Oxytocin and Acupressure
by Lela Lake
The oxytocin hormone has been clinically proven to calm mental anxiety and generate feelings of well-being. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘feel good hormone’ because it is our body’s natural pain blocker. Oxytocin is activated during childbirth to reduce the pain of delivery. It is also released during sexual stimulation resulting in orgasm. Professional studies have conclusively determined that acupressure devices like the Shakti Mat can induce natural oxytocin production on demand. The result is an increase in endorphins, which are part of the signals that block the pain.
The NIH Consensus Development Panel in 1998 determined that stimulation of pressure points floods the system with oxytocin, which causes the pain centers to become overwhelmed with frequency impulses. This causes a chain reaction which closes down the gateways to the pain centers by inhibiting the nerve centers, thereby allowing the body to relax and promote self-healing. |
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A study by Garney, et.al. in 1989 found evidence that acupressure can provide relief from pain equal to, if not superior to, the best available medication by enhancing the body’s production of oxytocin. Another finding released in 1997 by the NIH Consensus Development Panel concluded that acupressure techniques were effective in reducing nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy treatments and provided relief from a variety of common complaints such as menstrual cramps, low back pain, fibromyalgia, dental pain and sports related injuries.
Chinese researchers published results in the
Neuropeptides Journal in 2007, demonstrating that acupuncture and acupressure can stimulate the production of oxytocin better than intraventricular or intrathecal injection. Their study was conducted on rats, and resulted in decreased anxiety levels and obvious relief from chronic pain.
Further research involving human subjects treated with acupressure in China reinforce the theory that this technique offers significant benefits to patients and should be considered before pharmaceutical treatment. All of these studies agree that non-invasive techniques such as acupressure are effective in producing sufficient levels of oxytocin to promote rapid healing without the side effects caused by pain relief medication.
Reference material from the Internet Journal of Anesthesiology, ISSN 1092-406x
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