"Our appointment with life takes place in the present moment. And the meeting point is exactly where we are right now." A sentence that is often attributed to Buddha and reminds us in times of illness - or the desire to protect ourselves from it - that we must first look at where we are in order to be able to take the next steps successfully.
Where there is unrest on the outside, we humans want security on the inside. Colds, viruses, inflammation and injuries - like a fortress in battle, our immune system protects the body from damage that could be dangerous to us. But this interplay of all our bodily functions to ensure our physical and mental health demands a lot from our immune system.
Nature has given us countless important tools to help ourselves. Fears become quieter through simple, deep breathing. Tension fades - through the warmth of a hug, the touch of our own hand, feeling a sunbeam through the window. Acupressure is also such a natural tool that many people find helpful.
From ancient Chinese and Indian traditions, pressure on the body through nail boards or with the hands is often described as healing for the entire system body. Even today, it is worth trying out whether you can help your own immune system with acupressure.
In this article, we show you which exercises can be performed at home with the Shakti Mat acupressure mat, as well as a short series of exercises for pressing acupressure points with your hands.
Content
1. our immune system - what is it actually?
2. strengthen the immune system with acupressure
3 Why do we often become more ill in old age?
4. strengthen the immune system: Exercises with the Shakti Mat acupressure mat
5. is an acupressure mat dangerous?
6. acupressure for colds and sniffles
7 Why physical rest is good for the immune system, especially in times of external unrest
Our immune system - what is it actually?
Immune system is a generic term that we use to summarize many different bodily functions that together ensure that infections are warded off. You can imagine it like this.
All around us there are
- Viruses,
- Bacteria and
- other pathogens
for which our body is a dream home where they would like to settle and multiply. The disadvantage? The invaders often cause us harm. Nature has set up the immune system to protect us from them. We divide the work of the immune system into two different types of immune defense.
We call the so-called non-specific immune defense the first defensive measures our body takes when an infection occurs. For example, when we cut ourselves or bang our knee when we fall down. Foreign invaders of all kinds are recognized by our body, surrounded by cells sent specifically for this purpose and broken down by enzymes.
When the body's own helpers clean up destroyed tissue, pus is produced - almost everyone has been able to observe this on themselves. All healthy people have this reaction of the non-specific immune defense from birth, it is our built-in first aid.
The second pillar on which our body's own security system is based is the specific immune defense. This is not innate, but is learned over the course of a lifetime. Just as a child painfully learns that a hot stove is dangerous by touching it, our specific immune defence system also remembers exactly what is harmful to us and learns to recognize and prevent this early on in the future.
If we cannot get a disease again because the body is so well prepared for it after a single experience with these viruses or bacteria that it is no longer a threat to us, then we call this "being immune".
It literally means to be "insensitive to something". These lessons that the body learns from its experiences are individual to each person.
In order for the two systems to be in contact with each other, your lymphatic system with the lymph nodes and organs such as the thymus gland, the bone marrow, your spleen, as well as the tonsils in the roof of your mouth make an important contribution - you can think of it as your body's coordination system for self-care.
It ensures that the two types of immune defense can take place in the right place for your health. But how do you help your immune system to function properly?
Strengthen the immune system with acupressure
Probably the most important functions that acupressure can perform for your immune system are stimulating blood circulation and relieving tension in your tissue at the same time, as both ensure a good flow of the lymphatic system and also ensure less pain.
The positive effect of an acupressure mat on blood circulation has long been appreciated: In a study of 200 participants at the Community Health Center in Carrboro at the end of the 1990s, it was determined that 98% - almost all - of the acupressure mat users experienced pain relief due to the increased blood circulation.
With a smaller but very specific control group of 36 people who had suffered from pain for an average of more than 15 years, Karlstad University in Sweden was able to show that different versions of acupressure mats all led to the same result: 15 minutes of daily rest on the mat helped the patients to reduce the number of painful areas in their bodies after just three weeks.
The absence of pain regained through acupressure has an enormously positive effect on our well-being. Pain relief automatically leads to those affected relaxing and the tissue being optimally supplied with fluid again.
This gives the immune system the opportunity to resume its work properly, as we have described to you above, and to take care of every corner of the body.
Why do we often get sicker as we get older?
The older we get, the wiser our immune system becomes. It collects essential information, catalogs viruses and bacteria - and yet it is particularly the older among us who fall seriously ill if the immune system cannot react quickly enough.
As we age, many people drop the priority of taking care of their own body's circulation and movement.
Everyday life has to be managed, daily work forces us into the same movements and positions over and over again. We become stiff, the blood circulation falters and the lymph can no longer flow properly - one of the most important communication channels of our body no longer functions smoothly.
It is a gradual process that prevents our immune system from actually doing its job so well that we can still bravely defy illness even in old age. And this is precisely where Shakti Mat comes in.
Strengthen the immune system: Exercises with the acupressure mat Shakti Mat
Just like a computer that needs regular updates to function properly, our immune system needs regular training to provide us with the best possible protection.
One type of this training, i.e. the stimulation of our immune system through increased blood circulation, is offered by the acupressure mat. We have summarized the exercises that work particularly well for you below.
Exercise 1: 15-20 minutes lying on your back on the Shakti Mat
Anyone who has an acupressure mat at home is probably already familiar with this exercise: simply lie with your back on the mat. If you are very tense, breathe through the first unpleasant pain and let your back sink deeply and relaxed onto the tips of the mat while breathing calmly.
Does it hurt too much? No problem - leave a T-shirt on or place a thin cloth between your bare skin and the mat. The effect is completely sufficient, especially for beginners. The better you can relax, the less uncomfortable you will feel when you start lying on your back.
Why at least 15 minutes? Since we want to stimulate the immune system vigorously, we need to give the body enough time to really relax on the tips.
After a few minutes, the muscles that sometimes initially tense up due to the pain also relax and the body begins to release endorphins, i.e. happiness hormones.
Exercise 2: Acupressure point sequence to keep the immune system of the ageing body going
As we have described above, it is particularly important to support our body in supplying all tissues with fluid as we grow older.
The following acupressure points support your body and help you stay fit or get fit again:
1. press the three-mile point (St36) for one minute. You will find it a hand's breadth below the knee and a finger's breadth on the outside of the shin. You can press the point on both sides at the same time or one after the other.
2. underhook SP4. Feel about one and a half finger widths below the joint of the big toe for the bone that can be felt on the outside of the foot. Grasp this bone firmly and apply upward pressure. Breathe deeply five times. Then repeat the exercise on the other side.
3. chicken wing wiggle for strong lungs. The points are located on both sides of your ribcage, about two finger widths inwards from the inner edge of the shoulder joint and about two finger widths below the collarbone.
Press the points with your fingers or thumbs - it looks a bit like you're playing chicken. Now wiggle your "wings" - i.e. your elbows - slowly for one to two minutes and breathe as deeply as you can. The best way to do this is to do it with the window open.
4. press H7 firmly. You will find the point on the inside of the wrist in the extension of the little finger in a hollow between two bones. Hold strong - but not uncomfortable - pressure for 10 slow breaths.
5. press the center between the nipples. Point C17 is located on the breastbone exactly in the middle between the nipples.
Form a fist to press on it and increase the pressure with your second hand if you wish. Again, breathe deeply for one to two minutes. As you breathe, make sure that you notice a slight to medium resistance when inhaling due to the pressure, so that your lungs have to work a little harder than usual to do their job. In the long term, this will lead to increased blood flow and strength.
6. neck massage: To finish the exercise, massage your neck vigorously with your hands, making sure to keep your head relaxed - the muscles should be relaxed and warm.
Exercise 3: Stand on the Shakti Mat for 5 minutes
Similar to the supine exercise, you can also place a towel underneath or leave your socks on. As the pressure is particularly high due to your body weight, five minutes of standing on the mat is usually enough to achieve strong blood circulation in the soles of the feet.
Especially those who often wear tight shoes and rarely walk barefoot usually have problems with good lymph flow in their feet, which often affects the whole leg. If standing feels uncomfortable at first and you feel the urge to move, you can also step from one leg to the other on the mat.
Is an acupressure mat dangerous?
There is no scientific evidence that an acupressure mat is dangerous for the body, on the contrary: it stimulates blood circulation.
In a study by the University of Essen, 8 out of 91 participants stopped taking part in the study prematurely because they found the needles painful or uncomfortable, but there were no signs of negative consequences. Of course, as always, you should listen to your own body and avoid unnecessary stress, especially during pregnancy, if you have heart problems or severe skin problems. Everyone else can use the acupressure mat without hesitation and if it is felt to be too painful, a T-shirt can simply be put on to get used to the feeling of the points over time.
Acupressure for colds and runny nose
Many people swear by acupressure at the first signs of a cold or sniffles. To clear the nose, it helps many to press several times for 10 seconds on the point between the two eyebrows, and then with the thumb and forefinger to the right and left of the root of the nose.
If you want to perfect your technique, you can ask a professional to show you how. This gentle method has no side effects and can help to clear the nose in the short term. However, this technique cannot protect us from illness. This requires a holistic approach that strengthens our immune system.
Why physical rest is particularly good for the immune system in times of external unrest
Let us leave you with a few words in closing. Words for a time when your thoughts revolve around your immune system, your health and that of your loved ones:
Our body is a marvel. It continues to breathe incessantly while we sleep. Its protective layers house our fragile inner life and all its muscles, ligaments, tendons and glands - they help us to express feelings.
They show others the joy we feel inside us with a smile and share the sadness that overwhelms us with tears. Our body grows and shrinks with us. It absorbs what this life throws at us physically, takes us to work every day and is a means of transportation for the intentions of our soul and our heart.
Over the time we live with it, we often take our body and its immune system for granted. We deny it the rest it needs to regenerate. We make it work incessantly for us and it too rarely hears a "thank you" from us. Instead, it experiences disappointment far too often when it doesn't work as it should.
Let us see illness and the fear of it as a reminder that our body can only protect us properly if we take care of it. Let's take a few breaths each day to be aware of what this miracle does every day. And let's keep asking ourselves how we can support our immune system so that it remains a reliable partner.
Because just as in a relationship between two people, the relationship with our body also needs to be nurtured and nourished. Whenever you wish someone else "stay healthy" - don't forget to wish it for yourself too and think about whether you have already done something today to help your body fulfill this wish.
Would you like to find out more about how to use the Shakti Mat acupressure mat to strengthen your body and circulation? Then take a look at our blog, where we have put together a lot of information for you and explained it clearly with examples for you to follow.
If you would like to discuss acupressure and acupressure mats or ask questions, join our acupressure group on Facebook, where many thousands of people are already discussing acupressure.
About the author
Antje Wickboldt is a freelance writer from Berlin. She has been working with the body's self-healing powers for over 10 years and, as a lecturer, explains in interactive presentations for companies and offices how tension can be released with the help of acupressure and massage.
Sources
- Andrews, Synthia and Dempsey, Bobbi: Acupressure & Reflexology for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis 2007. p. 262 f.
- Dr. Ramaiah, Savitri: Acupressure in daily Life. New Dawn Sterling Publishers, 2nd edition, New Delhi 2010, p. 94 f.
- Dr. Stein, Aaron: Acupressure Guide. Alleviate Headaches, Neck and Joint Pain, Anxiety Attacks and Other Ailments. Mobile Reference, 2nd edition, Canada 2009. p. 96.
- Kaminoff, Leslie: Yoga Anatomy. Tissue of Life. 3rd edition, Riva, Munich 2009 p. 10 ff.
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233934675_Reflexo-Therapy_With_Mechanical_Cutaneous_Stimulation_Pilot_Study
- https://www.pagepress.org/journals/index.php/ams/article/view/ams.2011.e5
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876382016301172