QIHAI
• Lie down comfortably and identify the point about two fingers directly below the belly button.
• Press and release this acupoint, using your index and middle fingers, for up to five minutes daily.
• Do this massage a week before the estimated start of the menstrual period, right up to the first day of the period.
GUANYUAN
• Lie down comfortably and identify the point about four fingers directly below the belly button.
• Press and release this acupoint, using your index and middle fingers, for up to five minutes daily.
• Do this massage a week before the estimated start of the menstrual period, right up to the first day of the period.
• NOTE: Both qihai and guanyuan are located in the lower abdominal area where menstrual pain typically occurs. Massaging these two points will enhance the qi and blood circulation in this area, helping to ease menstrual pain.
ZIGONGXUE
• Lie down comfortably.
Draw an imaginary line from the belly button down to a point about five fingers away.
• From the bottom of the last finger, shift about four fingers - right or left - from this imaginary line.
• Press and release this acupoint, using your index or middle finger, for up to five minutes daily.
• Do the same on the other side of the belly. There are two zigongxue in the lower abdominal region - one on the left and the other on the right.
• Do this massage a week or two before the estimated start of the menstrual period, right up to the first day of the period.
• NOTE: This acupoint is located near the ovary. Hence, it is useful for women whose menstrual pain occurs around the ovary. Some women also experience pain when they are ovulating, so this massage can help to ease the pain.
SANYINJIAO
• Sit comfortably. This point is four fingers above the highest point of the inner ankle.
• Press and release this acupoint, using your thumb or index finger, for five minutes daily.
• NOTE: This is the intersection point of three "yin" meridians - the liver, spleen and kidney.
Applying pressure on this point will help regulate these three organs to achieve menstrual wellness.
Do not massage this point during pregnancy.
Source: Ms Gee Swee Sien, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner at Thomson Chinese Medicine (I12 Katong)
