Ancient Chinese medicine was the forefront of many medicines, herbal treatments and teas and a practice known as acupuncture and acupressure.  How does it work and why is it good for stroke recovery?

While we don’t normally hear about our bodies in such organic terms, the reality is our body runs on electrical currents.  Our brain waves and the heart and the effect they have on our body make us appear like a sci-fi project.    When the flow of our electrical current is disrupted from chemical or physical causes, acupuncture works to restore them.

Tiny thin needles are inserted in the skin at specific points to redirect our currents into their proper balance.  Where the insertion points are depends on the symptoms and what intersection the flow seems to be bound.  Electro-Acupunture adds a small electrical charge to the needles to boost the redirection of the needles.  Some stroke survivors with implants or electrical shunts cannot use electro-acupuncture.

For those with the inability to use electro-acupuncture or balk at the idea of needles, acupressure is the application of pressure on points within the body to gently redirect our body’s flow.  Both are effective and each survivor must decide for themselves which, or maybe both, modalities work best for them after speaking to the practitioner and assessing the value.