Foot Pressure Points

After a certain number of years on the planet, you will start to notice that your feet need a lot more care. More than most other parts. And notice that you might especially notice the sensitivity of your feet. There are thousands of nerve endings present in the different parts of your feet. No wonder, foot massages actually provide a sense of satisfaction like no other. The application of tension on these numerous sensitive zones does reduce excess pain and stress. Especially any pain that you experience regularly due to the different activities. In fact, there are some specific target points on the feet called foot pressure points. This is where this massaging pressure should be applied. 

What Are Foot Pressure Points?

Pressure points are particular target zones that are related to the various internal organs and glands of your figure. By pressing these foot pressure points, one can actually relieve themselves from various pains and illnesses. The scientific processes of how this happens are not very clear. One can say that these different nerves are also connected to the central nervous system. This in turn stimulates the response to the touch and pressure applied to these nerve-endings on the feet. When you apply pressure on these foot pressure points, you will notice something. They help in the improvement of the circulation of blood in the body. 

Effects on the Various Body Parts by Massaging the Foot Pressure Points

Now, let’s start talking about these various foot pressure points and how they affect the various body parts in treating and curing different pains, diseases, and ailments. Here’s a tiny list of the important foot pressure points massaged during a reflexology session to treat your prevailing ailments:

Yong Quan

The hollow portion just under the joint of your big toe, in between the first two toes, is a pressure point where you can actually feel a lot of pressure build-up. Massaging this point will help in calming down your anxiety levels and reduce insomnia and palpitations. A proper massage at this point will also help in increasing your poor memory. 

Da Dun

Do you often feel dizzy, or have an upset stomach every other day? Well, if you do, then you better start massaging this Da Dun pressure point on the inner side of your big toe beneath the toenail. It helps in the improvement of these conditions like stomach pains, dizziness, and hernias. 

Tai Xi

Here comes a major pressure point between the Achilles tendon and the other protruding bone on the side of the ankle. This important pressure point is vital in the treatment and cure of various natural diseases. It helps in the relaxation of toothaches and sore throats. Massaging this point also helps in the decrease of arthritis pain, bronchitis, and asthma flare-ups. 

Xing Jian

Keep moving your fingers between the end of the big toe and the second-longest toe, and you are bound to feel that the most pressure is actually felt near the tiny skin in between your bigger toe and the second-longest toe. Applying pressure on this point helps in improving your vision, and reducing kidney problems. Massaging this pressure point also helps in clearing your sinuses, and just relieves and relaxes the annoying and painful leg cramps. 

Zu Lin Qi

Aren’t you just annoyed or fed up with those sudden muscle cramps during freezing weather conditions, or simply while performing physical activity? This is due to insufficient blood circulation throughout the body. However, reflexology is an answer to an issue. There is a pressure point on the outside curve, on the side of the foot. This pressure point is located slightly below your little finger nearly in the middle of the foot. Massaging this pressure point helps in reducing these muscle cramps, and also works in relaxing and soothing the lower back muscles. It also helps in the treatment of psychoneurosis. 

What Is a Foot Reflexology Chart?

In the case of Reflexology therapies, the therapist lays out the feet’ map/chart. It portrays all the different foot pressure points and the precise organs. A Pressure map of sorts where specific target points are used as markers to apply pressure. For example, the ball of the foot represents the chest, while the sinuses are linked to each of the appendages at the ends of your feet. Every foot chart sort of differs from each other. But, not in the means of portraying the various organs but in the detailing aspect. 

What Is Reflexology?

Reflexology isn’t all about massaging or running your fingers through the feet, but it involves the application of the correct amount of pressure on the foot pressure nodes and then throughout the body. This helps in the relaxation and soothing the pains and aches that we often suffer from. Relief is also a periphery result, of the excess amount of stress and strain. The reflexologists are guided with certain foot charts or hand maps while massaging the client’s body so that they apply the correct amount of pressure on the specific target point to relieve the body organ from the prevailing pain or illnesses. Sometimes, the reflexologists may also use some rubber bands, or balls, or sticks.

How Reflexology Started…

To truly understand anything, you need a lot of context and this section is dedicated to context. Reflexology is centuries old and a bit difficult to track. However, the visual you can find on planet earth was first recorded on an Egyptian palimpsest in the early 2000’s, BC that is. Later, in Europe, a similar technique, called Zone Therapy, was created and manifested to become quite famous all across the European continent. There were always signs, little nudges of this technique were a part of the culture of several countries like India, China, and Native America. Later, Dr. Fitzgerald’s papers replicated these methods in the United States, and was knighted as the “Father of Modern Reflexology.” 

Reflexology is well-liked and is a form of complementary therapy utilized. With the miracles of Reflexology, any disease can be managed or even Healed. There are a lot of benefits to this method but like every other thing, Reflexology also has its own limitations. 

The Benefits of the Reflexology Technique

• By accessing the pressure points, Reflexology improving the circulation of blood. 
• It helps in taking care of the stress and even depression because when you feel good you do good.
• Reflexology can do wonders on your senses. It enhances eyesight and other portions of your body just by massaging the pressure points.
• Furthermore, it lowers that rate of hair fall and also helps women deal with menstrual-related disorders/ problems. 
• Reflexology helps in may keep addictions to drugs and tobacco in check by stimulating the pressure points. 
• This method lets you fight diseases like Diabetes, Asthma, other problems, etc. 

Effects of Reflexology on the Various Body Components and Factors

One of the major factors affected due to intense reflexology sessions is sleep. A good reflexology session promotes deep sleep in every individual. It relaxes the muscles of the body, taking care of the pain or stress. The simple squeezing, kneading, or pressing and holding the toe fingers or feet while massaging and then slightly relaxing the feet (one at a time), does give an immense heavenly feeling. By transporting you into the ultimate relaxed mode, reflexology improves your sleep time as well as sleep quality. It is a proven fact that any person will sleep peacefully only when he is relieved of all the tensions or stress his mind and body are going through. 

Reflexology also helps in clarifying your thoughts and leading to some positive decisions and positive thinking when you are given a perfect head reflexology massage. Applying pressure on the foot pressure points helps us in calming down our anxiety levels and helps in getting clarity in our heads about the various things happening around us. 

Apart from sleep and positive thinking, reflexology helps the other different body organs to relax and perform their tasks and functions efficiently.

List of the Other Organs and Their affects on Our Body

Here is a tiny list of the other organs and the variety of different functions they perform when the body is under the effects of Reflexology:

• The foot pressure point for the Thyroid is located at the base of the big toe. When treated with Reflexology techniques, it helps in balancing the metabolism of the body. 
• When the ridges of the toes are worked upon, it helps in releasing the tension or stress from the neck or shoulders of the body. 
• Breathing can be improved and also relaxed when the ball of the foot is massaged upon which in turn affects the chest or the lungs of the body. 
• The diaphragm is worked upon when the under-side of the ball of the foot is massaged which promotes peacefulness and profound relaxation in the entire mind or the body. 
• You can apply pressure on the various foot pressure points like the center of the big toe which directly points to the Pituitary or the Master Gland of the body. This helps in improve or balance the secretion of the hormones to all the other glands and parts of the body. 

Alright, these were a few after-effects of Reflexology on the entire body. This Reflexology therapy provides some instant relief from the pain and stress of the various organs and glands of the body. Reflexology is also quite helpful in the treatment of various diseases and illnesses of the body. 

What Is Acupressure and Its History?

Acupressure is an ancient and age-old technique being practiced in China for thousands of years. It is believed to be defined in the Chinese belief called “Qi.” Qi is described as the universal life force which travels through the human body and is present everywhere in the universe. 

Coming to the definition of Acupressure, it is nothing but a simple acupuncture technique without needles. It is a fine healing process. It is an art that tends to use natural human fingers to press those specific target healing points, which in turn stimulate the body’s natural self-curative abilities. Hence, you can say that Acupressure plays a big role in the body’s natural healing power and helps in relieving the body from various stresses and tensions apart from curing prevailing diseases in the body. 

Acupressure- a Healing Therapy?

Acupressure also helps in the proper circulation of blood throughout the body and reduces the aches which the body goes through every day. It is believed to be an essential curing therapy with none of the side effects you usually observe. It is the most used and applied healing therapy all over the world. Not only that, but it is used to heal various problems like sinus congestion, migraines, headache, stomach problems, Diabetes, Insomnia, or Neck, and shoulder pain, and distress. The application of pressure on some prominent pressure points helps in boosting the immunity of the body. Overall, acupressure can be described as a Self-Healing or Self-Curing Treatment with absolutely no side effects and is highly beneficial for the body to relax and relieve itself from extreme pain and stressful conditions. 

Instruments Used in Acupressure Treatment

Apart from just rolling your fingers in a to and from motion and applying pressure on the pressure points to relieve the stress, they have even got certain instruments that help in making this Acupressure treatment more effective and accurate. There are rollers, rubber balls, and yoga mats with special protuberances which when exercised upon help in applying the appropriate amount of pressure on the target pressure points help in curing the body of the prevailing ailments. 

An acuball is a rubber ball that is also heatable. It is used in relieving the joints and aches that are inherent to the flesh. You have got energy rollers and foot rollers with slight protuberances. These rollers, when held in hand or placed under the foot, can be rolled back and forth while applying a generous amount of pressure on the hand and foot pressure points. There comes another instrument, called the power mat. It comes with pyramid-shaped bumps all over it. This is a specially designed acupressure instrument so that you can feel that pressure build up in your body while walking normally on the mat. So, these were a few basic instruments that act as self-healing instruments for the Acupressure technique. 

Three Different Acupressure Points on the Feet

Acupoint – Liv3 / Tai Chong

This is one of the most significant acupressure points on feet, in fact in the complete body. This foot pressure point is present at an angle in the middle of the largest and longest toe, at a point where the tendons end. Mainly known as liver acupuncture, pressing or massaging at this point relieves us from several pains and ailments. Pressing this point also reduces headaches and migraines. It helps in alleviating limb pain, managing anxiety, stress. In the beginning, acupressure just activates the pressure point and then slowly starts the treatment of self-healing. 

Acupoint – Gb-41 / Zu Lin Qi

This particular acupressure point is related to your gallbladder (as the name suggests) and is also located along the gallbladder meridian. You can locate this point when you run your fingers from the upper area around the foot with the smallest toe and the ring toe. You will feel these bones making a ‘V’ shape at some point. When you feel this V shape, look for a slight depression around it. This is your acupressure GB 41 acupoint. Activating this particular pressure point brings relief to the migraines and terrible headaches. By applying pressure on this acupressure point, it helps us in reducing various other diseases. Illnesses like Vertigo, PCOS, and irregular menstruation problems. It also alleviates and relaxes the body from any kind of pain like foot and leg pain, breast pain, and various other back pains.   

Acupoint – K1 / Yong Quan

Start with the touch and moving your fingers all over the feet, look for the curve along the joint of the big toe, and fiddle around the spot located along the largest toe and the second toe. This is your acupressure point – K1. This acupressure point mainly works on decreasing the anxiety levels of the human being. Apart from this, applying pressure on this foot pressure point has got its several benefits. It helps in memory retention, reduced sweats at night, and hot flashes. When you accurately start massaging this particular pressure point, you notice that you have got reduced headaches. Even the numbness of the throat is manageable. Finally, you can see that the K1 pressure point helps in clearing out your brain. It calms down your mind.  

Alright, these were a few important foot pressure points which when massaged or applied pressure on will have an effect in maintaining the stress and strain of the body. Acupressure is self-curing and self-healing treatment. These acupoints help in calming down and relaxing the body completely along with retaining the prevailing ailments. 

Every coin has got two sides. In the same way, this acupressure technique is beneficial in treating illnesses. However, it has got its limitations and weaknesses. 

Let’s List Out Some Cons of Acupressure Techniques

1. If there is a condition that you are suffering from for a long time, then applying acupressure techniques over it may just worsen the case and increase the effects of the disease even more. 
2. The acupressure technique has got its very own limitations. This technique simply relaxes the muscles and joints. However, any complicated disease like something in a kidney cannot be cured using this acupressure therapy.  
3. Applying the correct amount of pressure, and in the correct area, is also very important. This is because an excessive amount of pressure also leads to fractures and body dysfunctions.  
4. Frankly speaking, it is very expensive. Unless and until you have got a friend doing your acupressure treatment, the professionals charge a hell of amount of money for every session. 
5. Since acupressure is not conventional medicine, different professionals have different ways of treating or massaging their clients. Applying pressure on the different pressure points can also be quite risky if every time you visit a new professional. You could develop other ailments and illnesses due to this improper therapy. Hence, you must opt for a very good specialist when you are about to start your acupressure therapy. 

Conclusion

Reflexology and Acupressure techniques are mainly practiced for relaxing and calming your body. Especially from the various stress and strain, the body is affected by every single day. The foot pressure points in the body are the most sensitive areas. When in pain, it screws up the functioning of the entire body. Therefore, it is necessary to keep your feet comfortable and let them experience these exercises. It will help them relieve all the pains and aches prevailing in those tender feet. However, since Acupressure is not a conventional method of treatment, and there is not much scientific evidence available, sometimes there can be a little difficulty arising while treating patients using this therapy. The motive is just to provide relaxation and soothe the body muscles. All this is to rejuvenate and recuperate from the excess pain and stress of the muscles and the joints. 

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)