Acupressure for Stomach Aches, Indigestion, and Heartburn

The following is a do-it-yourself guide to acupressure that is intended to help relieve stomach aches, indigestion, and heartburn.

Step 1:

Lay down on your stomach and place the palm of your right hand over your solar plexus, midway between the end of your breastbone and your belly button.

Place the palm of your left hand in between your pubic bone and belly button.

Rest your head to the side and breathe slowly and deeply.

While breathing, you may feel pain as you exhale. Continue resting like this and breathing for up to 5 minutes, and the pain should start to go away.

If the pain is too intense or if you begin to fall asleep, only rest like this for 1 minute.

Step 2:

Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your pelvis and put your fists under your lower back.

Position your knuckles between your spine and the thick muscles of your lower back.

Relax your body down onto your fists, and breathe deeply for 1 minute with your eyes closed.

Step 3:

Use your left thumb to press the inside of your right forearm, just 2.5 finger widths below the center of the crease of the wrist.

Press this spot firmly for one minute, and breathe deeply into your stomach.

Do the same exercise on your opposite arm.

Step 4:

While sitting in a chair, put your left leg out straight.

Use the heel of your right foot to briskly rub the point about 3 inches below your left kneecap, on the middle-outside side of the leg.

Do the same exercise on the opposite leg. This helps strengthen the digestive system.

Step 5:

Raise the outter edge of your left foot on the ground, and the inner edge off of the ground.

Use your right heel to rub in the arch of the inside of the left foot.

Optionally, do this while doing the same exercise described in Step 3, holding the point on the right forearm.

Continue this for 1 minute, then repeat on the opposite foot and forearm.

Conclusion:

Hopefully these acupressure techniques have helped alleviate your stomach ache, indigestion, or heartburn.

During all of these, deep breathing into the stomach is essential. Your body should relax every time you exhale.