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Chinese Therapy Balls
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Ask any oriental person what Chinese therapy balls are and they should know. They are usually two metal balls which you rotate in the palm of your hand for promote exercise and health. These Chinese therapy balls have a long history and have been produced for several hundred years.
They first started out as solid balls made of iron and were later replaced with hollow metal balls with chiming plates in the center. However, you can still find balls made of solid metal and stone.
People call these balls Chinese therapy balls because using them has a beneficial effect on your body. The Chinese believe that rotating the balls in your hand stimulates the acupuncture points in your palm improving chi flow and circulation similar to shiatsu massage. The simple act of rotating the therapy balls exercises and stretches the joints and muscles in your fingers to your forearms. It is not uncommon to see expert users rotating multiple balls, stacked balls, or heavy stone balls. You can imagine what controlling, balancing, and rotating 1 to 2 pounds in each hand can do for your strength and dexterity, but for most beginners, two balls from half to one pound combined is enough to get started.
Therapy for Arthritis
Many people look for Chinese therapy balls as a product to help with their arthritis symptoms. People have claimed that it helps warm up the hands before they start their hand intensive activities. Testimonials are easily found on the internet such as:
"Been pretty rough on my body. These seem to help somewhat with the joint swelling in my hands."
From: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=29833
"I've got four pairs of them, varying sizes. They are a must for a musician's hands, imho"
Therapy for Carpal Tunnel syndrome
Chinese therapy balls are also sought out for treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome. Before doing your activity, exercising with the balls helps loosens and stretches the joints. The balls are also come in a variety of hand painted artistic designs which make them a nice decorative piece on your desk always in reach when you need them.
As you can see, the above information only previews the long history and therapy benefits of the chinese therapy balls. But the benefits in terms of alternative health and western modern health are present and acknowledged by their users.
More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baoding_Balls
http://www.baodingballs.com
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