by When the main emotions (anger, grief, worry, over-joy, fear) are intense, chronic, repressed and not fully acknowledged (minimized, rationalized), they cause imbalances in the body’s qi (energy). The change in qi results in changes in a person’s demeanor (mood, actions, personality) and in the functioning of the corresponding organs/systems. Subtle signs and more obvious symptoms of disease will appear indicating this imbalance.
Working with the acupoints along the meridians (where the qi travels) can help unblock and balance the root causes of physical, emotional and mental/cognitive issues. [Just as EMDR gets to root cognitions!]
How exactly are the organs affected? In a nutshell – on a metabolic/chemical level!
A meta-review study examining changes in metabolomic biomarkers before and after acupuncture for various diseases and symptoms found a total of 226 metabolites showed significant changes, with 14 common metabolites altered (glutamine, androsterone glucuronide, choline, citric acid, decanoylcarnitine, estrone, glutathione, glycine, hypoxanthine, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, serine, proline, and sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine). [Recognize some of these?] Common pathways affected by acupuncture were glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism.
What about acupressure results? Follow these links to research if you want more details.
“Acupressure is a non-invasive and non-pharmacological intervention with multidimensional roles and benefits. Current investigations substantiate the traditional claims and validate use of acupressure for painless treatment of numerous diseases.” Contemporary acupressure therapy: Adroit cure for painless recovery of therapeutic ailments – PMC
For depression & anxiety. Effects of somatic acupoint stimulation on anxiety and depression in cancer patients: An updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials – ScienceDirect
