received vitamin B5 and metoclopramide) in two control groups.

5. May Enhance Quality of Life for Cancer Survivors

In addition to helping soothe the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy, acupressure may help improve the well-being of cancer survivors.

Cancer can take a major toll on both physical and mental health and can lead to pain, depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. In a study published in October 2018 in the journal JNCI Cancer Spectrum, researchers tested whether acupressure could help relieve these symptoms in breast cancer survivors. They found that those who were trained in self-administered acupressure experienced more significant improvements compared with those who received standard care.

This research was a follow-up to a previous study by the same scientific group, which concluded that acupressure led to a greater reduction in fatigue among breast cancer survivors compared with standard care.

Get Natural Power of [Meridian Acupressure]

Tips for Getting Started With Acupressure

If you’re interested in trying acupressure, you may want to take a few considerations into account first.

Before starting acupressure therapy, read up on the practice and what to expect. If you’re looking to go to a licensed practitioner for acupressure, try asking your family and friends if they have any referrals.

Then, you have to learn how to perform Acupressure on yourself, though you’ll need guidance from a licensed practitioner.

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