Acupressure & Reflexology for flu, fever and cough

Acupressure & Reflexology for flu, fever and cough

As medicine has become increasingly technocratic and Big Pharma's influence on medical practice escalates, we have lost faith in our bodies and their ability to heal. What is going on in our body when we become ill is often misunderstood and we are now extremely pharmacologically moulded when thinking about how to best deal with illness. This does not need to be the case.

The dietary suggestions and fever-management procedures described in the previous posts, together with these acupuncture and reflexology suggestions, are gentle, restorative approaches. However, I am convinced that in the case of infection with covid-19, they would make a significant difference to the severity and duration of the illness. What is more, there should be no need for those of us in reasonable health, with normal immune function, to need hospitalisation should we become infected: if we know what to do to support our immunity, encourage effective liver and kidney detoxification and reduce lung congestion, this would leave the limited ventilators and oxygen that the NHS has for those vulnerable patients who become infected.

While these disciplines are complex systems of medicine, I've hopefully reduced this information into tips that you can do at home without any training.   

Don't be overwhelmed by the detail, give some of these a go!

Acupressure

Lung channel, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

I would needle these points on a patient with cough, fever or breathing difficulty. However, it is also effective to press and rub the points vigorously a number of times per day. So, if you don’t have easy access to an acupuncturist, this is something that can be done at home by you or a willing friend.

Rub along the whole length of the Lung Meridian. Pay particular attention to the ‘dots’ on the picture: these pertain to ‘acupoints’ or points where we can activate the ‘qi’ or energy within the body. They are described in greater detail on the following slides.

Most acupoints are in a depression where two bones or muscles meet. If you feel gently to find the point, you should get a sense of this ‘indentation’. The measurements are given in ‘cun’, which is the width of your patient’s thumb at the widest point.

Lung 1, Zhongfu

Zhongfu benefits the lungs generally, alleviates cough and clears heat from the lungs.

Lung 2, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Location:

Feel along the underside of the collarbone to where your finger meets the deltoid muscle (of the shoulder). This hollow is the location of Lung 2. Move your finger 1 cun downwards and very slightly outwards.

Rub quite firmly in a little circular movement: this is a delicate area, so don’t go mad.

Lung 2, Yunmen

Yunmen is especially good at clearing heat from the lungs.

Location:

As explained above. And, again, rub quite firmly.

Lung 3, Tianfu

Lung 3, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Tianfu is a point that, for millennia, has been considered useful for treating fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.

Location:

Divide the distance between the axillary fold (armpit crease) and elbow crease into thirds. Tianfu is one third down from the armpit crease, where the outer edge of the biceps meets the bottom of the deltoid muscle. Note: easier to locate with palm turned upwards.

Rub firmly.

Lung 5, Chize

Lung 5, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Chize’s principal action is to clear all forms of heat from the lung and to calm agitation of the lung. This point has traditionally been considered useful for managing fever. It is also useful for calming anxiety.

Location: In the slight hollow, on the thumb side of the tendon of the biceps brachii  (elbow crease). Note that, again, the palm is facing upwards.

Rub firmly.

Lung 7, Lieque

Lung 7, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Lieque is considered a very important point in the treatment of fever, coughs and shortness of breath.

Location:

A tricky one to locate. With the patient’s arm on its side, thumb uppermost, place your finger in the ‘anatomical snuffbox’, indicated here as L.I.5, and move it towards the elbow, over the bone of the wrist: your finger should fall into a little groove between two tendons. If you feel around the area gently you should feel a subtle ‘channel’. In an adult, this is about 4cm in distance.

Rub firmly.

Lung 8, Jingu

Lung 8 & Lung 9, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Jingu is considered very useful for fever, cough, wheezing and difficulty in breathing.

Location:

Easiest to locate Lung 9 first, at the significant depression below the wrist joint, between the radial artery (pulse point) and the tendon of the thumb.

Then move finger 1 cun further away from the wrist, over the styloid process ( the prominence at the bottom of the radius) and your finger will drop into the depression that is Lung 8.

Rub firmly.

Lung 9, Taiyuan

While you’re about it, rub Lung 9 too! A generally very supportive point for lung function.

Lung 10, Yuji

Lung 10, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Yuji is commonly used to ease asthma attacks, so good for shortness of breath. It is also effective at easing coughs, heat in the body, chills and fever.

Location:

In the fleshy area at the base of the thumb, feel for the depression midway along the 1st metacarpal: if you roll your finger over this bone from the outside of the hand inwards, towards to palm, it will dip down into the point.

Alternately, squeeze your thumb against the side of your palm: the highest point of the muscle bulge is Yuji.

NB. If you dig in with your finger it should feel quite achy to the patient. 

Rub firmly.

Pericardium 6, Neiguan

Pericardium 6, Photograph© Peter Deadman& Mazin Al-Khafaji, 

A Manual of Acupuncture, 1998

Neiguan is a much-used point for all manner of conditions, but is considered to ‘unbind’ the chest, so useful for coughs, ‘clearing heat’ and laboured breathing.

It is often used to ease anxiety and agitation, so very useful for a distressed patient.

Location:

With the palm facing upwards, from the wrist crease, move two cun towards the elbow, between the two tendons.

Rub quite firmly, but be careful not to press too hard on the tendons.

Reflexology for flu, fever and cough

Reflexology works on the principle that there is a ‘map’ of the body on the feet. In fact, there are ‘maps’ of the body on the hands, iris & around the orbital fossa (the bone around the eye socket) and probably others that I’m not aware of.

The principle of As above, so below applies throughout the natural world and nowhere is it more apparent, to me at least, than in the body. It seems to me that the body can be considered a universe where the individual parts of the body constantly reflect the whole.

So, get rubbing those feet! I use a little carrier oil rubbed into the palm of my hand to make rubbing over the skin more comfortable for the patient. I generally use my thumbs to rub into the specific points while supporting the patient’s foot with my hand, as shown opposite.

The following chart has been highlighted in pink to illustrate the areas to focus on…

Have faith in your body

The body errs towards healing and, given the right treatment, will often heal without the need for any drugs. 

Your body’s ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe.

Good luck!

Disclaimer:The information in this document is presented for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or advice of a qualified, licensed medical professional. The facts presented are offered as information only, not medical advice. Any product or procedure mentioned is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease, simply to support the immune system and assist the body's own response to fever.

Lisa Rutter, therapies@lisarutter.co.uk, 2020