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 Tui Na is a simple yet very effective division of Traditional Chinese Medicine of bodywork therapy, which has been practiced and used in China for thousands of years. It is a form of manipulation and systematic massage based on traditional Chinese medicine principles and theory of Qi flow, Yin &Yang and the Five Elements as well as the concept of meridians and acupressure points. It is derived from the Chinese characters "Tui" - to push and "Na" - to grasp, two techniques fundamental to traditional Chinese medical massage and manipulation.
Tui Na is believed to be one of the oldest forms of bodywork therapy practiced today with its origins dating back to the Shang Dynasty of China (B.C. 16 century to B.C. 11 century). Oracle bones founded by the archaeologist show that tui na massage was used to treat children's diseases and digestive complaints in adults. The oracle bones used in the Shang Dynasty represent the earliest examples of Chinese writing currently known. Tui Na is also documented in the classical ancient medical text of Hung-Ti Nei-Jing (or Yellow Emperor's Cannon of Internal Medicine), which was written over 2000 years ago (500-300 BC).
 The actual term Tui Na was not coined until the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD). During the ming dynasty a number of books were issued regarding the use of Tui Na in treating traumatic injury and childhood diseases. An important medical book published during the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911) was "The Golden Mirror of Medicine".A large portion of this book is devoted to Tui Na, especially the use of Tui Na in the treatment of traumatic injuries. In the books eight methods were introduced: palpating (Mo), rejoining (Jie), opposing (Duan), lifting (Ti), pressing (An), kneading (Mo), pushing (Tui) and grasping (Na)-and these remain the basic principles for treatment today.
Tui Na therapy is sometimes referred as the acupuncture without the needles. Instead of needles, movement and pressure is applied to facilitate the flow of qi through the meridian channels and to regulate this with deep stimulation of relevant qi points. Don't confuse tui na with acupressure. Acupressure is static pressure, applied to acupoints. Tui na is quiet different from acupressure with respects to its diverse range of techniques that are designed to focus pressure with movement both along the meridians and into the qi points. Tui na methods include the use of hand techniques to massage the soft tissue (muscles and tendons) of the body, acupressure techniques to directly affect the flow of Qi, and manipulation techniques to realign the muscular skeletal and ligament relationships (bone-setting). External herbal poultices, compresses, liniments, and salves are also used to enhance the other therapeutic methods. Tu Na uses 14 meridians and 360 points on the body. Manipulating these clears the meridians of blockages, promotes circulation, restores and treats soft tissue injuries and corrects deformed and abnormally located bones and tendons. It also relaxes and stimulates that body and mind for good physiological and emotional balance.
 There are many different systems of Tui Na with primary emphasis on particular techniques, conditions, age etc. One of the methods of tui na is called "gun fa" or the rolling style which was developed in Shanghai around the 1920's. The rolling style emphasizes soft tissue techniques and specializes in joint injuries and muscle sprains as well as insomnia, migraines, and high blood pressure. Another method of tui na is the one finger pushing method which puts emphasize on techniques for acupressure and the treatment of internal diseases. The Nei Gung method emphasizes the use of internal energy generation exercises and specific massage methods for revitalizing depleted energy systems. The bone setting method emphasizes manipulation methods to realign the muscular skeletal and ligament relationships and specializes in joint injuries and nerve pain.Pediatric Tui Na method is good for both overcoming and preventing sickness. It is widely used method for children and addresses the different acupoints found in infants with meridians, which are not fully developed.
Over thousands of years, Tui na has, evolved into a highly sophisticated system of Chinese medical massage and manipulation, spreading far and wide. Today it's being offered in virtually every hospital in China and thousands of clinics around the world. |
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