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The Functions of Chinese Tuina
Tuina works by clearing the meridians, promoting the circulation of qi and blood, and freeing the joints. The classical texts of Chinese medicine describe this clearly. The Huangdi Neijing says that when a person suffers repeated shock and fright, the meridians become blocked and numbness sets in, and that such conditions are treated with tuina and medicinal wine. The Su Wen chapter on pain explains that when cold lodges along the back, the pulse tightens, the blood becomes deficient, and pain follows, and that pressing the area brings warmth, and with warmth the pain stops. The Golden Mirror of Medicine, in its section on bone-setting, notes that falls and injuries can displace bones and joints and cause blood stasis, swelling, and pain. Tuina opens the meridians, moves the qi, clears the obstruction, and disperses the swelling so the patient can recover.
The meridians run throughout the entire body. They connect the internal organs with the limbs and link every organ, sense opening, layer of skin, muscle, bone, and tissue into one integrated whole, with qi and blood flowing through them. When we apply Chinese tuina at our Pittsburgh clinic, the work on the body's surface moves qi and blood locally, nourishes the bones and tendons, and, through the meridian network, influences the internal organs and other distant parts of the body. For example, working the points alongside the spine at the level of the eleventh and twelfth thoracic vertebrae can benefit the spleen and stomach, and pressing the Hegu point can relieve a toothache. Tuina treatment is therefore guided not only by where the pain is felt, but also by the connections of the meridians and the acupoints along them.
The Modern Medical View
From the perspective of modern medicine, tuina techniques are a form of physical stimulation. They produce biophysical and biochemical changes in the tissues being worked. These local responses are then amplified through nerve reflexes and the circulation, producing a broader reaction throughout the body that leads to the therapeutic effect.
Local Effects
When we perform Chinese tuina therapy in Pittsburgh, several local effects can be observed:
- Skin health. Rubbing and friction techniques clear away dead skin cells, improve skin respiration, and support the function of the sweat and oil glands, which helps the skin stay supple and healthy.
- Warmth and circulation. Stronger techniques release natural substances such as histamine in the tissues. Combined with the warmth generated by the hands, this widens small blood vessels and improves nourishment of the skin and muscles, which can help reverse muscle wasting and support the repair of damaged tissue.
- Blood and lymph flow. Rhythmic pressing techniques speed up both blood and lymph circulation. In one animal study, lymph flow measured after tuina was seven times faster than before. In another, ink injected into both knees of a rabbit was carried away from the joint that received tuina, while the untreated joint retained most of the ink. Improved circulation helps the body absorb swelling and clear waste from injured tissue.
- Joints and soft tissue. Stretching, plucking, and joint-mobilizing techniques release muscle spasm, loosen adhesions, and help restore displaced or locked joints.
Whole-Body Effects
Through the nervous system and body fluids, tuina and our Chinese bodywork in Pittsburgh also have effects beyond the area being treated.
Nervous system balance. Tuina helps balance stimulation and relaxation in the nervous system. Light, slow, rhythmic techniques repeated over time calm the nerves. Quicker, firmer, shorter techniques have a stimulating effect. Brain-wave (EEG) recordings after treatment show increased alpha-wave amplitude lasting longer, consistent with a calming effect.
Reflex effects through the spine. Because each segment of the spinal cord connects to specific areas of the body:
- Working the neck and shoulders can improve circulation to the brain and help ease tension and blood pressure.
- Vibration and tapping along the upper back can influence heart function.
- Vibration and tapping on the lower back can reduce congestion in the pelvis.
- Work along the spine can stimulate the stomach and intestines.
- Pressing the Quepen point near the collarbone can relax blood vessels and warm the arm on the same side.
- Tuina on the lower abdomen and inner thigh can help the bladder contract, assisting with urinary retention.
- Abdominal tuina can stimulate digestion and the movement of the stomach and intestines.
Blood and metabolism. Laboratory studies have found that after tuina and related therapies, white blood cell count and activity increase, the proportion of lymphocytes rises, red blood cells increase slightly, and oxygen use, carbon dioxide release, and urine output all increase, reflecting a more active metabolism.
Summary
The main role of tuina is to improve the body's qi and overall function. This does not mean it helps only "functional" problems. Functional and structural conditions cannot be completely separated. A structural problem always affects function, and a functional problem can lead to physical changes over time. Treatment either repairs the structure directly so function returns, or it restores function so the body can heal the structure itself. Tuina works the second way. For example, with stomach and duodenal ulcers, tuina on the abdomen and back can improve digestive function and support the body's own healing process.
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Tuina as a method of bodywork treatment of people using their hands acting on your body, the area where you feel pain and acupoints the place of pain, specifically the use of push, pull, pressure, Moldova, knead, pinch, point, shoot a variety of means such as to clear the meridians, the implementation of blood, supporting wound pain, Quxie righting, yin and yang effect.
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