The Mindful Migraine

Acupressure works by applying pressure to specific points (acupoints) on the body in order to stimulate energy flow and release tension.

Decades ago, someone told me that pressing the webby flesh between your thumb and pointer finger for 60 seconds was enough to reduce stress and anxiety.  I wasn’t convinced, but soon learnt they were almost right.  You actually need to squeeze or pinch, rather than just press.  And you need to do it in the space a little further back, (in the more muscly space between the bones of the thumb and pointer finger).  Your thumb goes on one side of your hand and your pointer finger (straight or bent) goes on the opposite side.  In a similar way that your arm thrown over your eyes seems to be designed to ‘fit’ your face like an eye mask, so too, your thumb seems to ‘fit just right’ into this space.

[The videos below all show the right spot – it’s easier to demonstrate than write about – although, in one of them, they dig their fingernail into the flesh which I don’t do].

Squeezing this pressure point has worked so well for me, that I have continued to use it as a self-calming method ever since.  I don’t know if it’s the result of real changes in Qi-energy flow (which I’m completely open to), or just a placebo effect, but either way, I feel my jaw loosen and my shoulders drop a little.

The only downside of the maneuver is that it takes two hands.  So, it works for watching TV but not for reading a book, for example.  Instead, I started using laundry pegs.  They can’t be brand new ones, or they are so tight they hurt.  And they can’t be ones that are too old or loose as they don’t add any pressure.  But if you try a few, you’ll find one that feels ‘just right’.  I couldn’t wear my ‘special pegs’ to work (for obvious reasons), but I used them a lot at home.

More recently, gadgets have been invented that do the same job as a peg, but in a more targeted and aesthetic way.  I bought myself and a migraineur friend a couple to try.  They were the original, patented, more expensive ones (nearly $20 each), but you can now buy cheap knockoffs for about $2 which I am dubious about.  Dubious because, even with the expensive ones, they only worked for a while.  They were great for the first few uses; they fitted snugly on my hand and applied good pressure.  Over time, however, the U-shape began to stretch, ‘opening up’ as it were, so that the ‘pinch’ became looser and looser.  I tried putting the device under heavy books to force it closed again, which worked to a certain extent, but not enough to get the original tightness back.  Perhaps I have chubby hands, but I don’t think so.  Regardless, I have returned to my ‘special pegs’ that still work wonders. They haven’t cured a full-blown migraine, but they have taken the edge of milder ones.

Here’s some links for where to apply pressure on your body so that you can benefit from the ancient art of acupressure (I especially like the ten minute one, because he looks so happy and uses the ancient Chinese terms for the maneuvers, such as ‘drilling bamboo’ (ouch)):

(1 min) REDUCE HEADACHE,TOOTHACHE #shorts (youtube.com)

(3 mins) Acupressure for Migraine Headache (youtube.com)

(7 mins) BEST Pressure Points for INSTANT Headache Relief (youtube.com)

(9 mins) Acupressure Self-Care for Headaches (youtube.com)

(10 mins) Headache Pressure Points | Body & Brain Under-10-Minute (youtube.com)

(12 mins) Acupressure Self Care for Neck Pain (youtube.com)

There’s also more videos over on my earlier blog post about self-massage.

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Hope today is a good day for you pain-wise and in every way.

Thinking of you, Linda x