Acupressure for Sinus Congestion: 3 Points for a Stuffy Nose

Introduction

The worst part of a blocked nose is not the nose. It is everything the nose was doing for you — the taste of food, the first deep breath of cold morning air, the ability to lie down at night without the room tilting. Congestion flattens all of it at once.

Chinese tradition keeps a small set of face points for exactly this feeling, and three of them are easy to learn in one sitting: LI20 (Yingxiang), Bitong, and Yintang. None of them require tools. All of them are comfort measures — they will not drain an infected sinus or cure a cold, and nothing in this article claims they do. If stuffiness is your only symptom, they are worth knowing.

Pair them with the food-side of the same season — our autumn dryness guide covers why dry air makes noses miserable — and you have a quieter few weeks.

Point 1: LI20 (Yingxiang) — the classic

Yingxiang (迎香) translates as "Welcome Fragrance" — a name that tells you what it is for. In TCM theory it is the meeting point of the large intestine and stomach meridians at the nose, traditionally used whenever the nose stops welcoming fragrance.

Where it is:

1. Place a fingertip just beside your nostril, in the small crease where the nose meets the cheek.
2. Slide up to the bottom of the nasolabial fold — the smile line.
3. You are in a shallow dip. Pressing there often gives a tender, slightly buzzy feeling that radiates into the nose.

How to press: Both sides at once, fingertips or knuckles, firm circles for 1–2 minutes. Breathe slowly through whatever gap the nose still offers. Repeat several times a day as needed.

Point 2: Bitong — the extra point

Bitong (鼻通) means "nose opening." It is an extra point — not on a main meridian — which suits a stubbornly practical job.

Where it is: At the top edge of the nasolabial fold, right where it meets the nostril wing — roughly half a finger-width above Yingxiang, hugging the side of the nose.

How to press: Small circles, one side at a time, 1 minute each. The spot is often more tender than Yingxiang, so ease in. If you can only remember one routine: press Yingxiang for a minute, then slide up to Bitong for another.

Point 3: Yintang — the brow

Yintang (印堂) sits between the eyebrows — the spot people instinctively rub when their head feels heavy. TCM places it on the governing vessel at the "hall of impression," traditionally used for a stuffy nose, heavy brow, and restless evenings.

Where it is: Midway between the inner ends of the eyebrows.

How to press: One fingertip, slow circles, 1–2 minutes. Pressure light enough to keep your brow relaxed. This is the point to finish with, ideally sitting down somewhere quiet — its traditional job is as much about settling as about the nose.

Make it work harder: steam first

Pressing into dry, irritated passages feels worse than doing nothing. Warm, humid air first changes that:

• Lean over a bowl of comfortably hot water with a towel over your head for 5–10 minutes, or simply breathe in a steamy shower.
• A warm compress laid across the nose and cheeks does part of the same job.
• Then press the three points — the tissue is warmer, and the whole routine feels less like poking.

Steam is comfort care too. It softens the feeling of blockage; it does not treat infection.

When a Stuffy Nose Is Not Just a Stuffy Nose

Congestion is usually ordinary. See a doctor when it is not ordinary-shaped:

• One side stays blocked for weeks without an obvious cause
• Bloody or one-sided foul discharge
• Facial pain or pressure with fever — possible sinus infection
• Symptoms lasting beyond about 10 days, or clearly worsening after first improving
• Vision changes, severe headache, or swelling around the eye — urgent

And the standing boundaries of this site apply: self-care pages are education, not diagnosis, and persistent symptoms belong with a clinician.

For Children

Kids tolerate face points poorly — the technique is the same but the touch changes. Use one fingertip, the lightest useful pressure, and frame it as a game rather than a treatment; a few gentle circles beside the nose is enough. Never press while a child is asleep or fighting it, and skip anything that makes them flinch. For babies, acupressure is not the tool — a cool-mist humidifier and pediatrician-approved saline drops are.

Acupressure here is comfort practice and general education. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any condition — a stubborn or worsening nose belongs with a healthcare provider.