Acupressure has been used to alleviate medical discomfort due to stress, tension, arthritis, general aches and pains, and menstrual cramps. It is also used in general wellness care. But now, acupressure is being used to treat snoring, which is a condition that has a number of causes and a number of effects on health. Anti snoring acupressure for the most part involves the wearing of a special ring that is said to press on an acupressure point in the small finger and thereby relieve energy that results in obstructed breathing, which shows up as chronic snoring. While anti snoring acupressure sounds far fetched, there are anecdotal accounts of genuine relief from snoring after acupressure.
The word acupressure is a hybrid of the words acupuncture and pressure. Acupressure is what is known as a complementary medical technique that was originally derived from acupuncture. Acup ressure involves physical pressure against “acupuncture points” either by hand, or with specially made devices.
The use of acupuncture far predates the use of the scientific method in medical research, and has long been the target of critics employing scientific thinking. The existence of “acupuncture points” have no scientific basis, according to western scientists. However, acupuncturists see traditional Chinese medicine through a non-scientific lens. It is seen, rather, as being fruitful in terms of evaluating and caring for patients. There has been neurological imaging experimentation that suggests that there are some acupuncture points that have effects that cannot be predicted with traditional scientific inquiry.
The places in or on the body that are treated with acupressure, known as “acupoints” may not be anywhere near the site of the symptom being targeted. Traditional Chinese medicine asserts that the selection of these points and their le vel of effectiveness has to do with stimulating the so-called meridian system to rebalance yin, yang, and chi. The meridians are channels in the body through which chi, or life energy, flows.
Besides being used for medical conditions and for relief of snoring, martial arts experts sometimes make use of acupressure for both health and self defense, regularly massaging their acupressure points in routines in order to remove any blockages from their meridians. They claim that this enhances flexibility and circulation and keeps the acupressure points less vulnerable to attack. Certain acupressure techniques have been shown to have a weak correlation with the maintenance of weight loss (which is also a way to alleviate snoring in many cases). Acupressure wrist bands come with claims that they relieve the symptoms of motion sickness, morning sickness in pregnancy, and other types of nausea. These bands put pressure on what is known as the P6 acupuncture point.
A number of different devices, in addition to the anti snore ring, are used to apply pressure to acupoints by pressing, rubbing, or rolling against the body. An acuball is made of rubber and has heated bumps on it. It is used for applying pressure on and relieving pain in muscles. An energy roller is a bumpy cylinder that is held between the hands and rolled to apply pressure to the acupoints on the palms. Foot rollers work in much the same way, and spine rollers contain not only bumps, but magnets, and is rolled along the spine.
Anti snoring acupressure involves wearing of a ring on the small finger of the left hand. It is said to work by the application of pressure to an acupressure point on the palm side of the little finger of the left hand. There are no chemicals, and no medicines. The ring is said to relieve snoring naturally.
The anti snore ring has on its inside, two small pressure balls that are to be worn surrounding the pressure point at the base of the little finger of the left hand, slightly to the outside of an imaginary mid-line drawn down the length of the finger. Anti snore rings are adjustable so that people with all diameters of finger can adjust them to apply gently firm pressure on the acupressure point.
Because it targets this acupressure point that’s connected to the heart meridian, which runs from the left hand’s small finger to the ear, nose, and throat, the anti snoring ring is said to create a calming effect. The left hand is known as the “heart arm” in traditional Chinese medicine. Those who sell anti snore rings say that when they’re applied a half hour before bed, they bring the wearer to a calmer state, which results in a more peaceful rest. Users are advised not to wear the anti snore ring for more than 12 hours per day. While some people get immediate relief, others may notice results only after two or three days.
In people for whom the ring does not work as expected on the left hand, they can try switching the ring to the same point on the little finger of the right hand. Women, in particular, are advised to try the ring on their right hand. Those who seem to become immune to the acupressure of the ring and start snoring again are advised to stop wearing it for one night. Once the snoring is back in full force, trying the ring again should result in relief from snoring once again.
There are, of course many critics of this approach to snoring. Anti snoring acupressure based on traditional Chinese medicine is believed by some scholars to be pseudo-scientific at best, and misleading at worst. Because there isn’t physically verifiable evidence for the existence of the body’s meridian system or acupressure points , scientists doubt that such approaches can work except by psychological process.
People who have tried acupressure for snoring and who have found relief simply believe that whatever made their snoring go away, they’re happy and won’t question whether the meridians of the body and acupressure points are real or whether the relief from snoring is psychological in origin.
Snoring is a complex problem, having to do with factors as diverse as anatomical peculiarities, sleep position, obesity, and history of alcohol and tobacco use before bed. Intractable cases of snoring sometimes result in the need for expensive machines called continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machines that are worn over the face similar to an oxygen mask. Some snorers resort to surgical modification of the soft palate and uvula in an attempt to remove obstructions to the airway, and some severely overweight people find relief after losing excess weight. No one approach works for every snorer.
For those just starting their quest for relief from snoring, there’s no indication that the less expensive approaches like anti snoring acupressure, specially designed pillows that are said to line up the airways properly, or anti snoring sprays are harmful. And they are generally inexpensive, particularly when compared with the cost of either surgery or a CPAP machine.
The only problem with the less expensive “treatments” for snoring is that there is rarely the opportunity to try then out before buying. But an anti snore pillow that does not provide relief can be used just as well by a non-snorer if they find it comfortable, sprays can be tossed or poured down the drain, and anti snore rings can go from being a therapeutic device to being jewelry, so there isn’t much to lose with these simpler, lower cost approaches.
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