TuiNa

A lot of holistic healthcare professionals in Kansas City provide massage service. They may or may not know there is a similar kind of physical therapy technique in traditional Chinese medicine, namely TuiNa. By applying appropriate pressure with certain specific hand-skills (e.g. rotating, rolling, pinching, etc.) onto acupoints, it has the functions of removing blockage of meridians, facilitating flowing of Qi and blood, alleviating pains and enhancing internal organ functions. In addition, TuiNa may function as a diagnostic method as well, particularly when Ashi or pain points (where the local skin becomes hypersensitive to pressure or pinch) can be detected in certain specific locations (known meridians or points). In this case, the sensitivity of Ashi points to acupressure also indicates the effectiveness of the treatment at certain degree. One additional advantage is that TuiNa can serve as an alternative holistic treatment to acupuncture, especially for people who are not appropriate for or afraid of needles.

TuiNa has been developed for thousands of years as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Because it looks less scary than needles and is so effective, TuiNa has spread all over the world. People can use it either themselves at home or go to see a TuiNa therapist. There is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who started to have stomach bloating and pain when he was around 60 years old. He didn’t want to take any treatment other than TuiNa, therefore, he applies pressure to the acupuncture points around his belly button with his left hand while using his right palm pushing and rotating around his belly button on daily basis. This simple TuiNa technique has helped him a lot during the 20 years, and this 80 years old gentleman is still in a very healthy condition. Nonetheless, if you do not know meridian and acupuncture points, you can go to see a TuiNa therapist. Some holistic healthcare centers in Kansas City provide TuiNa service as one of their unique therapeutic skills.

Dr. Fung’s practice focuses on using acupuncture and Chinese Herbs even though she learned TuiNa in China. She only uses TuiNa technique briefly in complement with the acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments, rather than offering systematic TuiNa service. Being a holistic care doctor in Kansas City for decades, nonetheless, she knows when people may need TuiNa treatment. In this case, she does not only use TuiNa treatment but also teaches patients to do it themselves. Indeed, TuiNa sometimes helps quite significantly for pain, indigestion, and cold, etc.

Nevertheless, TuiNa is not for everyone. In the cases of broken bone, high tendency of bleeding, very weak health conditions or other emergent diseases, call 911 or consult your TuiNa therapist.