Acupressurist in Western MA
When Stephen A. Foster, 54, of Westfield wasn’t selling cars he was fixing them — but over time his job got tougher, not because cars are so complicated but because he has two torn rotator cuffs — old shoulder injuries he got from playing football.
“I went to a conventional doctor and he said ‘If it hurts when you do that, then don’t do that,’” said Foster.
Foster has tried Western medicine, doctors and techniques like chiropractic care, surgery, and physical therapy; someone even needled him into trying acupuncture.
That worked for a while, but now he’s trying something new: acupuncture’s not-so-prickly cousin, acupressure.
“It seems to get more results than Western medicine does; this seems to work the best and keep me flexible and able to work,” he said.
Acupressure may be a novel notion to some in Western society but it’s not new to the world.
“There are points in the body that have been identified and charted over the millennia and with light or deep pressure you can actually use those points to move energy throughout the body,” said Dave Rodrigues, an integrative acupressurist in East Longmeadow.
Integrated acupressure is the practice of locating and releasing blocked or congested energy centers in the body.
These energy centers, or acupoints, lie on pathways called meridians.
Integrative acupressurists like Rodrigues use the tips of their fingers and apply pressure to specific acupoints, releasing blocked energy and allowing the mind and body to relax.
“Acupressure helps to balance energy that’s flowing through the body,” said Rodrigues.
“You can have changes in energy flow with a cold or some kind of an acute condition — or you can have congenital energy disruptions or blockages that affect muscles, tendons, ligaments and organs,” he said.
Bill G. Bradley, 47, of East Hampton, is a dietitian who writes cook books and teaches cooking classes — but a balanced diet is doing little to balance his energy flow.
Bradley, who hurt his shoul-
der lifting weights and has been suffering with scoliosis and the associated back pain since he was 13, has turned to acupressure.
“There are pressure points throughout the body and when Dave hits one of those points you can feel it start to relax and the pain goes away,” he said.
Rodrigues, who received an assoicate certificate from the former New England Institute for Integrated Acupressure in Haydenville, says acupressure can also relieve stress and anxiety, migraines, fatigue, insomnia, eye strain, nausea, digestive problems, allergies, PMS and other menstrual difficulties along with menopausal imbalances.
“Where there’s an energy imbalance you’re going to see changes in the tension of muscles or the tone of internal organs. You can take a point that has excess energy and move it out of there; you can take a point that’s deficient and actually build energy in there,” he said.
Rodrigues says the body is designed to “self-repair,” to nurse muscles back to health, block sickness, fight disease and attack allergens.
But he says today’s more sedentary society has become sicker. “If you’re working and active the muscles are keeping all that cell waste moving, it’s getting flushed out and that gives the body more capacity to fight sickness, it’s more resilient and can attack an invading cold or flu virus; that’s not happening as much now,” he said.
Once unsure of this ancient art, Foster has become an acupressure apostle, saying he can feel the energy flowing and flushing toxins out of his muscles.
“It seems like toxins are going into my system and I can feel a little sick for a time, but after being worked on for a while I feel much better,” he said.
Acupressure is non-toxic and non-invasive; there’s no medicine, surgery, stitches, or recovery time – and in many cases, relief from asthma, menstrual pain, migraines and other conditions is nearly immediate.
“I could take medicine, maybe steroids, but with acupressure there are no side effects and you feel better — you don’t have the side effects of a lot of western medicine,” said Bradley.
One site that has background information and what classes someone might take to practice acupressure is http://www.acupressure.com/ or contact Dave Rodrigues, at (413) 575-5947
Article written by Staasi Heropoulos [The Republican Springfield MA]
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