Acupressure for Headaches:
Relieve Pain Naturally

You can easily learn to use acupressure for headaches, relieving the pain simply and naturally. Personally, I have found these techniques to be very helpful.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, illness and pain are seen as the result of interrupted flow of qi (energy). The aim of acupressure and acupuncture is to restore and balance the flow of qi through the body. Acupressure/acupuncture points are places where the flow of qi can be influenced to regulate body functions and relieve pain.

To perform acupressure, use direct pressure to the appropriate point with your finger or thumb. Press the point lightly and progress to more pressure slowly. (Of course, if you’re working with a delicate area such as the face, use light pressure.) Hold the point until you feel relief, or up to a minute. Breathe deeply as you do so.

Following are a few acupressure points that work for headache relief. You can do all of them as a routine, or just experiment and find the ones that work best for you.

Relief Points: Using Acupressure for Headaches

• The “Hoku point” (LI4) is excellent for headache relief. It is located on the back of the hand, in the webbing where the thumb and index finger meet. Find the exact point by bringing your thumb and index finger together. The muscle will bulge a little--that's the spot.

  Squeeze the point by putting your thumb on the point, and your index finger on the palm side of your hand. Angle the pressure toward the bone that connects with the index finger. Hold for one minute and switch hands.

  Do not use the Hoku Point if you are pregnant.

• Use your thumbs to firmly press the back of the neck underneath the base of your skull into the indentations on either side of the spine, two to three inches apart, depending on the size of your skull. Slowly tilt your head back and firmly press up underneath the skull. These are the GB20 points. This technique is one of my personal favorites for headache relief.
• Press the top of the feet, in the web between the big and second toes. You can either use your hands for this, working both feet at the same time, or you can use the heel of the opposite foot to work one foot at a time. This point is Lv3.
• With the palms of your hands together, let your head tilt downward and place your index and third fingers on the point directly between the eyebrows, where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead. (Or just use an index finger or thumb.) This point is called GV24.5.
• Apply steady pressure to the top of head, where lines drawn to the top of the head from the ears and nose would intersect. This is GV20. Do not use this point if you have high blood pressure.
• Use your thumb and index finger to press the indentations on either side of the nose, where the bridge of the nose meets the ridge of the eyebrows. This is B2.
• Use the middle and index fingers of both hands to gently press up underneath the cheekbones, directly below the center of the eye. This point is St3.

Most of these suggestions of acupressure for headaches are taken from Acupressure’s Potent Points, by Michael Reed Gach. This is an excellent book--I highly recommend having it in your home library.

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