Massage is a method that uses specific techniques applied to specific parts of the body to regulate physiological and pathological conditions and achieve therapeutic purposes, based on the theories of Chinese medicine on organs, meridians, and collaterals, combined with anatomical and pathological diagnosis of Western medicine. In terms of nature, it is a physical therapy method. In terms of treatment, it can be divided into health massage, sports massage, and medical massage.
【Basic Explanation】The act of rubbing, kneading, or tapping the surface of the body with hands or instruments for therapeutic purposes.
(1) It refers to the action of using hands or instruments to rub, knead, or tap the surface of the body to promote blood circulation, open up meridians, and regulate nerve function. In the book "Huangdi Neijing," it states, "If the form is frequently frightened and the meridians are not unobstructed, the disease arises from lack of benevolence, which can be treated with massage and herbal medicine." In "Han Shi Wai Zhuan," it says, "Zi Tong prescribes medicine, Zi Ming burns the yang, and Zi You massages." In "Yizong Jinjian," it explains, "Massage: pressing refers to pressing down with the hand. Rubbing refers to slowly rubbing...pressing the meridians to unblock stagnated qi; rubbing the stagnation to disperse stasis and swelling, and the condition can be cured." In "Bai Yu Jing," it says, "When the master's foot is in pain, he sends two disciples, one person for each foot, to massage as needed." In the poem "Xian Zhong Zuo" by Lu You of the Song Dynasty, it says, "Call the boy to finish the massage and lean against the wall to stretch."
(2) It refers to general rubbing. In the novel "Shanghai Morning" by Zhou Erfu, it says, "Zhao Debao cried out in pain and his left hand quickly massaged his right arm."
Massage is the oldest medical method in China. It has a long history in China, dating back to more than two thousand years ago in the Qin Dynasty. The earliest massage book in China, "Huangdi Massage Classic" (ten volumes, recorded in "Han Shu, Yiwenzhi"), is unfortunately lost. However, the existing classical medical book "Huangdi Neijing" mentions massage in many places, such as "Blood and Qi Constitution" and "Unconventional Methods and Appropriate Treatments." Massage has long been used to treat conditions such as limb paralysis, weakness, dysphoria, dampness, and hot and cold in ancient times.
Massage is the oldest medical method in China. Massage, also known as Tuina, was called "An Qiao" (referring to agile massage, soothing muscles and bones), and "An Tu" (An, referring to massage; Tu, referring to play) in ancient times. It was gradually developed and accumulated by the Chinese laboring people in their long struggle against diseases.
In primitive society, when primitive people were engaged in labor or fighting against wild animals, they would inevitably suffer some injuries. When they experienced pain, they naturally used their hands to touch, knead, and gradually achieve results. When a part of the body is injured and bleeding occurs, people instinctively use their hands to press to stop bleeding. When the injury causes a local swelling, people instinctively use rubbing and kneading to reduce or eliminate the swelling, thereby relieving the pain. In addition, people discovered that scraping certain parts of the body with stones could alleviate specific pains. Humans instinctively repeated the use of certain touch and kneading techniques that could cure diseases. Over time, these techniques developed and accumulated. In the long process of understanding and practice, massage gradually evolved from unconscious occasional movements into a freely used systematic treatment method. About several thousand years ago, our ancestors laid the foundation for massage and gradually formed the discipline of massage in China.
From the oracle inscriptions unearthed from the Yin Ruins of the Shang Dynasty, it can be seen that as early as the 14th century BC, there were written records of "massage." In the ancient Chinese literature "Records of the Grand Historian," it is mentioned, "In ancient times, the doctor Yufu treated diseases not with herbal medicine...but with methods such as An Qiao, Qiao Yin, and Du Yun." The terms "An Qiao" and "Qiao Yin" in these records both refer to massage.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and before, works such as "Zhuangzi," "Laozi," "Xunzi," and "Mozi" also mentioned exercise and self-massage methods. The book "Zhou Li Shu" recorded the medical case of Bian Que curing Prince Guo's death throes, which not only demonstrated the peculiar effects of this comprehensive treatment, but also highlighted the important role of massage in clinical practice.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the earliest medical classics in China, "Huangdi Neijing," appeared. It consists of 36 volumes and 162 chapters, with "Suwen" discussing massage in 9 chapters and "Ling Shu" discussing massage in 5 chapters. "Huangdi Neijing" not only records the origin of massage but also points out its role and application. It has more specific discussions on massage therapy, laying a theoretical foundation for the inheritance and development of massage in later generations. In the chapter "Blood and Qi Constitution" in "Huangdi Neijing," it says, "If the form is frequently frightened and the meridians are not unobstructed, the disease arises from lack of benevolence, which can be treated with massage and herbal medicine." It points out that if the meridians and Qi and blood circulation are not smooth, diseases will occur in certain parts of the body, and massage can be used to dredge the meridians and regulate Qi and blood circulation for treatment. "Huangdi Neijing" also mentions massage tools. In the "Nine Needles" chapter, the "round needle" is used for both acupuncture and massage and is often used in combination. During the Qin and Han dynasties, massage had become one of the main treatment methods in people's medical care. According to the records in "Han Shu, Yiwenzhi," the first massage monograph in China, "Huangdi Qibo's Ten Volumes of Massage" (now lost), was published during this period. "Huangdi Neijing" also mentions massage tools. In the "Nine Needles" chapter, the "round needle" is used for both acupuncture and massage and is often used in combination.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the method of combining massage with guidance and external use of drugs began to form, such as ointment massage and moxibustion. The famous physician Hua Tuo said, "When the initial stage of typhoid fever occurs, it is on the skin, and it can be cured by ointment massage and moxibustion." He also created the earliest massage guidance technique, the "Five Animal Frolics," based on the movements of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys, and cranes.
During the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties, massage departments were established, and corresponding massage medical policies were also established. The "Wuguan Zhi" in the "Sui Shu" records two massage doctors, indicating that massage doctors were established in the Sui Dynasty. The "Old Tang Book, Office Officials" records one massage doctor, four health massage therapists, sixteen massage workers, and fifteen massage students. The massage doctor, with the assistance of health massage therapists and massage workers, taught massage students the techniques of massage and guidance, and began to organize massage teaching activities under the attention of the government. Massage monographs appeared during this period, such as the "Ten Volumes of Massage Guidance" by the Imperial Physician Qibo (now lost). The "Huangdi Neijing" also mentions massage tools. In the "Nine Needles" chapter, the "round needle" is used for both acupuncture and massage and is often used in combination.
During the Song, Jin, Yuan periods, massage therapy continued to develop. Not only did its treatment scope expand, but it was also applied to obstetrics and gynecology. During the Song Dynasty, Pang An, a famous doctor, achieved a cure rate of 80-90% in his treatments. There was a case where a pregnant woman who had been in labor for seven days without delivering the baby was treated with warm compresses on the waist and abdomen, and she massaged herself up and down. The pregnant woman felt slight stomach pain and groaned, and then gave birth to a baby boy. This case shows that massage had accumulated rich practical experience in dealing with difficult labor.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Hospital listed massage as one of its thirteen medical departments. With the further development of massage, many massage monographs were published, with a focus on pediatric massage. Examples include the earliest surviving Chinese pediatric massage books, such as "Pediatric Massage Classic," "Pediatric Massage Secrets for Reviving Pulse," and "Pediatric Massage Secrets." During this period, a systematic summary of traumatic injuries was also conducted, and the "Yizong Jinjian" listed "touch, connect, lift, pull, press, rub, push, pull" as the eight methods of traumatic injury treatment. With the accumulation of experience, there was a significant improvement in theory, and there were more systematic and comprehensive discussions on the principles and indications of massage therapy.
During the Qing Dynasty, with the prevalence of Western medicine, the government advocated the "elimination of old medicine to remove obstacles to medical and health care" in 1929, and in 1936, it proposed that "Chinese medicine has no scientific basis" and was therefore forbidden to practice. This led to the decline of traditional Chinese medicine and massage was viewed as a minor profession. As a result, there were very few people engaged in the massage industry. On the contrary, the witchcraft and divine way took advantage of the situation, using massage techniques as a cover for their deceptive practices, distorting the true massage therapy. Genuine massage therapy was only passed down through family teachings.
After 1949, massage schools and specialized hospitals were established nationwide. The scope of massage therapy included internal medicine, surgery (traumatology), obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, and other specialties. Preliminary research was also conducted on the effects and mechanisms of massage therapy, as well as the compilation of historical literature on massage therapy. Books such as "Massage Therapy," "Lectures on Chinese Massage," "Introduction to Chinese Massage," "Acupoint Massage for Zangfu Organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine," and "Detailed Explanation of the New Eighteen Techniques of Massage Therapy" were published.
In the late 1970s, there was a further emphasis on the development of traditional Chinese medicine, including massage education and medical institutions. Massage schools were reopened or established in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi. Some traditional Chinese medicine colleges and universities established acupuncture and tuina departments and trained thousands of massage professionals. In the 1980s, Changchun University, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Beijing United University established blind massage colleges and undergraduate programs. In the 1990s, the China Disabled Persons' Federation established the China Blind Massage Center to implement standardized industry management for blind health massage and medical massage.
【Classification】
Overview
Massage can be classified into medical massage, health massage, and sports massage based on its content.
Medical Massage
Also known as Tuina therapy, it is one of the external treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine and the oldest and most important physical therapy method used to achieve therapeutic purposes. In addition to treating surgical diseases (traumatology massage), it can also treat internal diseases (gynecology, internal medicine, pediatrics, etc.) and has excellent efficacy in chronic diseases, functional disorders, and developmental disorders.
Currently, blind massage hospitals, blind massage clinics, and massage and physiotherapy departments in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are mainly engaged in medical massage.
Health Massage
Health massage refers to the use of massage techniques to stimulate specific parts of the body, producing stimulating information that influences the adjustment of the body's neurological and humoral functions through reflex, in order to eliminate fatigue, regulate internal information, enhance physical fitness, prevent aging, and prolong life.
There are many techniques used in health massage, such as surface massage, neck pot kneading, cotton friction, back and waist techniques, tapping techniques, and limb shaking techniques. These techniques are gentle, flexible, easy to operate, and have a wide range of applications. They can be used for health massage regardless of gender, age, physical strength, or the presence of diseases. Different techniques can be used for different individuals.
With the development of market economy and the improvement of people's living standards and health needs, various health massage service industries have emerged. These include health massage, pediatric health massage, beauty massage, weight loss massage, as well as tourism massage, scenario massage, and pet massage in foreign countries. Modern health massage often utilizes massage equipment and is widely used in household life!
Sports Massage
Combining sports and health, the two will mutually promote and develop. The application of massage in sports has also developed and gradually formed sports massage.
Sports massage aims to adjust and protect the good athletic state of athletes, enhance and develop their potential physical abilities, and achieve sports performance. In recent years, practical experience at home and abroad has shown that it plays an increasingly important role and significance in creating excellent sports performance.
Precautions
General Precautions
1. The hands of the massage therapist should be clean, warm, and nails should be trimmed. No jewelry should be worn on the fingers to avoid damaging the skin of the person being massaged.
2. For smooth massage and good results, the position of the massage therapist should be convenient for operation, and the muscles of the person being massaged should be fully relaxed.
3. During full-body massage, pay attention to the direction of the massage, following the direction of blood and lymphatic reflux.
4. During the massage, pay attention to the sequence, applying pressure gradually from light to heavy, and gradually reducing pressure to end the massage.
