Tuina Massage
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This is a form of massage that uses many different techniques such as finger pressure, stretching and leverage applied to acupressure points, channels and muscle groups based on the same principles as acupuncture. In a typical session the client wears loose clothing, no shoes and lies on a couch. The practitioner examines the specific problems of the patient and begins to apply massage, usually through the clothes. Tuina compliments acupuncture but can also be effective as a treatment on its own. The massage offers affective relief for musculo-skeletal problems, such as lower-back pain, frozen shoulder, slipped discs and fractures, but can also be effective for many other conditions, particularly digestive problems and insomnia.
The massage tends to be deep and intensive but is taylored to the patients needs. One will leave after a session of Tui Naand acupuncture feeling considerably refreshed, more alert and as light as a feather.
Techniques date at least as early as the Shang Dynasty, around 1700 BC. Ancient inscriptions on oracle bones show that massage was used to treat infants and adult digestive conditions. In his book Jin Dui Yao Lue, Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the Han Dynasty (206 BC), wrote, "As soon as the heavy sensation of the limbs is felt, "Daoyin", "Tui na","Zhenjiu" and "Gaomo", all of which are therapeutic methods, are carried out in order to prevent... the disease from gaining a start." Around 700 CE, Tui na had developed into a separate study in the Imperial Medical College.
Tuina is one of the earliest medical forms known. The behaviour of our forefathers was to rub, press, knead, pound or stretch on themselves or their fellows bodies in order to keep out cold, get rid of discomfort and treat various injuries. Tuina or Chinese Therapeutic Massage involves more vigorous hand rolling grabbing and manipulating than Swedish or classical massage and uses finger pressure, stretching and leverage to stimulate the channels and acupuncture points. It is effective for musculoskeletal problems such as soft tissue injury,lower-back pain, frozen shoulder, slipped discs and fractures, but can also be used in treating internal problems like insomnia and digestivedisharmony. The massage is also valuable in the treatment of infantile diseases such as cough, fever, vomiting and night crying.
