Tui na is the grandmother of all massage forms dating right back to 2700 BC. It is based on the principles of Chinese Medicine. It is sometimes called Acupuncture without the needles.
Both effective and pleasurable Tui na can be tailored and targeted to treat a very wide range of health conditions. Tui na is recommended for musculoskeletal complaints eg back and neck pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow as well as stress related issues like insomnia, anxiety, IBS, headaches and a wide range of illnesses of a more internal nature eg dizziness, coughs and colds, period pain, asthma.
It is becoming increasingly popular in the West. In China one regularly sees queues of people waiting outside hospitals for the Tui na dept to open. Because Tui na comes from Chinese medicine it is often popular with people who want the benefits of an acupuncture approach but for various reasons aren’t so keen on the use of needles.
The patient usually keeps his or her clothes on and the Tui na practitioner massages through a brushed cotton sheet placed over the patient. In some cases warming, soothing balms and liniments are applied directly into the muscles and skin to speed up recovery or to aid relaxation.
A range of massage techniques are used such as rolling, pressing, shaking, grasping and vibrating. Tuina techniques can be applied with vigour and power in order to clear pathogens or used more gently and soothingly to calm, relax and nourish.
