What is Acupressure?
Acupressure is a practice from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that applies finger, thumb, or palm pressure to specific points on the body. These points, called acupoints, lie along the jīngluò: the network of channels through which qi (vital energy) is said to flow. Pressing an acupoint is said to influence qi flow in the corresponding meridian and organ system. The technique requires no needles and no clinical setting, making it the most accessible form of meridian-based practice.
Acupressure vs acupuncture, reflexology, and massage
Acupressure and acupuncture share the same theoretical map: the same meridian network, the same 361 classical acupoints, and the same claimed mechanism of qi regulation. The only difference is the instrument. Acupuncture uses fine needles inserted into the skin. Acupressure uses external pressure alone. Reflexology is sometimes confused with acupressure, but the two rest on different theories. Reflexology maps the whole body onto the surfaces of the foot, hand, or ear and makes no reference to qi or meridians. General massage works on soft tissue: muscles, fascia, and circulation. Acupressure targets specific points with the intent of affecting the qi network rather than tissue directly.
The classical account
The acupoints acupressure targets are catalogued in the Huángdì Nèijīng (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine), the foundational text of TCM compiled across several centuries from the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) onward. The classical system defines 361 acupoints along twelve primary meridians and two major extraordinary vessels. Each point has a name, a precise location on the body surface, and a documented set of therapeutic functions within the TCM diagnostic framework. Stimulating a point by pressure, needling, or moxibustion is said to clear qi stagnation or tonify a deficient organ system.
A commonly cited acupoint in non-clinical settings is P6 (Nei Guan, Pericardium 6), on the inner forearm about three finger-widths above the wrist. It is the point most studied for effects on nausea, including travel sickness and morning sickness. A second widely cited point is LI4 (He Gu, Large Intestine 4), between the thumb and index finger, associated in the classical texts with headache and facial conditions. ST36 (Zu San Li, Stomach 36), on the outer leg below the knee, is associated with digestive function and general vitality. These points are named and located consistently across classical and modern TCM sources.
What the evidence says
TCM operates with a theoretical framework that has no parallel in contemporary anatomy or physiology. Meridians have no identified physical correlate. Acupoints are not structurally distinct from surrounding skin. Systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials generally find that acupressure performs no better than sham acupressure for most outcomes. The notable exception is nausea: trials of P6 stimulation for postoperative nausea, chemotherapy-related nausea, and morning sickness have produced some positive findings, though the effect sizes are modest and results are inconsistent across studies. For other applications, including pain, anxiety, and sleep, the picture is similarly mixed. The scientific consensus, noted in the Wikipedia article on the practice, is that there is no scientific evidence for the existence of the qi-flow mechanism.
Acupressure in the index
The index has thin coverage of traditional Chinese medicine as a distinct genre. The entry most closely connected to this practice is Meridians, which describes the jīngluò system in full and places it within Taoist cosmology. Mantak Chia's entry covers the Taoist inner-alchemy tradition that works with the same channel map through movement, breath, and visualisation rather than point pressure. The Taoism entry gives the philosophical background: the qi-cosmology within which the meridian system was developed. For the Indian parallel, a different subtle-anatomy map with overlapping logic, see Prāṇa and the Subtle body entry. As acupressure-specific content enters the index, this entry will be the gathering point for it.