Acupuncture and Acupressure are the 3,500 to 5,000 year old ancient healing sciences based on finding blockages in the flow of blood and energy in the body, and using specific techniques to remove those blockages.

Specific points on the body are stimulated to increase blood and energy flow in order to improve organ function, and thus relieve pain and illness.

The ancient practice of acupressure from Chinese medicine, works largely on sensitive awareness of the laws of nature. It balances body and health in a more natural way, maintaining ones health by balancing the force of Chi. If this is unbalanced or unstable and cannot flow freely through the body, ones health may be affected.

Acupuncture and Acupressure are based on the belief that there is a measurable energy that travels through the body, which is called Qi or Chi (pronounced "Chee"). The energy moves through specific pathways called meridians. This energy, or Qi, moves blood and is vital to normal organ and tissue function.

Good health is dependent upon the flow of energy and blood through the body. The blockage of energy and blood can cause pain and illness.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day was celebrated on Monday October 24, 2005, as part of an effort to increase public awareness of the benefits of Acupuncture, Acupressure and Oriental medicine. It is estimated that as many as 43% of Americans have used or are currently using some form of complementary or alternative therapy such as Acupuncture, Acupressure and Oriental medicine.

"There are many people in our community who suffer from chronic conditions that are not responding well to conventional Western medicine interventions."

A typical trip to the family physician usually involves forty-five minutes in the waiting room, five minutes with the doctor and leaving with a prescription. Often ailments are not investigated in depth, as they should be. Countless patients are left thinking there is no hope for relief. However, rather than simply treating symptoms, many health concerns can be traced back to the source and be dealt with at the root of the problem.

"Whether you have a chronic illness or just vague symptoms, it is a sign that one or more of your body's systems is failing. From an Oriental medicine perspective, health problems are caused by blockages in the flow of blood and energy within the body."

"Just as a garden needs water to stay healthy, the body also needs the proper flow of energy and blood to vital organs. If you tried to water a garden with a water hose that had a kink or blockage that prevented water from getting through, then the plants in that garden would die. That vital flow of water could not reach the plants. It is very much the same with your body. If blood and energy cannot flow freely to all of the areas of your body, you would experience disease, illness and pain. Health is restored by finding and correcting the areas of blocked blood and energy flow and thus strengthening the immune system. Symptoms are the last phase of body dysfunction, not the first. Like the red signal light in your car that flashes when your engine is failing, a physical symptom is a signal that an underlying health problem needs to be corrected. Treating a symptom without uncovering its root cause is like replacing the warning light in your car rather than fixing your car's engine. A person who wants to be healthy and stay healthy should see a healthcare professional who can remove the cause of lowered resistance before symptoms develop."

Chinese medical theory teaches that the two branches of the body's nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympa-thetic, correspond to the two halves of the yin-yang circle. The sympathetic branch is the part of the nervous system that mobilizes our bodies to respond to stress. It initiates the fight-or-flight re-sponse, a more yang part of the cycle. The parasympathetic branch replenishes and supports the body during rest, the yin part of the cycle. These two branches oppose and balance each other to create stability and health. When the yin and yang are balanced within the body, all the body's functions are healthy. Illness is caused by an imbalance between yin and yang.

Acupuncture, acupressure and Oriental Medicine treat the cause of health problems by finding the blocks to normal blood and energy flows and releasing these blocks.

For thousands of years the goal of Acupuncture, Acupressure and Oriental Medicine has been to help people achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Like acupuncture, acupressure uses points on the meridians of the body to heal the body and relieve pain, but it's noninvasive. Where acupuncture uses needles, acupressure employs the pressure of fingers, thumbs and elbows, and sometimes even electrical currents. The StopSnor antisnoring acupressure ring works by gently massaging a recognised pressure point in the little finger of the left hand to stimulate Qi. It releases tension in muscle fibres by applying focused pressure and releasing it, sending blood rushing back into the tissue. Acupressure also frees the blocked energy found at these points, promoting good general health.