Date:22/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/22/stories/2008082259150300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Workshop dwells on ‘pressure’ that heals

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Explaining the benefits of acupressure to parents of mentally challenged children and their resource teachers is the focus of an ongoing residential workshop organised by the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the city.

Acupressure is a treatment in which pressure is administered on certain points of the body to alleviate pain or cure ailments. It is not just a massage and is a science on its own merit. The treatment improves blood flow, thereby improving overall health. According to doctors nearly 75 per cent of all diseases are linked with stress and releasing tension can be of great help in preventing major diseases.

According to George Jacob, acupressure expert, applying acupressure on children with disabilities can play a major role in lessening its severity. Human touch is a very important component of acupressure, said Mr. Jacob.

For instance, the intensity of a headache can be lessened by applying pressure on the particular point of the forehead, he said. What the patient experiences will be a pleasurable pain when the pressure is applied, said Mr. Jacob.

A demonstration on reflexology, an allied branch of acupressure, was also held. The workshop is aimed at equipping patients to heal themselves instead of solely relying on medicines and doctors.

“But then we also explain our limitations especially when it comes to treating contagious and certain chronic diseases,” he said.

The workshop will conclude here on Friday.