In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the feet are considered one of the most crucial parts of the human body. This is reflected in the Chinese saying, “All diseases arise from cold, and cold enters the body through the feet”. In stimulating these points by applying pressure through acupuncture, practitioners believe they can promote the smooth flow of qi to enhance blood circulation and support the body’s natural healing processes.
According to this text, our feet have more than 60 acupoints, each corresponding to a specific part of the body. Professor Yu Jin, from the Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China’s Guangdong province, says the meridians are like an information network, with the acupoints equivalent to the nodes on the network. “When you get on one node, you can connect to other places,” he says.
Foot acupuncture cannot only alleviate foot pain but also address ailments originating in other organs, he says. You can achieve these benefits with a daily acupressure foot massage at home. Focusing on the following four points may deliver some relief.
, or the “gushing spring” point, is found on the sole of your foot, about a third of the way from your toes to your heel, directly below the second and third toes at the centre of the ball of your foot. It is located on the top of the foot, in the depression between the big toe and the second toe, about two finger-widths f.
