Zoey Gong reveals the power of acupressure points to relieve pain and stress

Zoey Gong is a 24-year-old Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nutritionist. TCM has continued to evolve over thousands of years and combines medicine with mind and body practices to address health issues. One aspect of TCM is acupuncture, which is the process of strategically placing very thin needles in the skin to treat pain, stress and other ailments.

Gong also works with acupressure techniques, which is acupuncture without the needles. Her tutorial is easy to do at home and she says it can help relieve neck and back pain, as well as anxiety.

“TCM, I think it’s magical because it treats us holistically,” Gong told In The Know. “In Western medicine, if you have a headache, you take pain relief to stop the pain. But in TCM we really find the root cause of all of your problems. Maybe these are just manifestations of a single problem. We treat that and, you know, many of your symptoms would disappear.”

Gong’s tutorial uses traditional acupuncture points, but she’ll be using her fingers instead of needles so that you can follow along.

Lower Back Pain

Find your belly button. Then use three to four fingers to press into it. Massage continuously for two to three minutes.

Next, stand up. Take two fists and knock the curve of your back. Then use your knuckles to massage the area.

“This not only relieves lower back pain but also help us to strengthen the kidneys,” Gong explained.

Neck Pain

Lift your head. Using your thumbs, massage the two dents where the head and neck meet just under the back of your skull.

Next, make a peace sign using your index and middle finger. Place your thumb between the two fingers. Then trace it down to find the space between the two knuckles. Ress the dent and move your head from left to right.

Anxiety

“This is really, really good at relieving any anxiety and tightness,” Gong said. “You know [if] you’re so anxious, you have shortness of breath.”

Take a fist and place it at the center of your chest. Then massage in a slow circular motion.

For more insight on Traditional Chinese Medicine follow Gong on Instagram and TikTok.

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