An old Chinese proverb suggests, “relaxation is who you are, tension is who you think you should be.” Traditional Chinese Medicine has been using massage since the beginning of time, aging at about 3,000 years old.  Traditional Chinese Medicine aims at keeping the energy, or qi, balanced in the body. The qi moves through the meridians. When the movement is stagnant, dis-ease occurs. When the energy is too low or too high, dis-ease occurs. The most common type of Traditional Chinese Medicine bodywork practiced today is called Tui Na massage.

Tui Na directly translated into English is “pressing and rubbing.” The Tui Na body worker will use pressing and rubbing techniques on the fascia in the body, to eventually get to moving the qi through the meridians. So how can this ancient method of bodywork assist with healing and what can it heal? Tui Na massage is usually combined with herbal remedies and acupuncture. Tui Na massage can help heal ailments caused from a build up from stress in the body and specific areas of tension and pain. 

When stress builds up in the body, it can cause dis-ease. With certain ailments stress can make the condition worse, or get in the way of the healing process. Therefore, it is extremely important to crave time out of the day to take time to de-stress and relax. Tui Na massage can help relieve stress and help with the following ailments:

1. Insomnia: We’ve all had stressful nights where we toss and turn trying to get some zzz’s in, perhaps before a big day. Insomnia can be caused by stress, as well as cause stress to the body. It is important to health to get enough sleep each night. Tui Na massage can help someone unwind, and get a good night sleep at night. Tui Na massage works with the energy in the body. Therefore, if your energy needs to be sedated, the bodyworker can press on acupressure point that will help settle down the active energy. Bodywork in general has been known to help with insomnia, due to the ability to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and turn off the sympathetic nervous system. In other words, it activates the part of your brain that tells your body to rest and digest and off the part that says fight or flight. 

2.Irritable Bowel Syndrome: IBS can be irritated by stress and cause physical symptoms of constipation or diarrhea. Tui Na massage in combination with herbal and acupuncture treatments can be extremely helpful for those working with IBS. The cause of IBS is still unknown. However, since Traditional Chinese Medicine assists with ailments in an energetic and a holistic way, it is a great option for IBS. By pressing on the pressure point related to the colon it helps to balance the vital life force in that organ. Therefore, for the condition where there is too much energy, diarrhea, the bodyworker will aim to decrease the abundant energy. In addition, the condition where energy is lacking, constipation, the bodyworker will aim to increase the deficient energy. In conjunction,  it is thought that IBS might be related to stress. Tui Na massage assists in reducing stress, making it an overall great choice for those who suffer from IBS. This will help the client to find balance in their colon, and help them find more balance in their overall well being. 

3.Headaches: Occasionally headaches can be caused by stress and nervous tension in the body. As we know already,  Tui Na massage help to relax the tension and stress in the body and in the mind. In addition, one can get a headache from the energy being stuck in the head, causing and imbalance, and a dis-ease. This formulates a headache. The beauty of Tui Na massage is that it circulates this energy. Helping the client find relief from their headaches.

Tui Na massage is also an effective remedy for ailments that are not directly related to stress. Tui Na massage can help with musculoskeletal ailments as well as neuromuscular ailments. Tui Na massage can help with these specific issues:

4. Any Pain in the Joints or Muscles: Tui Na massage help to soften the fascia in the body, helping to reduce pain in the areas in the joints or muscles. The fascia is the connective tissue in the body. In between each muscle and the skin, each muscle and another muscle, the organs and the muscle, the organs and the other organs, there is connective tissue. When it is tense and hard it causes pain an discomfort. Therefore, softening the connective tissue using Tui Na massage is a great way to find some pain relief.

5. Arthritis: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Arthritis is a condition that is caused by too much dampness, or yin in the body. Tui Na massage helps to balance the yin and yang aspects in the body. In other words, it balances the hot and the cold. For a client coming in with Arthritis, a bodyworker would assist them in increasing the heat in the body and reducing the cold. Also, the softening of the fascia can be extremely helpful in finding some pain relief in the joints for those with Arthritis.

6. Sciatica: Sciatica is caused by the sciatic nerve sending impulses from the low back and could go all the way down to the lower legs. Tui Na massage helps with this neuromuscular condition by softening the connective tissue around the nerve. It also helps to relax muscles that might be pressing on the nerve. Sciatica can be caused to by blocked energy near the sciatic nerve. The movement of energy that Tui Na provides helps blood flow to the areas of the sciatic nerve as well. However, it cannot heal the any structural issues that are causing the sciatica. It is effective for pain relief, but not treatment of the cause, if the cause is structural. No solicitation allowed and you will be asked to leave immediately if you solicit the therapist for any other service than Massage Therapy or touching Massage Therapist in a inappropriate manner.

There are many other great reasons to try Tui Na massage, these were just a few of my favorites. Tui Na massage can help a client get out of a place of tension, and get into a state of relaxation. Tui Na massage uses Traditional Chinese Medicine as a foundation for the style of bodywork. It is best received in conjunction with acupuncture and herbal remedies.