The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Acupressure with Aromatherapy

In this informative guide, Parramore, an aromatherapist and instructor at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore., provides a brief overview of Chinese medicine and its approaches to health and healing. The book explains that acupressure acts on the same points on the body as acupuncture, but practitioners use their fingers rather than fine needles to stimulate “the body’s natural ability to heal.” Aromatherapy complements acupressure, Parramore explains, because essential oils easily enter the body through the skin and “act as an antenna” as acupuncture needles do, to help access the qi, “a vital force that flows through the body.” The book includes diagrams for 64 pressure points and describes acupressure and aromatherapy treatments for 64 conditions, listed alphabetically from addiction to viral infections, as well as a glossary and index. Parramore acknowledges that conventional medical treatments are the appropriate choice in some instances, such as a traumatic accident, but writes that alternative treatments may be better in other situations, such as alleviating day-to-day symptoms. Although the diagrams are well drawn and explained, it may still be difficult for inexperienced readers to accurately find the correct pressure point without additional guidance. (Dec.)