“I consulted several doctors for my health condition and I was about to get operated as well, but I didn’t feel comfortable about the operation. So I switched my decision and sought the help in traditional healing,” Bhattarai recalls.[break]
According to him, he had severe backache and problems in his spinal cord, which limited his body movement, and his left hand had paralyzed.
Five months down the line of receiving regular acupressure treatment, Bhattarai is pain-free and can freely move his neck, shoulder and hands now.
Acupressure and its methods
It is an ancient healing art that uses the fingers to press the key pressure points on the skin surface to stimulate the body’s natural self-curative abilities. The pressures given by fingers unblock the energy and encourage blood and lymph flow, informs Kiran Purush Dhakal of Traditional Acupressure Healing Center in Kupondole, Patan.
A diploma holder in Thai massage from Thailand, Dhakal says acupressure is one of the disciplines of massage.
“While massage implies simple pressures to rejuvenate the body, acupressure is a deep pressure given to a particular area to settle down disorder in the nerves and regulate blood flow in the body,” informs Dhakal.
Acupressure looks similar to other healing methods like reflexology and acupuncture to the clients but “the method is different.” Unlike acupuncture, acupressure does not require needles. However, they use same pressure points.
“In reflexology, pressure is applied on the soles of the feet whereas in the acupressure method that I apply, pressure is applied on the areas below the knees and above the feet,” informs Dhakal, an acupressurist for the past 11 years.
“Specific points on the feet correspond to various organs, glands, and body parts,” informs Dhakal. According to the principles of acupressure, the roots of diseases lie in the areas below knees and above the feet.
Due to lack of balanced diet, exercise and water, toxins gather in the nerves, affecting the natural flow of blood. So triggering the pressure points remove blockages. The process also cleans up the body and corrects the imbalances in the nervous system, says Dhakal.
Dhakal, who is in the mode of improvising acupressure, defines his healing method a cocktail. “It’s a blend of simple massage and acupressure.”
The most well known acupressure technique uses firm pressure on each point for three to five seconds while the blend of acupressure and massage is comparatively gentler.
“If people who are seeking help of acupressure are too weak, they may faint due to the firm pressures. But I trigger the pressure points for a few seconds and also massage the feet and calves,” says Dhakal, demonstrating the process on Bhattarai’s feet.
Talking about Bhattarai’s condition, Dhakal informs, “He had frozen shoulders and spinal cord disorder. So, on the basis of his condition, certain pressure points were selected and worked upon.”
Usually, after the first few sessions of the healing therapy, Dhakal teaches his clients the method.
“It’s a simple exercise, which people can learn easily. But one has to give continuity to it,” advises the acupressurist.
Apart from a mixture of acupressure and massage, Dhakal also suggests that his clients perform different mudras— symbolic or ritual hand gestures—to remain healthy and able to fight diseases.
A list of food items that a person should avoid during acupressure healing process hangs in his healing room. The list reads: avoid meat, fish, alcohol, curd, fermented spinach (gundruk), cold drinks, and spicy foods
Dhakal, who is of the opinion that no treatment is 100% successful, says that acupressure soothes pain but one cannot guarantee a complete cure. The healing helps people with body pains but it also works in problems like asthma, thyroid, bronchitis, menstruation pains, he says.
(Visit www.traditionalhealing.com.np for more details.)
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