The role of Tui Na in Chinese medicine
The function of Tui Na in Chinese medicine is to dredge the meridians, move Qi and Blood, and smooth the joints.
The Su Wen – Blood and Qi Shape and Zhi Chapter says: “The shape of the number of frightened, the meridians do not pass, the disease is born in the unkind, the treatment with massage mash medicine.”
In the Su Wen – Pain Raising Theory, it is said, “The cold qi guest in the dorsal veins of the Yu will be pulse weeping, pulse weeping is blood deficiency, blood deficiency is pain, its Yu injected in the heart, so the phase leads to pain. If you press it, the heat will come, and if the heat comes, the pain will stop.”
The “Medical Zong Jinjian – Orthopedic Heart Method Essentials” says: “Because of the fall and flash loss, resulting in the wrong bone seam, Qi and blood stagnation, for swelling and pain, it is appropriate to use massage method. Press its meridians, in order to pass the depressed closed qi, and its congestion, in order to disperse the stasis of the swelling, its suffering can be healed.”
The meridians are spread throughout the body, belong to the internal organs, external contacts in the limbs, communicate and link all the organs, organs, orifices and skin, flesh, bones and other tissues of the body, and then through the qi and blood in the meridians run, forming the overall connection.
Tui Na manipulation works locally on the surface of the body, which can pass through the meridians, move the qi and blood, moisten the tendons and bones locally, and can affect the internal organs and other parts of the body as the qi and blood flow through the distribution of meridians and channels.
For example, pressing and rubbing the Spleen Yu and Stomach Yu points, which are one and a half inches away from the eleventh and twelfth vertebrae on the back, can strengthen the spleen and stomach, and pressing the Hegu point can stop toothache.
From this, it can be seen that Tui Na treatment is not only to lose with pain, but also to take points according to the principle of meridian connection.
Modern medicine believes that the physical stimulation of Tui Na manipulation causes biophysical and biochemical changes in the area of action, and local tissues undergo physiological reactions.
The effect of tui na on local tissues, it has been observed that the friction-type manipulation, which operates in direct contact with the skin, can remove the decaying epithelial cells, improve skin respiration, facilitate the secretion of sweat and sebaceous glands, and enhance skin luster and elasticity.
Strong stimulation techniques can cause partial cellular proteolysis, produce histamine and histamine-like substances, plus the combined effect of mechanical energy into heat energy of manipulation, prompting capillary dilation, enhancing local skin muscle nutrient supply, improving muscle atrophy and promoting repair of damaged tissues.
The intermittent squeezing of the manipulation can speed up the blood circulation and lymphatic circulation (someone inserted a cannula into the thick lymphatic vessels of dogs and saw that the flow of lymphatic fluid increased 7 times faster after the pushing than before the pushing; injected ink in both knee joints of rabbits and pushed one knee joint, and found that the ink in one joint had moved to a distant place after the pushing, and the ink in the unpushed side of the joint still remained mostly).
Due to the improvement of blood circulation and lymphatic circulation at the lesion site, the absorption of edema and lesion products was accelerated, resulting in the elimination of swelling and contracture; some techniques such as pulling, flicking and rectifying, such as motor joint type of manipulation, can release the spasm, adhesion, embedding and misalignment of soft tissue.
Through nerves and body fluids, local manipulation of Tui Na manipulation can have an effect on the whole and other tissues. Tui Na can adjust the relative balance of excitation and inhibition of the nervous system. Gentle and lighter yet rhythmic manipulations with repeated stimulation have a sedative inhibitory effect on the nerves. Sharp and heavier, shorter techniques have an excitatory effect on the nerves.
Some people observed EEG changes after tui na and saw an increase in a-wave amplitude and a continuation of the amplitude increase, a phenomenon that may be due to the development of internal inhibition caused by tui na.
According to the spinal segmental reflex, tui-na of the neck can regulate blood circulation in the upper limbs and brain, lower intracranial pressure, and have the effect of lowering blood pressure; in the l-2 thoracic vertebrae, using vibration and percussion techniques can cause the cardiac reflex, which is manifested as myocardial contraction; vibration and percussion of the 1-2 lumbar vertebrae can make the small pelvis congested; chiropractic can cause increased gastrointestinal motility; pressing the sympathetic nerve stellate nodes at the lack of pelvic points can cause pupil Pressing the sympathetic nerve node at the lack of pelvic points can cause pupil dilation, vasodilation, and increased skin temperature of the ipsilateral limb; pushing the lower abdomen and inner thighs can cause bladder contraction and urination, treating urinary retention; pushing the abdomen can promote gastrointestinal motility and digestive gland secretion.
Tui na can also cause changes in blood composition and metabolism. Laboratory evidence shows that the total leukocyte count and phagocytosis increase after tui na, the proportion of lymphocytes increases in the change of leukocyte classification, and the red blood cells increase mildly.
In summary, the role of tui na is mainly to improve the function of the organism, but it is not the case that tui na can only treat functional diseases and can do nothing for organic diseases.