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First Aid Buttons
by Barry Sultanoff, M.D.
and Luise Light, Ed.D.
 I've
heard it said that one reason our parents seem to be able to "push our
buttons" is that they were the ones who installed them in the first place!
However true this may be, even before our parents had a chance to shape our
destinies, we came into this world with other special "buttons"
pre-installed. These "buttons" are specific spots on the surface of
the body that can be used to regulate the flow of energy in the body and improve
your state of health.
G-Jo acupressure is one of
several forms of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which also includes
acupuncture, Chinese herbs and nutrition, and massage. It is designed for
re-balancing the body?s structure (sinews, muscles, and bones) and energy
("chi") to optimize health and healing. Until recently, Western
doctors learned little, if anything, about disease prevention, Eastern or
Western. Western medicine focuses on controlling symptoms and treating diseases
once they manifest. The concept of preventing disease by rebalancing the body?s
energy flow is as alien to traditional Western medicine as alien abductions are
to NASA. But in the past 10 years, American medicine has begun to embrace
alternatives such as chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, herbs, and other
natural forms of healing.
Acupressure is a classic Chinese
therapy for "fine-tuning" the body. Though not as well known in the
West as acupuncture, it is based on the same concepts of energy flow through
channels and regulation of the flow at meridian points. For an excellent guide,
read Integrative
Acupressure by Sam McClellan with Tom Monte (Penguin/Putnam, 1998).
Your reset buttons (or
acupressure points) can become your personal, mobile, first aid assistant,
always available when you need help. All you need to do is learn how to find the
buttons and activate them. Best of all, this form of health care is 100 percent
safe, non-toxic, and easy to use. Although it?s not what we?ve come to
expect -- a magic pill in a bottle from the neighborhood drug store, it does the
job as well or better. You don?t have to take our word for it -- thousands of
years of Chinese medical experience back us up.
Most of us have no idea that
these reset buttons exist. We were not taught about them in our health classes
in school and our parents didn't tell us about them, either, because they knew
nothing at all of their existence, unless they had roots in the Far East. Yet,
once we recognize these buttons, we can use them to rapidly relieve everyday
symptoms such as headache, upset stomach, lower back pain, eye strain, and much
more. The method has some definite advantages compared to
"over-the-counter" medications. First of all, you always have them
with you! There is nothing to remember to bring along when you are traveling or
to purchase to restock your medicine cabinet. Once you learn where the reset
points are located and how to stimulate them, you will have all that you need to
reverse your troublesome symptoms.
This is one type of health care
that is truly universal medical coverage, available to everyone, no matter what
their ability to pay. You can reset the points on yourself or on someone in your
family, in your community, at school, or at work. Even young children can learn
the method and utilize it safely. There are no unwanted side effects -- no
downside of any kind -- when the method is used responsibly, following a few
simple precautions.
Resetting Your
"Buttons"
Here are a few reset buttons you
can learn to use right now. They are described in a system called G-Jo
acupressure, which literally means "first aid". The G-Jo system
includes many points --- more than a hundred in total, but by learning just a
few of the most useful and easy-to-locate points, you can relieve a wide variety
of symptoms. Naturally, this is not meant to replace conventional medical
treatment when needed. First aid is exactly that. Something you can do to manage
distressing symptoms until you can get to professional help, when needed.
But first, here are some
precautions to consider when using G-Jo points: avoid stimulating the points
immediately after eating a heavy meal, doing strenuous exercise, taking
prescribed medications, or bathing in hot water. It is also a good idea to avoid
using the points within several hours of consuming alcoholic beverages, and wise
to avoid them altogether during pregnancy.
Headache Spot
The first reset button is for
relieving headaches. It is located on the back of either hand, in the mound of
flesh between the thumb and forefinger. To find it, squeeze the thumb and
forefinger of one hand together and place the tip of the other thumb at the
place where that mound is the highest. Then, relax the hand and stimulate the
point by pressing firmly with the thumb tip, with the other four fingers wrapped
around the underside of the palm. The stimulation will be most effective by
applying a firm, even pressure with the thumb tip, while moving the skin
underneath it in a back-and-forth or clockwise direction. You will know that you
have the right spot when it "announces" itself with a twinge of
sensitivity, not unlike the feeling of a toothache. You need only stimulate the
point for a few seconds. Then do exactly the same thing on the opposite hand.
The headache will often be relieved instantly! If not, wait several minutes and
apply the technique again.
Goodbye Heartburn &
Insomnia
The second "re-set
button" can be found on the forearm, the width of two thumbs above the
wrist crease and in line with the middle finger. This point is very useful in
relieving minor cough, heartburn, nausea, and motion sickness. It may be of
help, too, in relieving insomnia. As before, locate the point and stimulate it
with the thumb tip, first on one forearm, then on the other. It doesn?t matter
which point you stimulate first. Move the thumb tip, which stays in contact with
the skin, back and forth in a clockwise direction, over the point. You will
likely find a specific place of sensitivity as this point announces itself to
you. It may feel either like a sharp sensation or more like a dull ache.
Soothe the Stomach &
Digestion
The third point is located on
the leg, very close to the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia), located one
hand-width above the top of the inner ankle bone (medial malleolus). It is
easily found because it is generally quite sensitive when pressed. I have found
this reset button to be an all-purpose point for abdominal complaints --
everything from upset stomach, to indigestion, cramps, flatulence (gas),
constipation, hangover, and nausea. As with the other points, always repeat the
process on both sides of the body.
Now you can add this gentle
technique to your personal, health promotion toolkit. Once you?ve mastered
these buttons, you may want to try some others. Self-health techniques such as
this are based on the old-fashioned idea that an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure, a concept immortalized in the two thousand year old Yellow
Emperor?s Classic of Internal Medicine, the Neijing, which
observes, "To cure disease is like waiting until one is thirsty before
digging a well, or to fabricate weapons after the war has commenced."
Book
by this author:
 Putting
Out the Fire of Addiction: A Holistic Guide
to Recovery
by
Barry Sultanoff, MD
Info/Order
this book.
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