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We all have or have had pains, some only niggling whilst others chronic. Some people become addicted to painkillers in an effort to treat chronic pains. Of all the alternative methods of controlling pain shiatsu and reflexology have become more and more popular. Like massage, they are great tools for those who believe in the importance of gentle healing touch.

An advantage of shiatsu and reflexology is that anyone can learn the various techniques and the benefits associated with their use. If you know where to press you can alleviate pain in almost any part of the body. Anyone can use the techniques on himself or herself at the first note of pain and as a preventative act.

A general pain, which almost everyone has suffered, is a headache. Some are worse than others especially for those who have migraines. If you have regular headaches you should keep a diary of when you get them so you can hopefully find what triggers them. Some people have told me that chocolate or coffee can trigger a headache so keeping a diary may find your trigger point.

Performing shiatsu on ones self can possibly stop the pain before it becomes major if you perform it at the first inclination of the pain. You can perform some simple daily shiatsu on yourself as a preventative measure. Try the following the instant you feel a headache coming:

- Press the inside corners of each eye for 5-10 seconds.
- Press the points under your eyebrows and then pinch your eyebrows again for 5-10 seconds.
- With your fingers apart place each hand on the each side of the head and run them down you neck.
- Press your thumbs up into the base of the skull for 5-10 seconds. - Massage the neck for a short time.
- Lie down and place a tennis ball under the lower part of the back and slowly roll on it.
- Pinch your little and big toe (hopefully this won?t be ticklish).

After performing this technique it is hoped that your headache has gone, if not do it again. It also helps to be conscious of your posture when standing and sitting down.

Most people love a foot massage unless it is too ticklish to handle, as the foot is one of the most sensitive parts of the body. Imagine that, and the feet have the greatest amount of pressure on them as we are always either walking or running on them. A foot massage is both beneficial and relaxing but what reflexology does is provide a more specific method of diagnosing problems as well as stimulating the regeneration process in the whole body.

Reflexology, for those that don?t know is based on the principle that the body is divided into ten zones and each has a corresponding area of the foot. Those who practice this art say that a sensitive area in the foot can indicate a problem in the corresponding area/organ in the body. By working on this area it can help alleviate the problem by helping the body return back to a natural balance.

Reflexology has a long history, as it is well known that the early Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians and Indians worked on people?s feet to promote health and well-being. It is basically a system of pressure points on the feet, which produce an analgesic effect when stimulated.

Reflexology has been known to reduce stress, improve the circulation system and revitalize the body?s energy levels. To be able to diagnose you must be professionally trained but anyone can learn some of the basic techniques.

Remember, alternative treatments have been around for thousands of years and we must be open minded to these as these techniques can have a tremendous impact on our health and way of life especially in this crazy mixed up world that we live in.