It’s Entirely Natural - Articles

Shiatsu is a type of pain relief that evolved from Oriental Therapy and has been around for an estimated 5000 years. Shiatsu is a healing art that makes use of assisted stretching techniques as well as pressure, and it is comparable to other types of holistic therapies such as acupressure, osteopathy, massage, physiotherapy, lymphatic drainage, etc. Shiatsu is a kind of healing treatment that is effective at stimulating lymphatic fluid flow as well as the circulation of blood. The practice of shiatsu is also effective at releasing toxins and tensions from the muscles and stimulating the useful system of hormones into energetic action as well as the Immune system. Shiatsu goes to work on the autonomic nervous system and makes it possible for a person to relax as deeply as possible In order to facilitate the necessary process of healing.

Shiatsu has been used to treat a number of health problems including anxiety, back pain, headaches, Insomnia, constipation, skin problems and many others. The number one thing shiatsu is good for is decreasing and relieving stress levels as well as relaxing the demanding work of the nervous system and encouraging the immune system and the circulatory systems to operate to their optimum best. Any stress related disorder can be greatly helped by the regular practice of shiatsu, such as problems with the digestive system, back pain, headaches and Insomnia.

Shiatsu is beneficial in stimulating the hormone system and also plays a crucial role in stimulating the digestive system and the reproductive system. Shiatsu can help free a person from some, and sometimes all, of the symptoms that accompany many health problems, and it is effective at correcting behavioral imbalances in the body as well as postural imbalances that have been around for a long period of time and can be deemed as chronic. Shiatsu can make it possible for the awareness of the mind and body connection to be improved upon and for an improved sense of well-being and a peace of mind that is as strong and healthy as it possibly can be.

Sometimes all it hopefully takes is one session of practicing shiatsu to get rid of a health problem but some people prefer to have a number of shiatsu sessions. Shiatsu makes it possible to boost the energy flow along all channels of the body. After practicing shiatsu it is highly recommended by alternative healthcare practitioners that you make some healthy alterations to your daily diet and incorporate as much exercise into your life as possible.

Be aware that shiatsu brings on a tremendous relaxation response in the body and through that it elicits a healing reaction to kick into gear. It is common to experience symptoms after practicing shiatsu - such as the feeling that you are coming down with the flu or a head cold accompanied by aches and pains as well as headaches. This may not be comfortable, but it is very normal and is the body’s ways of ridding itself of toxins so do not be alarmed if you develop these types of symptoms. The symptoms should recede in a day or two and the more shiatsu treatments you have the fewer symptoms you will experience.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, anxiety, autonomic nervous system, constipation, headache, immune system, insomnia, Massage Therapy, stress, toxins

There are many types of massage therapy. Almost everyone can benefit from massage therapy whether they are young or old, sick or healthy, male or female. Massage’s benefits can range from simple relaxation to healing. Which massage therapies are available, and how can they benefit you?

Massage therapy techniques can help a person to heal better by aiding the person’s ability to heal. It can help with headaches and help to relieve tension and stress. It is truly remarkable the healing power of touch and massage. There are many massage techniques and complementary therapies and we will explore some of them briefly here.

What are some of the main categories of massage professions?

• Medical massage
• Energy massage

What are some of the therapies that complement massage?

• Osteopathy
• Aromatherapy
• Reflexology

While these are a few of the complementary therapies to go with massage the two main professions can further be divided by specializations and uses. Some of the medical profession uses massage to assist with:

• Sports healing
• Certain stretching massages with exercise
• Orthopedic
• Massage that is for the neuromuscular area

There are massage techniques focused on energy in the body. These include:

• Touch therapy
• Reiki
• Polarity which can be a combination of touch and polarity

There are many types of massages that can be used by a professional therapist for general problems, as well as therapists who practice only a specific therapy. What are some of the massage therapies and what do they seek to accomplish in general? Let’s take a look.

Some oriental massage therapies are:

• Acupressure: is based on acupuncture only it doesn’t utilize any needles at all and utilizes some deep tissue massage with pressure being applied along certain points or areas of the body. However it does not normally use any lotions or oils.
• Shiatsu: the goal is to combine some acupressure and some massage and is focused somewhat on relieving discomfort and balancing one’s energy.

In addition to the above, there are a number of other well-known techniques:

• One of the most basic massages is Swedish massage. It utilizes long and basically gentle strokes that can be used on all the various groups of muscles. It is mainly used to help ease and relieve tension and is known for improving circulation.
  Along the same lines as Swedish massage is relaxation massage as it utilizes a flowing and smooth technique.
• There is workplace massage.
• A very specific massage of therapeutic value to the cranium called Cranial Sacral massage therapy. This is applied to the neck and the head.
• A very medical application called remedial massage. It emphasizes a paramedical treatment that helps to achieve the restoration of and function of the soft tissue such as ligaments, tendons, muscles that have been injured. This utilizes many types of massage and includes self treatment at home.
• To achieve a balance in the body there is a therapy that uses the reflex points in the feet. These points have matching or corresponding areas in the body. The therapist or if doing this yourself will apply pressure to these points with the thumb and fingers.
• Certain massage therapies can be benefited or enhanced with the healing powers of essential oils and this would be called aromatherapy massage.

The massage therapy that involves deep tissue massage has several different massage techniques that apply some of the methods used in deep tissue massage. Deep tissue massage involves many different types of strokes and involved some of these techniques such as;

• Sports massage
• Massage of the Connective Tissue
• trigger point therapy
• Neuromuscular massage Techniques
• Finally, there is Hot Stone Massage which helps to increase blood flow to the muscles and is sometime used in conjunction with a Pilates workout.

There are many uses for massage therapy. Find a technique that helps you achieve overall well-being and helps you achieve the health goal you seek. Even a massage from a good pal will be beneficial.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, deep tissue massage, energy massage, Massage Therapy, orthopedic massage, Reflexology, Reiki, stress

Shiatsu is a holistic and alternative pain relief therapy. Shiatsu can benefit a person suffering from a variety of diseases and disorders.

Many turn to the practice of shiatsu for everything from anxiety to endometriosis. While shiatsu is an excellent practice, there are other therapies that are closely linked to shiatsu that might prove just as beneficial. Let us take a look at five other alternative therapies that work very well.

Acupressure. Acupressure has been used successfully in China and Japan for over 3,000 years. This is a form of therapy that makes use of the combination of acupuncture and massage, and may have been a precursor to shiatsu in Japan. When acupressure is done the practitioner massages the points on the body deemed as acupoints as firmly as possible with his fingertip or thumb. The pressure exerted from acupressure can be done in more than one way. Some acupressure practitioners use their fingers while others use their thumb, the palms of their hands and even their knees in some cases. How soon a person will experience relief from pain depends on the cause of the pain. Chronic persistent types of health problems will take longer to show Improvement while other problems can show Improvement fairly quickly.

Do-In is a type of alternative therapy is an excellent precursor to an acupressure treatment. Do-In is a system that utilizes stretches, exercises, beginner acupressure techniques and special breathing techniques. This is an excellent way to start with alternative health therapy if you are new these natural ways of healing.

Acu-yoga combines yoga with acupressure for pain relief. In this case yoga postures are used In order to stimulate acupressure points on the body. In this practice the entire body is used for this relaxation and not just the hands. Acu-yoga is meant to be done at home. The yoga stretches are particularly good if you want to get to hard-to-reach spots on your body and your back.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a Japanese method of acupressure that you can do yourself. Jin Shin is not about massage. Rather, it uses cradling or touching the body for pain relief. The aim of this practice is to calm and harmonize the body as well as the spirit and mind. This is done by way of touching what are known as 26 “safety energy locks” that are located in the human body along various energy pathways. A Jin Shin Jyutsu can even involve cradling or a combination of touches or it can be as basic as holding one or two fingers over certain parts of the body.

Zen shiatsu is a strenuous involved practice that incorporates yoga-like stretches and mediation on a daily basis. Zen is a type of Buddhism that got its start In Japan. The yoga-like stretches are designed to open up the meridians of the body. Practitioners of this alternative therapy also may use of heavy pressure on their body and they put their entire body weight into relaxing the muscles. This kind of vigorous shiatsu cannot be done at home—it takes a practitioner several years to become proficient.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, anxiety, Massage Therapy, yoga

Massage is a fantastic rejuvenator for every part of the body that massage therapy is administered. This amazing type of therapy is natural and holistic in nature, positively affecting the system’s physiological and psychological states of being. After a great massage session, the body feels good for days after. But what is more important about the ideal massage is how the mind responds to it.

There are various types of massage, such as the conventional facial, they incorporate in beauty parlors and spas. Sugar massage, acupressure, Shaitsu massage, Swedish massage, Thai massage, Deep Tissue massage and so on. Each type of massage bestows wellness on a person’s entire system. Massage therapy is unlike most other forms of therapy – it is actually more intuitive in nature. A good masseuse works his fingers on the body of his client and immediately comes to know how to make him relax and forget his cares and worries.

A massage, when properly administered, can help the body immensely. Here are some of the benefits of massage therapy:

• Massage improves general blood circulation in the body. Loosening the muscles and letting the body relax, it lets the blood flow freely and unhampered within the body.
• The skin becomes clearer as the blood circulation improves in the body.
• A good massage can regulate vital functions of the body such as lowering the heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety and give a feeling of well-being to the client.
• Certain forms of massage are known to bestow healing properties on one who is ailing. If there is an internal injury in the body, such as pain or inflammation, a massage can help remarkably reduce, even destroy the pain. Since a massage goes to the core of the problem, the patient immediately starts feeling better.
• Some Ayurvedic massages are known to bring back the life and strength to weakened muscles. Of course, this type of massage takes a lot of sittings to show effect, but there are many people who have recovered completely from their condition after such massages.

 Below is also a list of how massages can help a patient on the mental level:

• A good massage is known to ‘lift spirits’. This actually means, it enhances the amount of endorphins released in the system, thereby giving the person a ‘happy’, ‘feel-good’ attitude!
• A nice massage puts the patient totally at ease, inducing a sleep-like, calm state in him. This drains away the stress, worries and depression from his being.
• Touch is one of the most important senses of the body. The masseuse’s act of touching and kneading the body in gentle rhythmical strokes can soothe the patient’s frayed nerves, allowing him to relax completely and forget the tensions of the day. Hence, the massage can nourish and nurture the patient into a feeling of happiness and contentment.
• Many patients have reported of feeling mentally very alert for days after a good massage therapy session. Once the person’s mind calms down, he lets go of all his subconscious psychological fears and worries. This ‘de-clutters’ the mind of various types of confusion, which makes him think more clearly and alertly for a long time after the therapy session.
  The meditative state that some types of massage induce in the receiver helps develop a peaceful and serene attitude in him.
• Some studies suggest, though do not prove conclusively, that massages even help develop immunity in the person’s system. This happens as massages help bring down the cortisol level in the body, that usually diminish the body’s strength to fight against disease and illness. When cortisol levels are brought down, these studies indicate, the body can ward off its enemies more effectively.

Though a good massage can give various benefits, you should make sure to go to the right masseuse in order to gain the full benefit from it.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, blood circulation, deep tissue massage, Depression, Massage Therapy, stress, swedish massage

Massage therapy has been practiced for thousands of years. There are tomb paintings from the Egyptians that show people being massaged. Massage counts among one of the oldest and simplest forms of medical care. A book written 2700 years before the birth of Christ recommended breathing exercises and massage of the flesh and skin. Massage was use by both the Greek and Romans as a way to relieve pain. It was said that Julius Caesar had daily massages to relieve symptoms of neuralgia. Hippocrates wrote, “Rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”

Shiatsu massage, also known as acupressure is sometimes confused with acupuncture. Both are based on the Chinese meridian system, but there are no needles involved in shiatsu massage. The therapist applies pressure with thumbs, fingers, and palms to specific parts of the body. The spots are determined during a physical assessment by the massage therapist. Then, various parts of the body are tapped, squeezed, rubbed, and have pressure applied to unblock energy are increase the flow of energy.

Shiatsu massage will benefit you in the following ways:

• Releases toxins from the body
• Deep tissue and muscle relaxation
• Increased flexibility
• Reduces blood pressure
• Reduces stress
• Prevents disease
• Reduces mental anxieties
• Increases physical and mental awareness

The massage therapist knows which part of the body to massage and manipulate with the fingers to allow stress reduction, ease mental anxieties, and all the benefits listed above.

Massage has been incorporated with other forms of holistic and complementary therapies. Massage therapists are using touch and therapeutic massage with aromatherapy and reflexology.

Hot stone massage is another form of therapeutic therapy and is useful for promoting deep muscle and tissue relaxation, ease stress, calm the mind, improve circulation, and relieve pain. There are certain physical conditions treated by hot stone massage. They are back pain, muscle aches and pains, insomnia, depression, arthritis, and fibromylagia. Hot stone massage may also help with circulatory problems. Hot stones are place on specific sites on the client’s body to help open the “energy pathways.” Hot stones may also be used to release tension in the muscles before a deep tissue massage is administered.

Massage therapy has been given a bad name because of the reputation that “massage parlors” have received. That image is being replaced as more people understand the difference between a massage parlor and a true massage–the benefits and the value of therapeutic massage. Massage is now being used in hospital intensive care units, for newborn babies and children, as well as patients with AIDS and cancer. Most American hospitals and hospices offer some form of massage therapy to benefit their patients. Massage is often offered in pain clinics, drug treatment centers, and other health centers.

Another form of therapeutic touch is the healing touch. A touch can mean love and caring and is a basic instinct we are born with. You can practice healing touch by holding hands, hands on healing, nurturing with your hands, and by healing touch. Remember that reaching out to touch someone is an action that shows others that you love and care for them.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, Depression, Massage Therapy, Reflexology, stress, stress reduction, therapeutic massage, toxins

You may be surprised to know the extent the massage of the ear can bring in healing of the entire body. It releases and triggers healing mechanisms that flow through the body using neurotransmitters. If someone else massages your ear, you may notice a feeling of sensual excitement. That is because there are many nerves in the ear. When circulation in the earlobe is increased, it can influence the way the whole body feels.

The Chinese method of acupuncture has been proven effective in treating alcohol and drug addictions. It’s ironic the most effective method of treating drug addiction is to use more drugs. Drug rehabilitation happens in expensive clinics but acupuncture and ear massage can be done on an outpatient basis. This can revolutionize the treatment of drug addictions. All acupuncture points for this procedure are found in the ears. This shows how important the ears can be in triggering healing throughout the body.

There have been other cases where the use of ear massage has relieved pain. A patient who did not want to use drugs for severe pain in his prostate area had tried yoga, relaxation, and hot drinks. Nothing seemed to work for his pain. The only action that gave him relief from the pain was to massage his whole ear. After five minutes of brisk massage and two minutes of massage to his prostate area the pain completely disappeared.

Massaging the ear evokes much the same feeling as when you massage the feet and hands. To begin massaging your ear, gently use moderate pressure over the entire ear on both sides. If there are any areas where you notice some discomfort, go back to that area and massage briskly. You may not experience the immediate relief from pain as the man with the prostate pain, but you will notice a change if you regularly massage the ear. Many people have reported overcoming serious pain by using self-applied ear massage.

It is not important that you know what areas of the feet will help which portion of the body. You simply need to find the sore spots and work on those areas. If you focus on massaging the toes and ball of the feet you will help to reduce pain in the upper body. The central area applies to the middle body, and the balance of the foot reflexes to the lower portion of your body. To find out what areas need help, give your foot an overall foot massage. Note any areas that are especially tender and come back to those areas when you are finished with the foot. Go back and work on any areas of the foot that seemed to be especially tender because that is the area that needs the work. Use your thumbs, but if it begins to hurt, ease up and use bunched fingers, knuckles or the heel of your hand. It may take a little time to get your thumbs used to working so hard. Use substantial pressure, if it hurts, back off. Gradually increase the pressure as you become used to the massage.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Tags: acupressure, ears, Massage Therapy, self massage, yoga relaxation

Although alternative medicine is not often regulated by the government, it offers new avenues that may not be explored by conventional medicine. Some people have obtained relief from difficult ailments by utilizing a wide variety of holistic medicines. The flu is one of those ailments whose symptoms prove difficult to treat with conventional remedies.

While there are many medications that work wonders against the flu and its symptoms, there is no quick cure. By keeping informed about alternative treatments, and perhaps trying a few, you may find something that works well. If enough people find alternative treatments that relieve them of their ailments, eventually contemporary medicine will embrace these treatments; thus making them more available to others.

Acupuncture is the perfect example of a treatment that has gone from being considered quackery to a position where its practitioners are licensed, and insurance carriers will pay for treatments. The related form, acupressure (which does not use needles), is fast gaining ground as a viable means of treating a wide variety of symptoms. While the flu cannot be cured by acupressure, its symptoms can be alleviated. Below are examples of some acupressure points that can help relieve flu symptoms. Use your fingertips to apply pressure to the following areas for three minutes.

1. The point where the bridge of your nose meets the ridge of your eyebrows. This point relieves itchy eyes and nasal congestion.
2. The bottom of either the right or left cheekbone, directly under the pupil. It serves the same function as the first point.
3. The hollows at the base of the skull, two inches apart from either side of the spine. This relieves eye strain and headaches.
4. Massaging the feet increases blood circulation, thus providing for faster healing.

Aromatherapy is also gaining attention as a viable form of therapy. Many oils are known to have the capacity to boost the body’s immune system, and thus can be used as preventative measures. At the beginning of the flu season, you might want to try a drop of tea tree oil mixed with lemon and water and gargle each day. This gargle may help you fend off the flu virus altogether. If you begin to notice symptoms of the flu, you might want to try a few oils known to boost your immune system.

Essential oils like basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, and pine help to relive nasal congestion. These should be taken through steam inhalation. Basil and pine can also be used to relieve chest congestion, along with tea tree oil. These oils clear up mucus, easing breathing patterns. These oils can be rubbed over the chest or inhaled.

Muscle aches can be alleviated by tea tree oil, myrrh, and elemi. Pine can also help. These oils should be used in a bath. If you have a fever, try a lukewarm bath. If you have the chills, have a hot bath.

Hydrotherapy or promoting sweats went out of usage in conventional medicine many decades ago. At the time it was dismissed right along with leeches, and many other treatments. Whether or not hydrotherapy was truly useless, or even harmful, depends a great deal on whether or not the physicians of yore diagnosed correctly and employed this therapy correctly. Unfortunately we will never know the answer to that, as these doctors did not have the diagnostic tools that are available today. Indigenous people the world over have successfully used sweats for thousands of years. Perhaps hydrotherapy will make a comeback in conventional medicine, much as leeches are being reconsidered for their usefulness on some occasions.

When you have the flu, it is important to keep the feet warm at all times. It is no secret that a lower body temperature makes the body less resistant to viruses and bacteria. Thus, every effort must be made to keep warm. Many people have found their flu symptoms being alleviated by promoting sweat. Hot baths, hot foot-baths, and other heat therapies can do wonders. Among other thing, increased temperature at appropriate intervals increases circulation. Increased circulation translates to more white blood cells moving through infected areas, thus allowing them to get at and destroy the flu virus particles faster.

By trying these alternative cures, you just might discover ways to fight the flu faster and more easily. While these remedies may not be endorsed by practitioners of conventional medicine, discussing these alternatives with your physician can help him/her see that there are other options available. If they see it works, they too, will use it.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site.

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Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, alternative medicine, Flu, holistic medicines

Combining herbal therapy with acupuncture produce many benefits. The main benefits include the ability to reduce stress, relieve allergy symptoms and headaches associated with allergies, certain women’s health issues, helping to balance the immune system, and also to relieve the pain of neck, back, bursitis, arthritis and tendonitis.

Traditional Chinese healthcare is often a combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Qigong (breathing patterns/physical postures and motions of the body).

Acupuncture therapy can be both traditional and electrical, as well as ear (auricular) acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and also acupressure. Moxibustion is a technique used in traditional Chinese medicine that uses burning mugwort, which is a small spongy herb, to speed healing. Moxibustion strengthens the blood, is used to stimulate the flow of qi, and also to maintain good health.

Cupping is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal disorders and certain types of pain. It may also be used to treat depression and to reduce swelling. The more common areas of the body to be used in cupping are the back, stomach and sometimes the arms and legs. There is “dry” cupping, “wet” cupping and “air” cupping.

Acupressure is the ancient art of healing using fingers to press certain key points on the skin’s surface in order to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Acupressure is used to relieve muscle tension, to increase blood circulation and to aid in the healing process.

Acupuncture makes use of the five element theory in that it adjusts and realigns the flow of qi within the individual’s body. When the body is re-adjusted it is better able to heal. Acupuncture can ease pain and other symptoms and can strengthen the immune system.

Chinese herbal medicine is a system of treating a patient through an interconnection of mental, emotional and physical components of the individual being treated. The purpose of the herbal therapy is to restore balance within the patient’s body between the individual, his larger social and natural order.

The Chinese people view the human body as an extension of the cosmos. It is believed that there is a strong connection between herbal medicine and dietary habits. Eating is not just for filling the belly with food, but to achieve therapeutic benefit, prevent disease and to adjust to changes within the body.

To understand the connection between acupuncture and herbal therapy you must understand qi and yin and yang. The Chinese believe that there is a balance to be preserved in the flow of life and when the flow or balance is well the body is also well. Acupuncture and herbal therapy is used to restore balance.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine, TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine