Patent Application
20210259919
Irritation and pain caused by hemorrhoids is a serious issue affecting millions of people. Hemorrhoids are sometimes addressed surgically to remove the offending tissue or assuaged through the use of topical medication, prevented through dietary modification, and treated through acupuncture using a variety of techniques including stimulation of the two “Ex-UE-2 Two Whites ERBAI” acupressure points used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide hemorrhoid relief. While acupuncture and acupressure can be helpful, the treatment has been limited typically to a weekly or twice weekly visit to an acupuncture office.
This invention provides a means to provide stimulation of the two “Ex-UE-2 Two Whites ERBAI” acupressure points outside of a clinical setting. By doing so a user is enabled to relieve hemorrhoid symptoms at their own discretion.
The invention pertains to a device for stimulating a pair of proximal acupuncture or acupressure points on the human forearm. More specifically, the present invention relates to an acupressure device for relieving hemorrhoid symptoms.
The effectiveness of acupuncture and acupressure for relieving pain and for treating certain physical disorders has been known for several thousand years. In acupuncture, fine needles are inserted into the skin at specific locations on the anatomy in order to treat specific disorders. Since it is an invasive procedure, acupuncture should be administered only by a skilled practitioner. Even with normal clinical precautions, there is a danger of infection at acupuncture sites.
Due, at least in part, to the disadvantages of acupuncture, acupressure has enjoyed increasing popularity. The same anatomical locations used for acupuncture are also used for acupressure; however, only pressure is applied to the location. Pressure alone has proven to be effective for the treatment of certain disorders and for certain symptomatic relief. Other methods of stimulation for acupuncture points including magnetic stimulation (achieved by placing a magnet on the specified acupuncture point) and electrical stimulation (achieved by running electrical charge through acupuncture needles or contact patches applied to the skin) have also been found to be effective.
Various devices have been developed for applying acupressure to the human body. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,495 to Isaacson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,898 to Chauve, et al. show acupressure devices in the form of bands that may be applied around an extremity.
The closest know prior art is a nausea control device for suppressing nausea by stimulation of the pericardium six (P6) acupuncture point at a human wrist. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,146A to Bertolucci, et al. shows a device that includes electronic circuitry for imparting electrical impulses via positive and negative electrodes to the P6 acupuncture point for alleviating nausea. No prior art was found for devices specifically intended to stimulate the Ex-UE-2 Two Whites ERBAI points to relieve hemorrhoid symptoms.
The device is a hemorrhoid mitigation devise which provides physical and/or magnetic stimulation to the two “Ex-UE-2 Two Whites ERBAI” acupressure points used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide hemorrhoid relief. The device is composed of a textile band or strap and two raised contact buttons disposed in the textile in position over the two “Ex-UE-2 Two Whites ERBAI” acupressure points on a user's forearm.
As shown in
Thus, the reader will see that any of the constructions of the Hemorrhoid mitigation device discussed above enable a user to relieve hemorrhoid symptoms at their own discretion.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
