Acupressure – A Successful Alternative:
Bit of a background might help put the treatment in a perspective. Typically as any 60+ years old might experience, it was seemingly about my heart not performing to its capacity. The numbness in the toe region of both my feet with a mild tingling sensation may have triggered my cardiologist to order a Tread Mill Test? The TMT Graph did show a slight departure from the normal pattern, making the technician state in his summary: “Inconclusive, hence further investigation to be taken up as deemed fit by attending Cardiologist”. My Cardiologist obviously didn’t want to take chances and asked me to go through an Angiogram and if the need arose, placement of a stent if there was a block. He also mentioned “Had you been 10 years younger, I wouldn’t have asked for an angiogram”. I personally felt a bit weird after hearing about the Angiogram but went by his advice and got myself admitted at a well-known hospital, nearer home. Since this procedure is covered under medical insurance, the formalities, paperwork etc. is cumbersome and time consuming.
I got myself admitted at 7 AM, but by the time I was prepared for being wheeled into the holding area, it was 1 PM. Then started the long wait as only one machine of the two that this hospital has was in a working condition. The 2nd was under a scheduled maintenance. Although the attending Brother kept informing me at regular intervals that, I would be soon wheeled in, I did not see progress for almost 2 hours. I started getting restless and started losing my patience. I kept asking the attending Brother a whole lot of questions and finally he got tired of me and reported to the Physician that I was being uncooperative and irritable…
The Physician came to my bed to explain the situation, but looking at my upset demeanor and after patiently hearing my frustrations from waiting, wondered if an angiogram was really necessary. Before he could offer any solace, my number was called out and I was quickly wheeled into the sealed Chamber, called Operation Theatre. Like the entertainment theatre, this also has a lead performer ably supported by a fairly large number of staff who have a definitive role to play to make the overall performance successful.
In my case, there was a group of Seven - technicians and associated staff who get to business immediately on the patient, once wheeled in. The lead performer – Cardiologist in my case, had no script or dialogue. His role was more like the Conductor in an Orchestra, silently waving his wand, all the while glued to the large 57” monitor. On the assumption that a stent may be required to be inserted, the patient is prepared for such an eventuality. Once the preparation is complete, a dye is injected into the blood stream and within seconds makes its way into the bloodstream and into the arteries and veins within the heart. If there are no blocks, the dye make its way unobstructed and its path is visible on the screen.
Unfortunately my glasses were taken away while entering the Operation Theatre and I couldn’t watch the action on the Screen. My doctor, who had remained glued to the screen all this while, declared that my heart was perfectly normal and that I should not worry for the next 5 to 10 years.
In my entire narration so far, the unexplained phenomena was the numbness in both my feet in the toe region and this continued to remain unexplained. The Cardiologist referred me to a different faculty of medicine and arranged for me to meet and discuss with a Neurologist. A couple of visits later and after going through a whole new set of tests, including the hitherto unknown “Nerve Conduction Velocity Test”, I was declared normal, based on my age and the normal wear and tear associated with 60 years of existence.
My interaction with the various doctors from different faculties apparently did not yield any definitive answers. Could this be described as “Idiopathic” – a term used by doctors when they find no answers within the known realm of a patient’s suffering. My conditions however indicated a classic case of peripheral neuropathy, which is sciatica nerve damage. This could have been caused by compression of the spinal column discs in the lumbar region. I was prescribed a medicine, which helps in regeneration of damaged nerves in the peripheral region. Besides this a whole lot of Vitamin tablets from A to Z were ordered. I took them religiously for three months, but finding no change in my condition opted on my own to discontinue with the treatment.
That was when the thought of an alternative medicine crept in! I experimented with acupressure but after a couple of sessions where the expert put pressure on specific points on the palms of my hand to clear blockages in the meridians that runs across our bodies, I gave up. But for hurting my palms it did little else to the far away nerves in the toe region. I guess the toes did not receive any message from the palms to go into a self-correction mode!
Acupressure is an ancient healing art that is based on traditional Chinese medicine practice of acupuncture. Pressure is put on specific places on the body, called acupoints. Pressing these points helps in releasing muscle pressure and improve blood circulation. Unfortunately, these days we have become extremely wary about anything Chinese! Either their design and manufacturing quality is very poor, or the product has a very short life span. In recent times the only product from China that comes with a great deal of efficacy is the Wuhan Virus, developed in its Labs. I suppose the Chinese themselves are surprised with its results. It is no wonder why they are dis-owning it and saying that it was not made by them!!
A friend suggested: Try Therapy Yoga, and I did, till Wuhan Virus shut down our Country in March 2020. I was trained on Yoga postures specific to my problem along with the standard set of postures for well-being. I continued to spend close to an hour practicing them at home. Did it have any positive effect on bringing normalcy to my toe region? I don’t think so…but it certainly introduced a new one - Left Knee Pain! I had to visit an orthopedist to understand what could have gone wrong with my Yoga practice. It wasn’t Yoga, the Orthopedist explained thankfully. It was Osteo-arthritis, a degeneration of the knee joint that typically starts for people above 60 years. It is the gradual wearing down of the protective tissues between the ends of bones in a joint. This is unfortunately irreversible and painkillers are a temporary answer. The painkillers smartly stop the pain signals from reaching the brain and one has a false sense of euphoria. In addition to painkillers, I was also prescribed to take a tablet, where the main ingredient was Collagen. I understand Collagen helps reduce pain and rebuilds cartilage.
I guess, it was time for me to think yet again for an alternative therapy. I went by the advice of a relative this time and visited an Ayurvedic clinic. The doctor was pretty confident of correcting the bone-to-bone contact issue. I was prescribed a whole variety of tablets and Kashayam and I really thought these medicines would help the regenerative process of the protective tissues. The sheer variety and numbers of tablets overwhelmed me and I went back to the doctor and told him to reduce it, because I was popping it all wrongly. He felt sorry for me and reduced the dosage. But I must give him some credit – the pain did ease up. The Lockdown returned and with this, all shops and establishments were ordered to remain closed. Sadly all chances of getting fit came to a naught!
More recently though, I have experimented with an Indian variant of acupressure – It’s a Holistic Approach, combining the best of Ayurvedic remedies with traditional Acupressure. This method of acupressure relies on parallel pressure points on the back of palms. By applying pressure using small diameter metallic rods with blunt serrations on knuckle joints, the affected area is activated into an auto correction mode. While I am not sure if it helps build the protective tissues, it certainly helps reduce or eliminate the pain. And all this without any internal medicines! I have been asked to visit this doctor for a sitting each day for one week initially. Later it will probably reduce to twice a week for a certain period. This alternative therapy promises to be a long term solution. From my visits so far, it is quite beneficial and I would certainly recommend this approach to all those suffering from similar issues and looking for a lasting solution.
