Acupressure balances the body's energy by applying pressure to specific points along energy channels. The term "pressure" is misleading, since acupressure actually uses a very light touch. A practitioner uses her fingertips to make contact with the body. It's the location of the contact that's important, not the amount of pressure.

How is it that lightly touching the surface of the body can affect the balance of energy? Our soft internal organ systems (the viscera) are connected with the exterior of our bodies (the bones, muscles, flesh) by a series of major energy channels, as well as by networks of small connecting vessels. Thousands of years ago, Asian cultures identified locations on the body where these energy pathways are close to the surface. In fact, these points can now be located with electronic "point finders" that measure electrical skin resistance. Acupressure points have a lower electrical resistance than the surrounding skin.

In Chinese medicine, energy and blood are closely related. The energy channels are pathways for both chi and blood. When a finger touches an acupressure point, the energy flowing in the channel is attracted to the surface. An acupressure practitioner will hold a point until she feels a pulsation under her finger. When energy is attracted to the surface, the flow of blood increases at that location and the pulse is felt. The pulse is a confirmation that the energy is now flowing.