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Are you plagued by constant headaches, stress and sore shoulders after hours spent hunched in front of the computer at work, straining your eyes? Why not try this self-help treatment when you get home?
- Using your thumb, press all over the pad of your big toe – this movement is believed to stimulate the brain.
- If you are suffering from a sinus headache, squeeze the sides and back of each toe.
- If your headache is in your forehead, it has probably been brought on by general tiredness and can be eased by pressing just below the big toenail.
- Knead and rub your way across both the top and the sole of the foot, about 2,5 cm away from the toes.
- The area on your foot known as the "shoulder point" is situated between the bases of the fourth and fifth toes. Pinch, press and gently hold this section for a count of five.
- The main pressure point for general stress relief on the foot is located halfway up the top of your foot on the area where the first and second toes meet. Putting pressure on this point will also relieve headaches.
Other useful pressure points to know:
Suffering from insomnia? Massage the point four finger widths above the ankle bone, on the inside of the leg, close to the tibia.
Suffering from indigestion? To relive indigestion, heartburn and nausea, locate and rub the spot between the second and third toes, where the bones meet on the top of the foot.
Suffering from headache? Another point for general stress and headache relief is located four finger widths below the knee, outside the tibia.
(This article was written by Pat Bosman, a therapeutic reflexologist registered with the Allied Health Professional Council)
