Tuina and Qigong Experiences - was Introduction

[Guest guest]

Rich,

 

> My doctor basically operates under the principle that body/mind

> obstructions (blockages) are the cause of disease and he seeks to

> remove them using physical (tuina) and energetic (qigong)

techniques.

> He theorizes that blockages can be caused by daily life habits

and/or

> inherited charactistics - what he calls " cold " or stagnated qi. Most

> of the problems, he says are inherited. Blockages are located using

> various skills such as physical palpation where blockages are

> identified by " coolness of energy " , density, extra sensitivity or

lack

> of sensitivity.

 

I agree with the view on blockages being the principle cause of

disease, The more I get

into this the more I realize the less I know (apologies if that's a

tad esoteric, I have a

background in music: same story there with the quantum leap in

theories of music

harmony in Jazz - BUGGER!!), so it seems that whilst the theories of

TCM are the basis for

training, each practitioner finds their own way within it and works

with what they find best.

There's no two guitarists playing the same way, but there's only

twleve notes to play.

 

> The physical techniques generally consist of vigourous circular

> manipulation using his forearm (mostly), elbow, fingers and

sometimes

> knee. He also uses qigong to move and remove cold qi from the body

and

> he uses certain skeletal techniques to loosen the verterbrae - which

> he feels is essential to have good health. He feels most problems

can

> be traced back to blockages in the spinal area.

 

There are over 30 different hand techniques taught, each to ellicit a

different response

from the body according to the type of stimulus required. This also

allows a practitioner

the chance to follow other Tuina treatments set out in any other

books. Each treatment is

set out in a kind of " recipe " manner: follow these instructions for

this ailment. In addition

the the course notes, we have the " Chinese Massage Therapy " book,

Shandong Science &

Tech. Press. Should the body not respond, or the diagnosis indicate

other factors as well,

then the practitioner supplements the treatment accordingly. Or if

there are different

manifestations of an ailment ie: menopause, then there are different

treatments.

I cannot adequately describe the approach taken by my teacher with

regards to the

energetic side of things. While he states he does not do Qi Gong, the

energy is definite

and powerful. All I can say is that his experience within this side

of things comes from his

background in martial arts. Many cultures have their own approach to

" energy " or what

the Chinese would classify as " Qi " . His training is in a diferent

system, but nonetheless

effective. All I can say is that I have seen it, felt it, seen others

feel it, and it's a tangible

experience.

> My practice in qigong began about 17 years ago when I first began

> practicing taiji. Prior to that I practiced yoga and still do.

Man I wish I had been doing Yoga for that long!! Your experience

within this framework

must come in great use. I learned Taiji when I started out, but

personally have always had

the " bug " for Qi Gong and have stuck with it.

While the emphasis for the Qi Gong being taught is on the

practitioner's energetic state, it

follows that the patient will receive the benefit of this. One of my

teachers said it beutifully

" We aim to have your massage become Qi Gong, have everything in your

life become Qi

Gong " .

 

> My family and friends have been using Chinese medicine for over 15

> years in a variety of forms and applications. All of our doctors,

who

> mostly used acupunture and herbs, were excellent and are very well

> respected in our area. However, we have found tuina/qigong to be

most

> effective and no longer use acupuncture or herbs other than some

teas

> once in a while. We also have dozens of friends and acquaintences

who

> have also switched from acupuncture/herbs to tuina/qigong for the

same

> reason. We may discover in the future certain problems that are

> handled better with acupuncture/herbs than tuina/qigong but so far

we

> haven't seen any.

 

Agreed that we will find different approaches work for different

ailments more effectively

than others. A collegue has found in his clinic that Tuina works

better for moving

stagnation, while needles work better for other treatments. I have

wondered how the

" faith " or preference of a practitioner for a method will effect the

outcome of the treatment

as well. Personally I respond very well to Acupuncture, and will

benefit more from that

than most other treatments I have received. Then again, my

practitioner knows me

extremely well.

 

 

> I think the primary issue with tuina/qigong is that it does take

lots

> of time. Our doctor's session lasts a full 50 minutes and he treats

> every part of the body in every session. His is extremely effective,

> but I wonder if doctors who need to work on multiple patients

> simultaneously, as acupuncture allows, could afford this amount of

> time with a single patient. Unless one has a good amount of energy,

it

> can be tiring and also it limits the amount of money that a doctor

can

> make in a given day. However, this said, it appears to be a very

> effective way to bring people to good health and to empower people

to

> maintain their own health once the qi is flowing again.

>

Standard treatament in China for Tuina is no longer than twenty

minutes. However, these

are the hospitals where there are 10,000 outpatients per week. Ivan's

treatments last from

20 - 60 minutes, depending on the condition. He has found that 30

minutes is better for

the patient, and himself all round. It's not a matter of the money,

but the patient being the

only focus during the session. No time for distractions.

 

> Thank you very much for pointing me to the site of your teacher. If

> you would care to elaborate on your own experiences or comment on

> mine, I would be very interested.

 

Rich, thankyou for your interest and invitation for dialogue!

 

Regards,

 

Martin.