Healing hands: Chinese medicinal massage

Headaches from the never-ending noise, food-poisoning from too much unhealthy street food, sore legs from all the walking around – being sick or feeling unwell in China can be miserable. You might just want to reach for that packet of pills or you might want to take your chances and get a taste of the 2,000-year old wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you're fed up with the stinky medicine and can't bear the sight of needles, a Chinese Medicine Massage might be just what the doctor ordered.

Chinese Medicine Massages use a variety of manual techniques to diagnose and treat a patient's illness. Without the use of drugs or devices, the treatments rely completely on the masseur's hands. While most of the massages focus on the body's tissue or muscles, other techniques, 正骨(zheng gu) "bone correcting" for example, put their emphasis on increasing a persons mobility by regulating the bone structure.

We here at the The World of Chinese asked an expert in Chinese Medicine Massages at Healing Hands to answer some questions about the popular TCM massage.

Q: What is the difference between a normal massage and a Chinese Medicine Massage?

A: The difference lies in the specialization of Chinese medicine. While normal massages are simply aiming for relaxation, Chinese Medicine Massages are specialized and simultaneous diagnoses and treatments. Depending on a customer's needs, a Chinese Medicine Massage can bring you pain-relief, or regulate body tissue and energy flow. It can also help with improving mobility.

Q: When can Chinese Medicine Massages be more effective than normal medical treatments?

A: Most medical treatments try to find the quickest cure or therapy. Therefore, many doctors and medical experts often suggest surgery or strong drugs. Chinese Medicine Massages, however, are a non-surgical alternative to such treatments. Its continuous application does not just restore well-being, it also cures some congenital issues, such as X- or O-shaped legs or bone displacements.

Q: What is the most important part of a Chinese Medicine Massage?

A: The diagnosis has to be very accurate, so that the right treatment can be applied. That's why interviews play a big role in the process of a massage. It is important to gain as much information as possible by inquiring about the complaints and the history of the illness. Chinese Medicine Massages demand a lot of accuracy and precision.