Prana Mat

I’m stubborn when it comes to seeking out professional help for pain, which is ironic because I’m a dentist. I really think it’s more about the inconvenience. I hate having to make an appointment, take time out of my busy schedule, wait in a doctors office, etc. But last June, I hurt myself pretty bad. I strained muscles in my shoulder, back, and neck. I workout 5-6 days a week, and while i consider going to the gym and yoga as an investment in my health, those activities also take a toll on the body. My fitness routine had yang and no yin, which is what i believe ultimately led to my injuries. 

Once i was injured all I wanted was to be 100% healthy again, so I began to seek out ways to expedite my healing process. I tried acupuncture, dry needling, massage therapy, cupping, and acupressure. While I can talk about all of these methods, and probably will highlight them at some point on the blog, right now I just want to focus on acupressure. 

Being in the field of dentistry I am all about evidence based medicine and the literature. With that being said I am notclosed minded when it comes to alternative medicine. Sometimes there’s a lack of literature but not a lack of personal experience to support the efficacy of the therapy. To be clear… currently evidence says acupressure MAY be beneficial in the management of a variety of symptoms. I’m not here to support the evidence, my goal is to share my experience.

•WHAT IS ACUPRESSURE? Is a form of complementary and alternative medicine therapy with origins in China. A short explanation is that points across the meridians are activated which results in pain reduction. It is a form of acupuncture with similar reflexology concepts. Overall activation of these points leads to the release of muscular tension and other therapeutic effects.

•WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Management of pain (chronic pain, back pain, trauma, dysmenorrhea, etc), nausea and vomiting related to pregnancy and chemotherapy, dyspnea, fatigue and insomnia reduction. The list is extensive.

•EZ EXPERIENCE. When I first laid on the mat, it felt like I just laid on a bed of porcupines. It was UNCOMFORTABLE, but that feeling did not last, and I actually found it to be beneficial. After about 1-2 mins the prickly feeling goes away and as long as you stay still, the pricking turns into more of an overall soothing. Being forced to stay still allowed for both my mind and my body to settle.I chose to lay on the mat for about 15 minutes. When I was done, any parts of my body that came in contact with the mat were red and had indentations from the pressure contact points. I wasn’t worried about that, the indentations were gone within 30 minutes. What i noticed is that I felt better overall. I could tell my body had released tension, and I felt relaxed. After laying on the mat a couple more times over the span of a month, I noticed that my pain had gone away entirely. To be fair, I do think time and rest played a large part in my healing as well, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the @pranamat aided in my recovery.

•EZ TAKEAWAY. @pranaMat and acupressure mats in general are a great alternative for pain management because they allow you to take control of your self-care. You can do it on your own time, the mats are small enough that they can be travel friendly, and you don’t have to depend on anyone to aid in your therapy. There are several mats on the market, some can even be purchased on @amazon. In general the prices range from $20-300. I chose @pranaMat because I saw an ad on Instagram, and when I looked into the people using it, they seemed to be really happy with their results. In addition, the company is centered on holistic well-being and they focus a lot of their effort on producing mats with integrity. Sometimes I lay on the mat and meditate, sometimes I choose to read a book, but the fact of the matter is that I always leave the mat feeling better than I did when I got on it. 

References: Contemporary Acupressure Therapy J Tradit Complement Med. 2017 Apr; 7(2): 251–263.Published online 2016 Jul 22. The efficacy of acupressure for symptom management: A systematic review. J Pain and Symptom Management. 42(4). 589-603. April 2011