Today’s Solutions: March 30, 2026

You’d be surprised how much relief you can bring to your aching back without having to seek professional help. In a new study from the University of Michigan, researchers found out that self-administered acupressure can alleviate chronic pain in the back. Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but instead of using needles, “pressure is applied with a finger, thumb, or device to specific points on the body.”

Acupressure works in two ways. The first is that it massages and stretches out the muscles, increasing blood flow and healing oxygen to the problem area. Secondly, it helps improve the flow between the different energy channels, also known as meridians, to help relax the nervous system.

If you’re suffering from back pain and don’t feel particularly crazy about someone sticking multiple needles into your body, as is common in acupuncture, perhaps it’s time you try some self-administered acupressure.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

How Mexico’s conservation work brought monarchs back from the brink

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Every fall, tens of millions of monarch butterflies travel nearly 3,000 miles from Canada, through the United States, ...

Read More

The high school student whose filter uses magnetic oil to trap microplastics

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The story starts with a newspaper article and a neighborhood that wasn't getting help. A few years ago, ...

Read More

Brown bear population in the Pyrenees makes a bear-y impressive comeback

Back in 1996, the addition of three bears from Slovenia launched a conservation plan to reintroduce the near-extinct brown bears in the Pyrenees. The ...

Read More

Why venting makes anger worse – and what actually helps

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When anger flares up, many of us turn to venting—whether it is ranting to a friend, punching a ...

Read More