Tui Na & the Shiatsu Practitioner

In today's society, patients are demanding more from their medical professionals, including a more rounded knowledge of what is available to them in terms of care. In order to provide their clients with better care, practitioners of all healthcare disciplines have worked to become more knowledgeable in their own fields, as well as sometimes branching into others. For the holistic professional, such as the Shiatsu practitioner, this is even more important since it is their goal to treat the whole person. The true Shiatsu professional must know many methods and techniques of body massage in order to offer a fully holistic practice. Tui Na is one such form of massage. The Shiatsu practitioner must consider several factors before initiating body work, such as Tui Na. These factors include: the state of a clientÆs health, the symptoms being experienced, the status of the personÆs general constitution and energy levels (Lundberg, 2003). This paper will examine and discuss the definition, history, and practice of Tui Na, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and demonstrate why Tui Na is of great value to the development of a practitioner of Shiatsu.

What is Tui Na and how is it comprehensively defined?

Tui Na (or Tuina, pronounced twee-nah), also known as An Mo, which means "pressing (and) rubbing," is an Oriental Bodywork Therapy that uses the same theory of Qi (pronounced "chee") as

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(Miller, 2003). What are Tui NaÆs Methods and what are the main systems of Tui Na currently being used in China? While these appear to be two questions, they are so inter-related that it is necessary to address them as one question. First, Tui Na, as a practice of body massage, has several different techniques and methods associated with it, some of which are advocated by one school of Tui Na, and others of which are mainly advocated or emphasized by a different school (Helm, 2003). The authority on such matters is China, which teaches Tui Na as separate yet equal field of study in the major traditional Chinese medical colleges (Mercati, 1997). Therefore, it is important to address this fact in any discussion of Tui NaÆs various methods, techniques, and practices as it will supply the authoritative voice in terms of what practices are best. Some of Tui NaÆs methods include manipulating techniques ôcharacterized by permanence, forcefulness, evenness, and softness, all of which combine to produce a deepening effectö (Xiangcai, 2002, p. 5). This means that manipulations are performed for a required time, at a specific force, pressure, and frequency, while remaining soft and natural in nature (Xiangcai, 2002). According to Xian
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Approximate Word count = 2078
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)