Energy Medicine & Bodywork

Chinese Herbal Medicine is also a powerful tool and is the Chinese medicine version of pharmacological medicine. Unlike the western practice of herbal medicine that practices more with singular herbs based on western diagnosis, Chinese herbal medicine is based on Chinese diagnostic patterns. Based on the diagnostic patterns of the individual, ancient Formulas are given to treat the condition. The formulas are comprised of many herbs for a balanced effect because the ancient herbalists, true to their holistic mindset, thought about how to minimize side effects and support organs that have to process the herbs. For this reason, Chinese herbal formulas are uniquely tailored to the individual based on their presenting patterns.

Chinese Tui Na massage is a therapeutic form of massage. It utilizes both gentle and deep tissue techniques depending on the needs of the patient. When used correctly, Tui Na can promote functional movement of joints, break up muscle adhesions, and promote blood and lymph circulation.

Cupping and Gua Sha are tools that were developed to assist Tui Na techniques. Cupping lifts up on the skin and fascia, allowing better blood and lymphatic movement. Cupping has become a popular tool among massage therapists as well.

Gua sha is the strong application of a rubbing or grinding technique utilizing a specific tool. Physical therapists have adopted this technique as their “Graston Technique” utilizing the Graston tool, although the original gua sha tool was the Chinese porcelain spoon. This technique is useful for breaking up muscular adhesions and realigning the fibers. However, acupuncturists also use cupping and gua sha in other ways such as to prevent the onset of a cold.

Chinese medicine also contains a wealth of knowledge in terms of general healthy living. The ancient Chinese people that put the original compendium of Chinese medicine together were obsessed with health and immortality. This led to the idea of the person being in balance within themselves, within their environment, and within the general universe. “Immortality” can be thought of as the ability to maintain your health throughout life as you build your legacy through pursuing your passions. When we are ill, it is difficult to pursue our passions. This could be raising our children, pursuing knowledge, or some other project that lasts beyond us.

The ancient philosophy of health leaned heavily on prevention because it is much easier to stay healthy than to heal from ill-health. Even when recovered or having to live with chronic conditions, it is the daily ritual of proper hygiene in all its forms that allows us to manage our conditions and feel the best we can to pursue the life that we want.  Total hygiene includes nutrition and dietary hygiene, sleep hygiene, exercise, and even one’s social life. A person can also determine the best lifestyle for their unique self by understanding their presenting constitutional patterns and the strengths and weaknesses that are innate in that constitution when they are making decisions that affect their health.

Exercise, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi were viewed by the ancients as regular hygiene for Qi and Blood. Exercise, through exertion and breathing, moved both Qi and Blood so that they did not stagnate and become blockages leading to pain.

Qi Gong as a practice is actually the concept of “mining Qi from the Universe” as well as hygienic “meridian scrubbing”. As a more specific and disciplined form of exercise, you focus on the flow of energy through your meridian body and resolve blockages as you go. You also collect the Qi from the universe through the “Gathering Breath”, condense it down and reserve it into your Dantian. This is how you restore your own Qi that has been lost through injury, illness, or just living.

Tai Chi is also a more disciplined form of exercise. This form of exercise is about letting go of expectations and resistance and training the body to move and flow fluidly. It serves as a philosophy of training our bodies to be a conduit and to flow with its challenges rather than attempt to overcome them. These three fundamental activities form the foundations of many martial arts practices developed in Asia.