Why Can Massage Therapy Treat Diseases?
Massage therapy is a common health treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine. However, most people are unaware that there are principles and requirements when applying massage therapy to treat diseases. Let's explore them together below.
The Principles of Massage Therapy: How to Perform Effective Massage Therapy and Precautions
The 7 Principles of Massage Therapy
1. Relaxation for Tightness
"Tightness" refers to muscle spasms, while "relaxation" refers to loosening and releasing the muscles. Injuries can lead to muscle spasms, so relaxation techniques should be used to relieve muscle spasms.
2. Warmth for Coldness
"Coldness" refers to feeling cold or having symptoms of deficiency caused by coldness, while "warmth" refers to promoting warmth and circulation. Many orthopedic diseases are related to coldness and deficiency of yang qi, and coldness can worsen injuries. Therefore, warming techniques should be used to dispel coldness and nourish yang qi.
3. Dispelling Stagnation for Stasis
"Stasis" refers to blood stasis, while "dispelling" refers to removing stasis. Blood stasis is a common symptom of injuries, and treatment should focus on promoting blood circulation and removing stasis to regenerate new blood.
4. Reducing Swelling for Edema
"Edema" refers to swelling, while "reducing" refers to reducing and dissipating swelling. Swelling is a common symptom of injuries, and treatment should focus on reducing swelling to restore normal conditions.
5. Adjusting for Dysfunction
"Dysfunction" refers to functional disorders of the organs, while "adjusting" refers to regulating and harmonizing. Whether it's dysfunction caused by injuries or imbalances in yin and yang, qi and blood, or meridians, treatment should focus on using techniques that regulate and harmonize the organs, meridians, and qi and blood.
6. Mobilizing for Stiffness
"Stiffness" refers to rigid tendons and muscles, while "mobilizing" refers to helping the body regain joint mobility. Stiff tendons and muscles limit functionality, so treatment should focus on using techniques that promote loosening and restore functionality.
7. Clearing for Obstruction
"Obstruction" refers to blockage of meridians, while "clearing" refers to unblocking. When meridians are obstructed, circulation of qi and blood is hindered, leading to pain. Treatment should focus on using techniques that clear meridians to relieve pain.
Which Diseases Can Be Treated with Massage Therapy?
1. Various Painful Conditions
Pain is one of the most common symptoms treated with massage therapy. It includes various acute injuries, chronic injuries, and chronic conditions that cause pain in soft tissues, joints, and other parts of the body. Examples include stiff neck, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, acute back sprain, chronic lumbar muscle strain, and lumbar disc herniation. It also includes nerve-related pain such as sciatica, intercostal neuralgia, and piriformis syndrome. Additionally, it can be used to relieve post-surgical pain, such as wound pain, scar pain, and anesthesia-induced back pain.
2. Various Inflammatory Conditions
Massage therapy has shown significant efficacy in treating various acute and chronic inflammatory pain conditions. It is widely used in the treatment and maintenance of inflammatory diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, acute and chronic cholecystitis, gastritis, enteritis, arthritis, and myocarditis.
3. Endocrine Disorders
Obesity and diabetes are two common endocrine disorders. In recent years, more and more people have used massage therapy to treat obesity and diabetes with satisfactory results. However, the treatment duration is generally longer, and the effects are slower.
4. Gynecological and Pediatric Diseases
Massage therapy has certain therapeutic effects on chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, breast hyperplasia, uterine fibroids, childhood diarrhea, torticollis, enuresis, childhood asthma, and malnutrition. It is especially convenient, fast, economical, and popular for the treatment of pediatric diseases.
5. Other Diseases
Massage therapy is also widely used in middle-aged and elderly health care, beauty, weight loss, sports injuries, and other areas. It has good efficacy in treating diseases related to ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, such as myopia, rhinitis, tinnitus, and sudden deafness.
