Tuina is being launched in a big way in Ireland at the moment, there is certain buzz as this relatively new therapy (although based on thousands od years of TCM) is taking a strong hold on the Irish public.

The reason? Results and fast results, Tuina unlike any other massage therapy combined mobilization and manipultion of joints and tissue to help realign the musculo-skeletal system. However more than that is the added benefits of acupressure, deep tissue release, bone setting and also AN MO massage.

There is no messing around with Tuina - it has a very logical approach to treating any individual. I myself today have just had 4 treatments as part of my ongoing training and I have to say I would rather have a student Tuina practitioner massage me - than a really good deep tissue massage therapist.

Thats perhaps a little 'out' there for you to comprehend, and maybe a little contraversial as some of you may say, it is down to the therapist as a whole.

However I would stand up against you and argue no! Go get a proper Tuina treatment- go feel it for yourself and then contact me. If you don't know where to go I can point you in the right direction.

Enuff said.

 

I spent alot of time looking around for information about Tuina and the techniques of Tuina in an easy to understand format. I finally found the a great DVD on amazon, and I have watched it about 30 times, its absolutely fantastic.

So much so, I am now enhancing my skills by training with the maker of this DVD. The DVD is really good because each technique is broken down, plus you get to see what happens when you go to China to study Tuina. In addition there are losts of bonuses including a filmed operation called 'Da Tuina' - whic is just mind blowing. Its over 2 hours of jam packed Tuina information. 5/5 stars in my opinion.

To get a copy you can click here.

Coming to Ireland in June/July 2009 is the first Tuina Medical Massage  designed specifically for TCM practitioners, the course is very comprehensive and its going to be exciting. We are lucky enough to have the handy skills of master Tuina Practitioner Errol Lynch of the famous Tuina Student to Master DVD fame.
This training course in Tuina Chinese Massage is going to be open to those who have studied some sort of Oriental Medicine and is going to teach you how to practice with the knowledge and skill of a Chinese Tuina Doctor , but with the philosophy and ethical understanding of a western therapist.

We are looking for those people interested to learn more and perhaps feel more. As Errol says 'You can watch and read, but when you feel - you will know"

So here is my call to action to all those medical/oriental/chinese medicine practitioners looking to enhance their skills and put new tools in their toolbox.

Tuina is likened by Errol to be like the Plumbing and Fixtures and fittings, Acupuncture is like the 'Sparky' or electricition.

What seperates Tuina from other therapies is its speed in effectiveness - treatments last from 15mins to 1 hour. The effects are extremely quick as Tuina moves the blood very quickly.

Please register your interest, your experience and what you would like to know more about this course by responding to this Blog post.


 

 When it comes to the various forms of massage many differences can be found. This is very apparent when it comes to such forms as sports massage therapy and Tuina.

Sports massage therapy is almost as straightforward as it sounds. It is mainly used to treat those in the many different athletic fields such as basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis, and etc. This type of massage is used in both a therapeutic and preventative manner. Applied during warm-ups, at competitions, and during trainings this type of massage may help to prevent or at least treat sports related injuries.

This can mean an increase in the athlete’s range of motion, mental clarity, flexibility and improvement in his or her performance. Almost every single sports team imaginable retains the services of a licensed sports massage therapist. Even some professional athletes will have a private massage therapist.
 

Tuina is a style of Asian massage therapy that has been around for many centuries. It uses basic hand massage techniques just as the sports massage therapy does. It is meant however to affect the flow of Qi, or chi, thorough the body. It does so by using pressure to affect various acupressure points, nerves, muscles and blockages. It is these blockages that help to cause the feelings of illness in many clients.
 
By bringing the Qi back into balance the patient, or client, and it is this sense of balance which helps to bring vitality and health back to the client.

Whereas sports massage therapy is intended to relieve acute musculoskeletal pain, Tuina is better suited to alleviating chronic pains as well as disorders affecting the respiratory and/or digestive systems. Interestingly enough Tuina has also been noted to relieve such maladies as symptoms of premenstrual cycle, headaches, emotional problems, and constipation. While sports massage therapy has its values in one aspect Tuina has a much greater chance of touching on all the maladies that may be plaguing the client.

 

While many people may know the most popular form of Chinese massage techniques, Tuina, but there are other forms that are also effective in treating many of the same infirmities. From Anmo to Zhi Ya massage, each of these different forms has their own merits and can help different clients in varying ways.

Anmo is an ancient form of Chinese massage that has spread quite a distance from its beginnings. Made up of two separate words Anmo literally translates as press (An) rub (Ma). This type of massage is performed by pressing and rubbing the hands across the body. The idea is to work calm and peace into the body through the use of the hands.

Anmo is over 5000 years old making it one of the oldest known massage forms. Anmo migrated from China to Japan by way of Korea around 1500 years ago. Since this time Anmo has influenced the development of various types of massage therapies including Tuina, Shiatsu and Swedish.

Zhi Ya massage is a massage technique based around the tenets of acupressure. Similar in many ways to Tuina it focuses heavily on pressing and pinching directly on the various acupressure points. Zhi Ya focuses on relieving fatigue, healing the body and etc. rather than focusing on prevention.

Shiatsu, which developed from Anmo and Zhi Ya, also focuses on the various pressure points of the body; however, it was developed as a means of prevention rather than focusing so heavily on healing.

Even though these many forms of Chinese massage vary in many of their techniques their overall goal is the same. They all are meant to target both the body and the spirit so that both may be thoroughly healed.