Massage (tui na in Chinese) means to manipulate the channels of the human body, thus preventing disease and maintaining health.
Guided by Chinese medicine theory and dialectical principles, a massage is able to cure diseases without the need to take pills or herbal medicine. It is easy to perform and does not have side effects. It can be applied to cure many diseases. Yet people most often use massage to cure diseases of the cervical vertebra, and injuries such as psoatic (loin muscle) strain, herniated disc, and soft tissue damage.
Standard manipulation and special skills are needed to do a massage. The strength used should be persistent, strong, well distributed, mild, deep, and thorough. The hand is most often used for a massage but the foot, a forearm elbow, and special tools can also be used. Sometimes doctors apply some substances on the body, such as ointment, milk-like liquid, wintergreen, safflower oil, sesame oil, talcum powder, or other lubrication oils.
The ways to do a massage vary, such as pulling, pushing, finger pushing, rubbing, knocking, and so on. People can massage themselves or have others massage them. Passive massage, including child, bone, and Qi Gong massages, are for treating disease. Self-massages are for keeping healthy, and include massages such as eye massage, arms and legs massages, massage for stomach health, and massage for soothing the nerves.
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