There is nothing more inviting than a holiday table laden
with meats, salads and of course desserts. The temptation to graze until thoroughly trussed to the
gizzard is great. The excuses for
excessive consumption include but are not limited to not wanting to waste good
food; not wanting to insult the founder of the feast or the old stand-by; it’s
the holidays! The result of this
indulgence is usually at best, stupor and lassitude leading to an afternoon
nap,an upset stomach or acid reflux.
While the ancient Chinese did not celebrate our holiday
season, there were occasions for feasting when similar maladies of indulgence
afflicted those that enjoyed too much of a good time. Fortunately, the remedies for food stagnation and acid
reflux include a few easily located acupressure points and of course a few good
herbal remedies that can be used to enhance the pressure points.
Ren 12 is the digestive master point. A detailed point location is shown above. For indigestion massage this point clockwise. Another great point to use is PC 6 otherwise known as the "sea-sickness" point. This acu-point is located about 2 inches above the wrist crease on the palmar side of the wrist.
Acid reflux is effectively relieved with Ren (CV) 10 in combination with Ren 12. Ren 10 is located half way between the belly-button and Ren 12.
Of course we cannot ignore the other category of holiday overindulgence, alcohol. In Chinese medicine, alcohol is found to have a damp-hot quality. This quality affects the Gallbladder channel (GB) if this is imbalanced in the body. Not surprisingly, one of the acupressure remedies for hangover is GB8. Massage counter-clockwise and in combination with clockwise massage of Ren 12 and PC6 for maximal relief.
There are a couple of really great herbal formulas for food stagnation and hangover. These will be covered in next week's blog. Until then, have a great and not to merry holiday season. If you do, print a copy of this blog for acupressure locations!
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