Chinese Medicine Massage and Therapy

I. Introduction

The treatment that acts on the skin and muscle of the body technically by hands and fingers is called massage.

According to Records of the Historian in China, Bianque, a famous physician in Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), had cured Prince Guo's Shi Jue Zheng (deathlike faint disease) by using massage. From the Qin Dynasty till now, massage has had a history of more than two thousand years. The oldest monograph on massage should be the Yellow Emperor's Canon of Massage (in ten volumes), but it's a pity that the book had lost. Massage was also mentioned in the Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon of Medicine. In ancient times, Chinese was able to treat various diseases with massage, such as limb paralysis, debility, faint, moist disease, chill and fever, etc.

There are so many advantages of massage, for example, it is easy to learn, convenient to practice, economical, and an alternative for medicine as well. Massage plays a role of analeptic as well as sedative, respectively, for it can either make people refreshed or calm down.

It is relatively safe for general chronic diseases or overly weak patients, because massage is propitious to circulation and metabolism. As to children who are inconvenient to take medicine, massage could boost up the constitution and function of the children's body. Regarding some complicated diseases, this method could be used cooperatively with acupuncture and medication. However, as to some acute or hyperpyretic infections, or organs having pathological changes such as typhoid, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis and so on, massage only has supporting effects. Patients having serious or acute diseases such as tumor, acute suppurative appendicitis, intestinal perforation, cholecystitis due to bilis duct ascarid etc. should get nosocomial first aid. It is relatively safe for general chronic diseases or overly weak patients, because massage is propitious to circulation and metabolism.

As to children who are inconvenient to take medicine, massage could boost up the constitution and function of the children's body. Regarding some complicated diseases, this method could be used cooperatively with acupuncture and medication. However, as to some acute or hyperpyretic infections, or organs having pathological changes such as typhoid, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis and so on, massage only has supporting effects. Patients having serious or acute diseases such as tumor, acute suppurative appendicitis, intestinal perforation, cholecystitis due to bilis duct ascarid etc. should get nosocomial first aid.

II. Indications and Contraindications of MassageIndications

Wrick, joint disarticulation, strain of lumbar muscles, amyotrophy, migraine, fore and back headache, trifacial neuralgia, inter-rib neuralgia, femoral neuralgia, sciatica, waist & back neuralgia, arthralgia (including shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, ankle, toe); facial neural paralysis, facial muscle spasm, gastrocnemius spasm; muscle pain due to rheumatism, including muscle pain inshoulder, back, waist, knee, etc., as well as acute or chronic rheumatic arthritis, gall of joint synovium, ankylosis, etc.

Other indications include neurogenic vomiting, dyspepsia, habitual constipation, gastroptosis, chronic gastritis, insomnia, spermatorrhea, dysmenorrhea and neurosis as well, all of which can be treated through massaging.

Contraindications

Various acute infections, acute osteomyelitis, tuberculous arthritis, infective dermatosis, eczema, scald by water or fire, cutaneous ulcer, tumor and all kinds of sore, as well as menses and pregnancy of more than five months, acute peritonitis, acute purulent peritonitis, acute appendicitis, weakness because of long-term sickness or senility and serious cardiovascular disease.

III. Categories and Techniques

The massage is usually classed into two categories. One is called active massage or self-massage, which is a method of health care by massaging oneself. The other is passive massage, which is used by doctors as massage therapy. The frequently used techniques of massage include pressing, rubbing, bunting, seizing, kneading, pinching, quivering and beating. However, the above techniques are not used alone but usually cooperatively.

Pressing

The pressing is fingertip or fingerplate rising and falling rhythmically on proper position of the patient's body, which usually can be done by one hand or both hands.

Generally, one-hand or two-hand pressing is applied below ribs or on abdomen in clinic. While on back or other muscle-thick parts, one-hand pressing with added pressure is applied, that is, the right hand presses the finger back of the left hand placing on the body with gentle strength and vice versa.

Rubbing

Rubbing means touching -- touching softly on the proper part of the patient's body with the finger or palm, which is often used cooperatively with pressing and bunting. There are one-hand rubbing used for upper limbs and the shoulder end, and two-hand rubbing used for the chest.

Beating

Beating is also called knocking, which is usually applied after kneading and rubbing. It can also be carried out alone when necessary.

When carrying out beating, the strength must be well-situated. Only suitable application could relax the patient, otherwise it will result in uncomfortable experience. Generally, both hands are used when beating, and the frequently used methods are side-palm chopping, flat-palm patting, across fist knocking and upright fist knocking, etc.

1. Side-Palm Chopping

Both palms Stand side to side, with the thumb upward and the little finger downward. Moreover fingers should have about one centimeter distance from each other. Following the fall of palms with shut fingers, raise hands with separate fingers. Raise and lay down both hands in turn.

2. Flat-Palm Patting

Put both palms on the muscle, and tap rhythmically in turn.

3. Across Fist-Knocking

Make a fist with hand-back upward and thumbs against each other, moreover loose with a little space between fingers and the palm. Knock across with both fists in turn. This method is usually used on muscle-rich parts, such as waist, leg and shoulder.

4. Upright Fist Knocking

Make an upright fist with thumb upside and little finger downside. Loose with a little space between fingers and the palm. This is usually used on the back and the waist. Four methods of beating mentioned above are mostly utilized on muscle-rich parts, e.g. neck, shoulder, back, waist, thigh and crus.

Knock gently at first, put on some force slowly, and then lose force gradually. The force here will never be extremely heavy. Anyhow, it is the most important to make patients feel comfortable. As to the speed of beating, it should be generally slow at the beginning and then fast. Two times per second at the beginning, and gradually increase to six or eight times per second.

Herbs for Diabetes

Since antiquity, diabetes has been treated with plant medicines. Recent scientific investigation has confirmed the efficacy of many of these preparations, some of which are remarkably effective. Only those herbs that appear most effective, are relatively non-toxic and have substantial documentation of efficacy are covered here.

Pterocarpus marsupium (Indian Kino, Malabar Kino, Pitasara, Venga)

The tree is the source of the Kino of the European pharmacopeas. The gum-resin looks like dried blood (Dragon's blood), much used in Indian medicine. This herb has a long history of use in India as a treatment for diabetes. The flavonoid, (-)-epicatechin, extracted from the bark of this plant has been shown to prevent alloxan-induced beta cell damage in rats.

Both epicatechin and a crude alcohol extract of Pterocarpus marsupium have actually been shown to regenerate functional pancreatic beta cells. No other drug or natural agent has been shown to generate this activity.

Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia)
Bitter melon, also known as balsam pear, is a tropical vegetable widely cultivated in Asia, Africa and South America, and has been used extensively in folk medicine as a remedy for diabetes. The blood sugar lowering action of the fresh juice or extract of the unripe fruit has been clearly established in both experimental and clinical studies.

Bitter melon is composed of several compounds with confirmed anti-diabetic properties. Charantin, extracted by alcohol, is a hypoglycaemic agent composed of mixed steroids that is more potent than the drug tolbutamide which is often used in the treatment of diabetes. Momordica also contains an insulin-like polypeptide, polypeptide-P, which lowers blood sugar levels when injected subcutaneously into type 1 diabetic patients. The oral administration of 50-60 ml of the juice has shown good results in clinical trials.

Excessively high doses of bitter melon juice can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Small children or anyone with hypoglycemia should not take bitter melon, since this herb could theoretically trigger or worsen low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Furthermore, diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs (such as chlorpropamide, glyburide, or phenformin) or insulin should use bitter melon with caution, as it may potentiate the effectiveness of the drugs, leading to severe hypoglycemia.

Onion and Garlic ( Allium cepa and Allium sativum)
Onion and garlic have significant blood sugar lowering action. The principal active ingredients are believed to be allyl propyl disulphide (APDS) and diallyl disulphide oxide (allicin), although other constitutents such as flavonoids may play a role as well.

Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that APDS lowers glucose levels by competing with insulin for insulin-inactivating sites in the liver. This results in an increase of free insulin. APDS administered in doses of 125 mg/ kg to fasting humans was found to cause a marked fall in blood glucose levels and an increase in serum insulin. Allicin doses of 100 mg/kg produced a similar effect.

Onion extract was found to reduce blood sugar levels during oral and intravenous glucose tolerance. The effect improved as the dosage was increased; however, beneficial effects were observed even for low levels that used in the diet (eg., 25 to 200 grams). The effects were similar in both raw and boiled onion extracts. Onions affect the hepatic metabolism of glucose and/or increases the release of insulin, and/or prevent insulin's destruction.

The additional benefit of the use of garlic and onions are their beneficial cardiovascular effects. They are found to lower lipid levels, inhibit platelet aggregation and are antihypertensive. So, liberal use of onion and garlic are recommended for diabetic patients.

General-Acupuncture

Well, it's that time again. The pollen streams are flowing, and so are your sinuses. As is the case with many acupuncturists, we see a great number of people for seasonal and year round allergies in our clinic. In fact, along with conditions such as pain, anxiety & depression, headaches & migraines, and fertility, allergies are one of the most commonly treated conditions with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

Within this article I am going to offer some theory to explain how acupuncture is used to treat allergies as well as offer some of the self-help recommendations that I frequently make to many of my allergy patients.

Causes of Allergies:
In basic terms, allergies arise from a hypersensitive immune system. How it got that way can be from over exposure to certain substances, from having low immunity in general, or from being around too many allergens at any given time. The bottom line is that your body has "learned" to be allergic to certain substances. Treatment involves rebalancing the immune system to stop the allergic response to various stimuli.

Chinese Medicine Theory:
From a Chinese Medicine perspective what people are allergic to is less of an issue - so allergy tests, for example, are not necessary for treatment. What does help is knowing when the allergies started. Did the allergies start when you were young? Did they start after a few stressful years in college? or perhaps after some other combination of life changes?
Other useful information is knowing how strong the persons immune system is - do you get frequent colds and flus? do you have related conditions such as asthma, wheezing, etc.? Additionally, seemingly unrelated information (which is very related) such as stress levels, quality of sleep, and dietary issues that might contribute to allergies.

Knowing that Chinese Medicine treats the entire person and not just a condition, all of this information is crucial for finding an appropriate diagnosis. For symptoms of allergies these can be patterns such as Lung Qi Deficiency, Kidney Qi Deficiency, Wind Cold, Wind Heat, etc. The important part of these names is that they allow you to fine tune a treatment to each person which is why acupuncture, properly applied, can be so effective for allergies.

Treatment Goals:
As opposed to western treatments which are intended simply to block the symptoms (which they do a decent job of), Chinese Medicine offers both acute treatments for symptom relief and treatments over a longer period with the goal of regulating the imbalance behind the allergies.
That is, the ultimate goal of Chinese Medicine is to completely treat the root cause of allergies within you so that the symptoms do not come back.The best time to come for treatment is 2-3 months before the season starts. For better or for worse most people come at the peak of the season where we have to focus more on symptomatic relief before we can focus solely on the underlying causes. Either way, for the majority of people we can lessen the symptoms they have for the current season and greatly reduce if not entirely eliminate the responses in following seasons. For year round sufferers, anytime is a good time to start treatment.

What Self-Help Options Can I Use?

Dietary Change:
One of the leading contributors to allergy problems is excessive intake of dairy products, particularly milk. Dairy in Chinese Medicine contributes to the production of mucus and is an irritant to the immune system. Hard cheeses and yogurt are better tolerated, but they still should be used minimally. If you are concerned about calcium know that there are plenty of other sources such as oranges, almonds, and kale to help meet your dietary requirements.

The test I usually have people do is to drink some milk, or eat some cheese and see if their nose starts to run relatively soon afterwards. For those food items that elicit this response you should use them sparingly if at all particularly during allergy season.

Nasal Cleansing:
Nasal cleansing (or neti) pots are an extremely useful self-help tool. Nasal cleansing is done with specially designed pots that rush a salt water mixture through your nasal passage and out of the other nostril. If you haven't seen them before we have these items within our store - ceramic neti pot, and neti pot salt mixture.

The process is most effective if done daily during your peak allergy times whether or not your symptoms are aggravated. The process helps keep pollen and other irritants out of your nasal passages and the salt mixture helps to remove inflammation so you can breath easier. The vast majority of people find the neti pot and very helpful tool.

Chinese Herbal Medicine:
While obviously biased, I prefer using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas to many of their western medical counterparts. Many of these formulas have been around for hundreds of years and play a dual role of symptomatic relief and helping to heal the underlying causes. Within TCM, there are many options and it is best to seek a consultation with your acupuncturist to find which one is most suited for you.

A very commonly used formula is Te Xiao Bi Min Gan Pian which is very helpful for the relief of allergy symptoms and has a strong track record of safety. When people are outside of their peak allergy season we may use other formulas to strengthen their lungs and immune system more broadly to avoid future allergy problems. But for most, this is what we for primary symptom relief.

Acupressure:
Another option for symptomatic relief of allergy symptoms is acupressure. A few of the most commonly used acupressure points for allergy relief are listed below:

• UB 2

Location: On the Bladder meridian, located directly above the inner corner of the eye on the inside end of the eyebrow (you will feel a little notch in the bone there and it will be quite sore). Uses: Sinus congestion, red, watery eyes...

• LI 20

Location: On the Large Intestine meridian, located on either side of your nose about 1/8 of an inch back from the tip (where your nose and your face meet). Uses: Any sinus issues...

• LU 7

Location: On the Lung meridian, located about 1.5 fingers width above your wrist crease, just after the styloid process of the radius. Generally found by sliding your finger from the thumb side of your wrist crease over the styloid process and press where sore. Uses: cold symptoms (sneezing, chills, runny nose), sore throat.

• LI 4

Location: On the Large Intestine meridian, located in the middle of the web between your thumb and forefinger. Generally found by sliding your finger from the joint of your index finger towards your wrist stopping in the depression where the thumb and the index finger bones meet and pressing where most tender Uses: headaches in the front of the head, pain anywhere, cold symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, etc. {{Do not use if pregnant}}.

A useful acupressure for allergies protocol would be to hold, UB 2 on both sides, then LI 20 on both sides, then LU 7 on the left side, LI 4 on the left side, then LU 7 and LI 4 on the right (avoiding LI 4 if you are pregnant). Each point should be held for 30-60 seconds and you can repeat the sequence or individual points 2-3 times a day when experiencing allergy symptoms.

Hopefully you will all find some useful tools within this presentation and can start eliminating your need to suffer through another allergy season. While western medications are very helpful they do not treat the underlying causes of allergies. By balancing our immune systems in general we can offset these issues in the future.

Complementary alternative medicine

You probably have a basic understanding of how modern medicine works: People have a yearly checkup, take medicine when they're sick, get a cast if they break a bone, and they're good as new.

But in recent years other approaches to healing have risen in popularity. Many of these "alternative" techniques come from all over the globe and have been around for thousands of years. So what is alternative medicine and what does it do?

What Is It?

The term "alternative medicine" is used to describe healing treatments that are not part of conventional medical training — like acupuncture, massage therapy, or herbal medicine. People used to consider practices like these outside the mainstream, which is why they got the name "alternative."


Eastern countries have a longstanding tradition of teaching alternative medicine. But until recently, most Western hospitals didn't provide any alternative treatments and Western medical schools didn't teach them.


Patients in Western countries are becoming more receptive to trying alternative techniques, and have been asking for them. As a result, many Western medical schools are starting to teach these medicine techniques and theories. Some hospitals and doctors are supplementing their regular medical care with alternative techniques.
Many patients and health care providers use alternative treatments together with conventional therapies. This is known as complementary medicine.


Both alternative and complementary medicine use the same kinds of remedies to treat a health condition. The difference is that alternative medicine is often used instead of conventional medical techniques. Complementary medicine is used in addition to conventional medicine, not as a replacement. The field of complementary and alternative medicine is known as CAM for short.

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