In ancient times, Tuina was called Anmo (massage) and Anqiao. It is a health preservation technique for treating and preventing diseases that has a very early origin in China. Even before the emergence of traditional Chinese medicine decoctions for treating diseases, the method of Tuina had already been used to cure people. The technique of Tuina has a history of more than five thousand years up to now. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, positions such as doctors of Anmo and Anmo therapists even appeared.
The theoretical basis of the Tuina therapy is guided by the theory of Zang-Fu organs and meridians in traditional Chinese medicine. Meridians are the general term for the channels and collaterals in the human body. They are the passages through which qi and blood circulate. In the human body, they are closely connected with each other, crisscrossing, connecting the five Zang organs and six Fu organs internally and the limbs, skin and hair externally, thus forming a complete circulatory system, playing the roles of promoting qi and blood, regulating yin and yang, nourishing the Zang-Fu organs, and facilitating the joints. If qi and blood smoothly circulate along the meridians, then people will naturally be healthy. If the circulation of qi and blood is blocked, people will get sick. The Tuina therapy can make the meridians unobstructed and balance yin and yang, thus enabling people to maintain a healthy state.
Up to now, there are hundreds of renowned schools in the field of Tuina. There are a wide variety of manipulation techniques, but they all require that the basic movements possess the characteristics of being forceful, even, gentle, and penetrating. Because, tracing back to the source, all Tuina methods originate from the same origin.
The Tuina therapy is a treatment method that is generally applicable to the elderly, young people, children, and women. It has few side effects and a wide range of applications, and can be used as a commonly applied self-care method. However, to apply the treatment according to different people and diseases, the requirements for Tuina doctors are very high. To skillfully use the Tuina technique, one not only needs to understand the anatomy of the human skeleton, blood vessels, and muscles in Western medicine, but also master the theory of meridians in traditional Chinese medicine and remember the positions of various acupoints.
As a method of treating people by people, Tuina usually means that the doctor uses his own hands to act on the patient’s body surface, the injured part, the area of discomfort, specific acupoints, and the painful area. Specifically, various manipulation techniques such as pushing, grasping, pressing, rubbing, kneading, pinching, pointing, and patting are used, with the expectation of achieving the curative effects of dredging the meridians, promoting the circulation of qi and blood, relieving pain from injuries, expelling pathogenic factors and strengthening the healthy qi, and harmonizing yin and yang.