Acupressure to Treat Nausea, Dry Eye, and more with Robin Ray Green

Robin Ray Green helps families and parents use Chinese medicine to restore their health and wellbeing. In this article and the accompanying video, you’re going to learn how acupuncture, acupressure, and AcuPatching can help heal your disease, and we’ll go through an acupressure exercise you can do at home.

All of these modalities are based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM practitioners believe that everyone has an energy system in the body akin to your nervous or circulatory system. However, instead of blood or nerve impulses, energy runs through very specific pathways in the body. When energy is flowing, we’re healthy, sleep well, have a good appetite, and our eyes feel great. When there is a blockage in the flow of energy, you can end up with pain, inflammation, dryness, or other illness. 

During these practices, specific points along the acupuncture energy pathways are stimulated. The traditional way is through acupuncture done with a trained and licensed professional. However, you can get many of the same benefits in the comfort of your own home by utilizing acupressure and AcuPatching. 

From a Western perspective, acupuncture taps into the communication system of the body through connective tissue. There is some research beginning to show that, instead of the nervous system, it’s the connective tissue that transmits signals to the brain and other areas of the body. This has a profound effect on neurotransmitters, endorphins, and a regulating effect on circulation, blood pressure, inflammation, and can even speed wound healing.

The eyes are one of the simplest points to access with acupressure because it’s easy for people to understand the technique. First, using your index fingers, put pressure on the inner corners of your eyebrows. For adults, three minutes of pressure is ideal. Note that the pressure should be comfortable for you. If you’re someone who loves deep pressure, do that. If you prefer soft pressure, stick with that.

You’ll then move to the apex or middle of your eyebrows for at least one minute and then to the very outer edge of your eyebrows for at least one minute. You’ll go through an entire circle around your eyes, so the next pressure point will be on your temples at the outside corners of your eyes. The next points are at the lower outer edge of the eyes on the orbital bone, and directly underneath the eyes. 

By doing acupressure, you’re waking up the body to a problem that needs to be fixed. Sometimes, our bodies get used to a problem and they stop sending healing energy to that area. If you want to see results for your dry eyes from acupressure, it’s recommended to do this process three times per day in addition to supplements, dietary changes, and other medical treatments you’ve been prescribed. This will help to wake up tear production and bring healing energy to the eyes.

AcuPatching uses light therapy patches to do similar work to acupuncture and acupressure. These take the infrared light your body emits and they’re programmed to reflect back specific wavelengths of light that initiate different biochemical changes in the body. They can be used to stimulate specific acupuncture points but can also be used to help nourish fluids in the body. For dry eyes, the patches would be placed right on the temples at the sides of the eyes or right above the eyes on the forehead. If you’re concerned about wearing them throughout the day, the patches can be worn at night to stimulate energy flow to an area while you sleep.

There are multiple studies showing that acupressure and acupuncture can help with pain, nausea, fertility, and many other conditions. In fact, both procedures have been shown to stimulate the production of immune cells. 

There is a point on the leg called Stomach 36 (ST36) that increases the production of your white blood cells. In addition, blue light from low level laser therapy directed at any energy point on the body helps stimulate T cell production. Both white blood cells and T cells help regulate the immune response. Robin Ray Green has been treating patients for over 20 years, and she’s seen incredibly sick patients become much healthier and more resilient after just a few acupuncture and acupressure treatments for immunity. 

It is also well known that chronic stress will lower immunity. Acupuncture and acupressure are great tools for those who suffer from chronic stress. They can lower cortisol and increase immunity substantially.

The great thing about acupressure is that side effects and contraindications are minimal. For acupressure, side effects may include bruising if you push too hard or tenderness at the acupressure site. Make sure to discuss potential risks with your practitioner if you have cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or another bone disease, varicose veins, or if you are pregnant. 

If you’d like to learn more from Robin, visit her blog and check out her AcuPatching quick start guide. This will also give you great acupressure points to try at home. Her book, Heal Your Child From the Inside Out: The 5-Element Way to Nurturing Healthy, Happy Kids, is available on her website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever you normally buy your books. If you enjoy her book, make sure to share it with those you love and let her know how it helped you!

Robin Ray Green, L.Ac., MTCM, is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, with a master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the prestigious Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, CA. She has over 10 years of clinical experience using Traditional Chinese Medicine to help children heal from asthma, allergies, eczema, and other common health problems that Western medicine doesn't adequately address. 

Robin founded the Center for Advanced Acupuncture Pediatrics, which provides premier pediatric acupuncture training worldwide. Her goal is to help people integrate Chinese and Western medicine to facilitate healing. When she's not writing or practicing in her clinic, she enjoys bike riding with her boys, lazy days at the beach, and walking her dog Ginger.