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Abdominal Tuina
Health/Wellness/Traditional Chinese Medicine
Abdominal Tuina, commonly known as “rubbing the belly” or “abdominal massage,” is an important component of Tuina therapy. It involves the use of hands, elbows, and other techniques such as pushing, kneading, pressing, and tapping on the abdomen of the recipient.
Indications: It is effective for conditions such as Qi and blood stagnation, liver and kidney deficiency, fullness, cold and heat, accumulation, and sub-health states.
Effects: It aims to eliminate stagnation in the internal organs, adjust Yin and Yang, tonify the spleen and kidneys, promote the flow of Qi and blood, activate meridians, calm pain, relieve fatigue, enhance physical fitness, prolong life, combat aging, and improve beauty and fitness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Health Preservation
“Using hands instead of medicine, fingers instead of needles”
“Wide applicability, significant efficacy”
Firstly, health preservation in Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes cultivating virtue, which is the most important condition for health and longevity. TCM has always valued mental health; as stated in the ancient medical text, the “Huangdi Neijing” (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), “Calmness and emptiness lead to true Qi, and the spirit guards within; where does illness come from?” This clearly indicates that health preservation should focus on mental well-being. The concept of cultivating virtue in ancient texts emphasizes harmony with the Dao, maintaining integrity, and nurturing virtue to benefit longevity and avoid an end.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Health Preservation
Effective treatment for gastrointestinal diseases, gynecological disorders, and metabolic diseases
Modern medicine believes that abdominal massage can increase blood flow to the abdominal muscles and intestinal smooth muscles, enhance the tension of the gastrointestinal wall muscles and lymphatic system function, and activate the secretion functions of organs such as the stomach and intestines, thereby improving digestion, absorption, and excretion of food, significantly enhancing the peristaltic function of the large and small intestines, and preventing and alleviating constipation.
Abdominal massage can also stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa to produce sufficient “prostaglandins,” effectively preventing excessive gastric acid secretion and the occurrence of peptic ulcers.
Additionally, it promotes the absorption and transport of fats, preventing abdominal obesity and achieving satisfactory weight loss results.
Abdominal massage also helps maintain a pleasant mental state, aids in sleep, and prevents insomnia.
For patients with arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and cerebrovascular diseases, abdominal massage can calm liver fire, promote tranquility, and enhance blood circulation, serving as a good adjunctive treatment.
Indications
1. Internal diseases:
Chronic gastritis, chronic gastric and duodenal ulcers, vomiting, gastrointestinal neurosis, pyloric obstruction, gastric ptosis, gastric spasm, chronic colitis, chronic cholecystitis, insomnia, obesity, fatty liver, etc.
2. Gynecological diseases:
Menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, amenorrhea, uterine prolapse, menopausal syndrome.
3. Pediatric diseases:
Childhood malnutrition, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc.
4. Surgical diseases:
Postoperative intestinal adhesions, chronic hemorrhoids, etc.
Contraindications
1. Abdominal skin infections, burns, or scalds should not be massaged to avoid spreading inflammation;
2. Patients with acute abdominal conditions such as perforated stomach or duodenal ulcers, enteritis, dysentery, appendicitis should not undergo abdominal massage;
3. Abdominal cancer should not be massaged to prevent cancer spread or bleeding;
4. Various bleeding disorders, such as traumatic bleeding, hematochezia, hematuria, etc.;
5. Undiagnosed conditions, such as fractures or dislocations;
6. Various acute infectious diseases, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, etc.;
7. Severe heart disease or patients with unstable mental conditions.
Post-Tuina Discomfort Reactions
1. Occurrence of belching, flatulence during treatment is normal;
2. Abdominal wall pain or discomfort, often seen during the first treatment, is due to stimulation of the abdominal wall muscles and generally resolves within 2-7 days;
3. Increased frequency of bowel movements or loose stools, if the mental state is normal, is a normal expulsion of pathogenic Qi;
4. Increased menstrual flow or vaginal discharge, if the mental state is normal, is a normal expulsion of pathogenic Qi;
5. Fatigue, weakness, or even sleepiness is often a sign of improvement in the condition;
6. Sweating in the distal lower limbs is often a sign of improvement in the condition.
Text: Teng Lidan (Guoyi Hall)
Images: Internet
Editor: Liu Ning (Publicity Department)
Reviewers: Huang Lixia, Yan Wei (Publicity Department)