Tui-na
...Medical Bodywork...
Chinese Medicine has a long history (2,000+ years) of using manual therapy techniques (or bodywork) to aid in relieving pain, recovering from illnesses, restoring mobility, promoting relaxation, and enhancing immune system. This form of manual therapy is called Tui-na. "Tui" means pushing and "Na" means grasping. Tui-na incorporates various techniques -- such as pressing, rolling, grasping, pushing, shaking, and etc. - in conjunction with breathing and movements if needed - along with the applications of meridians and the energetic (or acupuncture) points.
Combined with appropriate herbal applications, tui-na is very beneficial to treat many disorders or illnesses. For example: common cold, muscle pains/cramps, weakness of limbs, pain in any part of the body, digestive disorders, insomnia, accidental or sports injury, hypertension, arthritic pain, and hemiplegia after stroke are all appropriate for tui-na intervention.
In addition, tui-na is also very effective in preventive care. Reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and enhancing immune system are very suitable for therapeutic tui-na bodywork. Depending on the severity of the condition, tui-na can be applied along with acupuncture or other modalities to increase the effectiveness of a treatment outcome.
Q: What is the difference between Western massage and the therapeutic tui-na bodywork?
Tui-na applies to a far wider range of disorders and illnesses than the Western massage which emphasizes its skills and knowledge in muscular regions. For example, if neck/shoulder/back tightness or pain is due to an onset of an acute common cold, Western massage can address the muscle discomfort on those affected local areas. Tui-na can not only alleviate the muscular tightness of pain, but also treat the common cold and other associated signs and symptoms concurrently. The reason is that a tui-na practitioner often is a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) as well who is trained to diagnose and prescribe treatments based on the Chinese Medicine wholistic principle.
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