Medicinal Massage in China

Ben杰明

Nov 15 |21:04

massage pic 300x199 Medicinal Massage in China

~Pure Relaxation~

What is the first thing you think of when someone suggests getting a massage? For those who haven’t tried a genuine massage, it probably sounds dirty, but don’t let the negative press fool you. Massage is genuinely useful and even plays a substantial role in Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques. After a long week of work on my computer or dealing with university stress, I find that a professional body massage really helps. If you play sports regularly or receive an injury, a mix of acupuncture and light massage can bring your muscles back to their healthy state much faster[*]. People with poor circulation can get blood moving again with regular medicinal massage too. My mother often reminds me of the benefit her legs received in 2008, the last time she was in China.

Ben’s Trip to Thailand: A Surprise in Phuket

ben.piscopo

Mar 7 |14:16

Photo048 300x206 Bens Trip to Thailand: A Surprise in Phuket

Jake and Me in Phuket

If Phuket was a sound it would be “Ngaaaaa,” which starts low and gets high pitched. That is the sound walking down any major street near the beach village. What is making this strange sound you ask? That would be the masseuse/working girls which wear the look of a decade’s experience and heavy make-up on their faces. My cousin and I were curious about the “massage” that was being offered, but decided against it. On a budget, and getting “taxed” as Jake likes to say, the prices of most things in Phuket didn’t allow us a chance to make it rain, so-to-speak. So we had more beer instead. Read More…

tafbutton blue16 Bens Trip to Thailand: A Surprise in Phuket

My Journey with Chinese Chiropractic (Part 2)

ben.piscopo

Dec 10 |10:22

SawMachine 225x300 My Journey with Chinese Chiropractic (Part 2)

The Saw Machine

Chinese Chiropractic (Part 1) started here…

When I came back he was already seeing another patient. As most do in China, I cut in and made my request to try the medical massage. With a flick of his pen, and 64RMB ($9.50) later, I found myself standing in front of a peculiar contraption. It was a mix of metal, chains and leather straps. I was told to straddle it and fix my head in between the front and back leather straps. A crank was turned by one of the doctors, which pulled my head toward the ceiling! At this point, I got a bit nervous; shouldn’t a fuzzy TV screen turn on featuring a scary clown doll with a spooky voice? (Like in the “Saw”series)

15 minutes before completing a full cycle on this thing, I broke free and asked if I could use heat instead. In fact, both methods were being used by patients who were preparing for the massage therapy. When I finally got on the little wooden stool in front of another doctor, he began asking what my discomfort was. After explaining a second time, I started to get a violently strong neck massage. Tears were gathering in the first few minutes and I had no idea what would happen to me! Then he moved to my right shoulder and the muscles around my collar bone. That is when I felt true pain. He found two pressure/acupuncture points “Xue Wei” like some kind of ninja; and seconds later I was subjugated; forced to twitch and move around like a puppet!

NeckMassage 225x300 My Journey with Chinese Chiropractic (Part 2)

The Massage Ninja

Within 20 minutes my right arm was curved over my head and moderate pressure was applied to a chunk of back muscles. I heard light snaps. And the last 5 minutes would help smooth out the nearby knots in my neck and surrounding shoulder blade area. It seemed that my desired “back breaking” had happened.

Then I asked, “are knots OK sometimes?” He said “knots only exist when something is wrong.” It was then that I realized that our skeletons are not always in control of our bodies. Sometimes our muscles, when agitated over months and years, can take control and leave us in naturally-occurring pain. Some bones move out of place and cause any number of problems. In my case the agitation led to sleep deprivation, which caused other health problems. Read More…

tafbutton blue16 My Journey with Chinese Chiropractic (Part 2)

Posts Tagged ‘physical therapy’