Relieve stress, improve sleep with acupressure foot massage and acupuncture, used in traditional Chinese medicine – TCM

Acupressure foot massage and foot acupuncture target energy points and pathways to organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen, Chinese medicine professor says

Applying pressure to four energy points on the feet and lower legs may alleviate – among other things – headaches, menstrual cramps and digestive issues

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To relieve things such as stress, headaches, menstrual cramps or poor sleep, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners recommend foot acupuncture and foot acupressure massage (above). Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:45pm, 4 Jun 2024Updated: 10:05am, 5 Jun 2024

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the feet are considered one of the most crucial parts of the human body. This is reflected in the Chinese saying, “All diseases arise from cold, and cold enters the body through the feet”.

TCM views the body as an interconnected system in which energy, or qi, flows through a network of meridians, or pathways. The feet, with their numerous acupressure points, are seen as gateways to influencing the body’s internal organs and systems.

In stimulating these points by applying pressure through acupuncture, practitioners believe they can promote the smooth flow of qi to enhance blood circulation and support the body’s natural healing processes.

Origins

The significance of the feet to overall health is highlighted in a foundational TCM text, the Huangdi Neijing (The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), which dates back to about 100 BC.

According to this text, our feet have more than 60 acupoints, each corresponding to a specific part of the body.

The Yongquan acupoint. In TCM, the kidney meridian is believed to start at Yongquan. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Yu Jin, from the Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China’s Guangdong province, says the meridians are like an information network, with the acupoints equivalent to the nodes on the network.