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As someone who gets headaches fairly frequently, I’ve been hoping to find a natural remedy for the pain that doesn’t involve taking NSAIDS. Among other undesirable side effects, NSAIDS severely damage your gut lining, so since I’ve struggled with a leaky gut and I’m working to keep it healthy, I don’t want to ruin my progress by popping some pills. Most days I can just tough it out through the pain, but when I get a headache at night, they keep me from sleeping and that’s when I have taken pills out of desperation.
A friend of mine who lives and breathes holistic health shared how much her acupressure mat has helped with her headaches so I figured I would give this mat a shot. I ended up choosing the Nayoya Acupressure Mat & Pillow Set. They make some pretty big claims on the website about this set’s effectiveness:
- IMMEDIATE back and neck pain relief in the comfort of your home in as little as 20 minutes per day
- ELIMINATES the need for expensive treatments as well as therapist, masseuse and chiropractor visits
- EFFECTIVELY induces a state of complete relaxation while reducing aches, pain, stress and tension
- RELIEVES not only back, neck, shoulder and sciatic pain whether mild or chronic but also relieves headaches
- OTHER BENEFITS include improved sleep, circulation, and mood as well an increase in energy levels. This item is backed by a lifetime money back guarantee
I’m not sure if I believe all the claims, but they had me at lifetime money back guarantee! Once I got the mat, I unpacked it and was a little surprised at just how spiky the acupoints were, but it had to be less scary than actual needles going into your body, right?! There are 1,782 acupoints on the neck pillow and 6,210 acupoints on the mat, so they really make sure you’re getting all those pressure points covered.
I waited until I was experiencing a headache to use the mat and pillow, but was a little nervous as to whether the acupoints would make my pain worse. It was a little uncomfortable until I was able to relax on the mat and pillow. I’d say it took about 5-10 minutes for me to start feeling some pain relief. I stayed on them for the recommended 20 minutes and was feeling good (it was a semi-numb feeling) by the end. After I got up, I could still feel some pain in my head, but the intensity of the pain had decreased.
My verdict: An acupressure pillow/mat is a great tool to achieve some natural pain relief. For me, it was mostly temporary relief, but maybe over time, it will help to completely relieve the pain if I continue to use it. I’m interested to hear from those of you that have tried either acupressure or acupuncture. Has it worked for you? Did it eliminate your headaches or other areas of pain or just relieve it for a little while?
Let me know your thoughts and questions below.
Thanks for reading about my latest healthy living experiment.
Emily
The Planking Traveler 