Massage Techniques Require Skill
"Supplement when deficient, and drain when excessive." Supplement means to replenish insufficient vital energy in the body, and drain means to eliminate excessive pathogenic energy. This refers to the use of certain techniques by medical professionals under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory to promote or inhibit the functions of specific organs.
Massage techniques have specific considerations. They can be categorized into different effects: supplementing and draining.
Methods of Supplement and Drainage:
1. Massaging in the direction of meridians is considered supplementing, while massaging against the direction of meridians is considered draining.
2. Massage force can be categorized into heavy and light. Heavy force indicates drainage, while light force indicates supplementing. Moderate force is considered balanced.
3. Massaging in the direction of blood flow from the heart to the extremities is considered supplementing, while massaging in the opposite direction is considered draining. Another approach is to follow the direction of meridians. It is currently unknown whether meridians exist, but it is widely recognized as a network that cannot be determined by modern medicine.
4. Massaging in a clockwise direction is considered supplementing, while massaging in a counterclockwise direction is considered draining. Massaging in both directions simultaneously is considered balanced. According to "The Secret Book of Pediatric Massage," massaging the abdomen in a counterclockwise direction has a noticeable effect on promoting bowel movements, which is considered draining. Massaging in a clockwise direction can enhance gastrointestinal digestion and have a tonifying effect on the spleen and stomach, which is considered supplementing.
5. The specific area of massage also affects the method of supplementing and draining. For example, when massaging the temples, massaging towards the eyes is considered supplementing, which can strengthen tendons and supplement deficiencies. Massaging towards the ears is considered draining, which can alleviate wind, clear heat, improve vision, and relieve headaches.
6. When massaging the spine on the back, using a pinching technique from the bottom to the top can nourish the primordial energy, promote meridian circulation, and harmonize the organs, which is considered supplementing. Pushing along the spine from top to bottom has a heat-clearing effect, which is considered draining. For example, the seven vertebral segments (from the fourth lumbar vertebra to the end of the coccyx) can be pushed upward to warm the yang and stop diarrhea, used for treating cold-type diarrhea. Pushing downward can drain heat and promote bowel movements, used for treating heat-type constipation.
Medical professionals remind that the force applied during acupoint massage should not be excessive, as it can be harmful if too painful, and it will be ineffective if too weak. A mild sense of soreness and swelling is ideal.
