tuinaology i - tcm 235 notes

7/25/2019 Tuinaology I - TCM 235 Notes

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Tuinaology I - TCM 235

Total Student Learning Time (SLT)(L = Lecture; T = Tutorial; P = Practical; O =

Others):

Face to FaceIndependent Learning

(hr)

Total Student Learning Time

(hr)

L T P O

21 8 20 4.5 66.5 120

T!IC ": #T$%&CTI#

The therapeutic e''ect o' Tuina:

Tuina is derived from the Chinese words Tui to push and a to !rasp" two techni#ues

fundamental to traditional Chinese medical massa!e and manipulation$ %n present da& China"

Traditional Chinese 'edicine (TC') is main stream" eistin! alon!side estern medicine and

providin! for man& of the health needs of its massive *$+ ,illion plus population$

Li-e acupuncture" Tuina is ,ased on classical Chinese medical theor&$ This places its emphasis on

function and wholeness$ . ,od& is re!arded as complete and therefore health& if the various intrinsic

ener!ies (called /i pronounced chee) are correctl& ,alanced within it at an& particular point in

time$ 0ven the sli!htest interruption to the diffusion and flow of #i will manifest itself as illness and

pain$

.ccordin! to the Chinese" the ,od& contains a !rid s&stem which contains and controls the movement

of #i$ 1ome 2"344 &ears a!o there alread& eisted ,ron5e fi!ures with twelve paired channels or

meridians and two unpaired ones em,ossed on their surfaces$ 0ven at that earl& date the Chinese had

discovered this !rid6s&stem and had accuratel& plotted not onl& the eact positions of each meridian ,ut

also the precise positions of over +44 acupoints or #i6points alon! them$

Tui a treats chronic pain" especiall& that caused ,& muscle6s-eletal conditions and in7uries$ ec-"

shoulder and ,ac- pain and immo,ilit&" sciatica and 8tennis el,ow8 all respond ver& well$

%t is" however" impossi,le to treat a specific condition with Tui a without improvin! the overall /i

status of the ,od&$

This means that headaches" mi!raines" %91" constipation" P'1 and a whole ran!e of emotional

pro,lems can also ,e treated


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The therapeutic principle o' Tuina:

Tuina is carried out on the clothed ,od& with the recipient seated or l&in! on a massa!e couch$ The

Chinese descri,e all techni#ues as manipulations ,ut the author restricts this description to those that

wor- with mova,le 7oints$ Others that treat soft tissues are referred to as massa!e techni#ues

althou!h man& differ widel& from those used in the li-es of 1wedish and aromatherap& massa!e$

The aim of Tuina is to appl& movement and pressure to facilitate the flow of #i throu!h the meridian

channels and to re!ulate this with deep stimulation of relevant #i6points$ Tuina is not acupressure$ The

latter is eactl& what it sa&s it is" namel& deep" static pressure applied to #i6points$ Tuina on the other

hand" offers the practitioner a diverse ran!e of techni#ues that are desi!ned to focus pressure with

movement ,oth alon! the meridians and into the #i6points$ The su,tle variet& of direction and force that

can ,e ,rou!ht to ,ear on each point is one of the uni#ue features of this massa!e$

:or Tuina to ,e successful in facilitatin! #i flow and releasin! ,loc-a!es in this vital ener!&" the tissues

themselves must ,e amena,le to the diffusion of #i$ The soft tissue techni#ues achieve this ,& loosenin!

the muscle fasciae (connective tissue sheaths enclosin! muscle)" stimulatin! l&mph flow and ,lood

circulation and affectin! tendon or!ans (tension sensitive sense or!ans in tendons) so as to improve

muscle relaation$

0ver& #i6point has an effect on #i movement when it is intensel& stimulated with pressure or a needle as

in acupuncture$ .n epert Tuina practitioner will -now what com,ination of these points to use when

treatin! specific pro,lems such as fro5en shoulders" sciatica" nausea etc$

hilst it is true to sa& that most #i6points can ,e used to treat pro,lems in their immediate vicinit&"

man& have powerful effects in #uite distant parts of the ,od&$ :or eample" #i6point pericardium on

the underside of the forearm 7ust up from the wrist has a powerful calmin! effect and stops vomitin!$

/i6point lar!e intestine < ,etween first and second metacarpels treats headaches and sinus pro,lems

and ,ladder 4 ,ehind the outer an-le ,one (maleolus) treats lower ,ac- pain$ This means Tuina can

treat pro,lems in places where the therapists hands cannot reach$

Tui a wor-s in accordance with the comple theor& of TC'$ :undamental to this theor& is the life

powerin! ener!& that the Chinese call /i (pronounced 8chee8)$ 0ver& aspect of ,odil& function depends

upon /i and its flow throu!h the tissues$


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The Chinese reco!nise a networ- of *2 paired meridians 6 one mem,er of each pair on the ri!ht side of

the ,od& and the other on the left$ There are also two unpaired meridians that encircle the trun- and the

head in the mid6line$

These meridians are not li-e vessels" the& have no anatomical structure ,ut the& are pathwa&s alon!

which the main flow of /i occurs$ %t is ,est to visualise them as precise currents of /i" 7ust li-e currents

of water in the oceans$

%nterestin!l&" estern scientific methods have ,een used to plot the courses of these meridians" and

the& confirm the accurac& of detailed maps produced around the time of The >ellow 0mperor8s Classics

of %nternal 'edicine$

.t irre!ular intervals alon! the meridians there are specific /i points (the acu6points of acupuncture)

where pressure" needles or heat can affect the wa& /i flows throu!h the meridian$ This effect can

manifest itself on some part of the meridian #uite distant from where the stimulus is applied$

hen /i flow is distur,ed an&where in the ,od&" /i im,alance that results can cause pain" stiffness"

sic-ness 6 even emotional pain$ The Chinese ,elieve that health and vitalit& depend on /i ,alance in the

,od&$ Tui a is one of the ,est wa&s of achievin! this and it uses an arra& of techni#ues to do it$

. Casual o,server watchin! a session sees what appears to ,e a thorou!h wor-out for the soft tissues

and 7oints" ,ut the practitioner aims to do more than this$ .ttention is focused on meridians and selected

/i points$ The& are massa!ed in different wa&s to remove all ,loc-a!es to the flow of /i$ %n China" Tui

a is used for conditions that" in the est" would ,e treated ,& osteopaths" chiropractors and

ph&siotherapists or with dru!s$

The prescriptions for choosin! acupoints" the classification of special acupoints and the special

acupoints in common use$

Tuinaincorporates a wide variet& of massa!e techni#ues traditionall& used in China and is now

spreadin! across the world$ Tuina is a professional ,ranch of Chinese medicine which uses hand

manipulations (massa!e) for therapeutic reasons$


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The hand techni#ues utili5e a variet& of principles in their application to specific disorders$ The& can ,e

divided into several cate!ories of therapeutic effect$ These cate!ories include oscillatin! methods"

pressure methods" passive 7oint movement" pinchin! or pluc-in! methods" and /i emittin! methods$

Oscillatin! 'ethod rel& on the development of a -inesthetic wave pattern throu!h repetitive

movement$ This movement !enerates a rh&thmic wave pattern that penetrates deepl& into the

,od& and activates the circulation of /i and ,lood$ This wave also effects the nervous s&stem$

Pressure is a secondar& aspect of this principle

Pressure Techni#ues rel& on the use of force to develop either a static pressure" an alternatin!

pressure" or a release?movin! pressure$ These techni#ues are used to facilitate the removal of

o,struction" relieve /i and ,lood sta!nation" and harmoni5e the flow of /i and ,lood$

Passive @oint 'ovement features the use of ran!e of motion to help restore functional anatom&

and re6educate the nervous s&stem$ %t also helps relieve /i and ,lood sta!nation$

Pinchin! or Pluc-in! Techni#ues are applied to the s-in" tendons" or muscles$ These techni#ues

feature pullin! and liftin! either #uic-l& or moderatel& to effect the tonus of the s-in" tendons" or

muscles to increase ran!e of motion of 7oints$

/i 0mittin! 'ethods utili5e li!ht to moderate pressure on acupoints and the concentration and

etension of /i throu!h the palm or fin!ers of the practitioner$ This can ,e com,ines with specific

,reathin! patterns and pressure com,inations$ The intention is to active the flow of /i throu!h a

specific acupoints or channel$ The direction of /i movement can also ,e affected ,& either

pushin! or pullin! with the /i$

The !oals of the hand techni#ues are to disperse" tonif&" activate" harmoni5e" and warm the /i and

,lood$ These !oals are achieved ,& var&in! rate" pressure" and duration of a Tuina treatment$ The

com,ination of /i etension with the specific hand techni#ues produces a more pronounced

effect$


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The common manipulation and acupoint o' paediatric Tuina:

The followin! techni#ues are used to perform pediatric tuina massa!e$ Anli-e 1wedish st&le massa!e

where muscles are mostl& -neaded" &oull ,e stro-in!" pushin!" pullin!" and pressin! various points on

the ,od&$ To ,e effective" these movements should ,e !entle &et firm with even rh&thmic movements$

'ost manipulations will ,e performed an&where from 34 to +44 times in rapid succession$ % have found

it easier to time the massa!e on certain points than to count how man& stro-es %ve used$

:or mild illness" massa!es should ,e performed once a da& and for more severe or acute illness such as

flu" fever" or cou!h" massa!es should ,e performed 2 + times per da&$ >oull need to teach parents the

prescri,ed massa!e so the& can do it at home$

Straight !uhing (hi tui 'a)

Push &our thum," or inde and middle fin!ers" in a strai!ht line$ This is often used on the forearm"

fin!ers" and ,ac-$

!uhing *part ('en tui 'a)

1tartin! with &our thum,s at a sin!le location" push them apart$ This is often used on the forehead

and chest$

+neading (rou 'a)

Press one or two fin!ers on a point or area" rotate them in a circular motion without liftin! the

s-in$ Bneadin! can also ,e applied with three fin!ers" the palm of the hand" the thenar emminence

(the fatt& pad ,elow &our thum,)" or &our thum,$

Circular $u,,ing (mo 'a)

u, the a,domen in a circular motion with four fin!ers or the palm of &our hand$ %t is most

commonl& used for a,dominal pain" constipation" or diarrhea$

!inching and !ulling (nie 'a)

This techni#ue is commonl& used on the paraspinal muscles" (the muscles net to the

spine)$ .lwa&s start at the ,ase of the spine and move upward in a strai!ht line pro!ressin! up to

the nec-$ Dra, a small amount of muscle tissue and pinch it up ,etween &our inde fin!er and

thum, with a firm ,ut !entle pressure$ Then" continue to roll &our thum,s forward as &ou release

and !ra, more muscle tissue$ 9e sure to use plent& of talcum powder so &ou dont cause an&

chafin!$ This techni#ue is used for !eneral wellness" the common cold and respirator& conditions$


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!reing (an 'a)

Press a point or area and hold for a few seconds + 3 times in a row to help relieve pain and

discomfort$ This is usuall& done with the thum, or the palm of the hand$

#ipping (ia 'a)

1timulate specific points with !entle pressure from &our thum,nail$ %t doesnt ta-e much pressure

for the point to ,e ade#uatel& stimulated" so ,e careful not to press too hard$

*rc.Circle !uhing (yun 'a)

Ase &our thum, to ma-e a circle with !entle" ,ut firm pressure$ This techni#ue is most commonl&

used on the palm of the hand$

tuinaology i - tcm 235 notes

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