Oriental Medicine Corner – Asian Bodywork

Shiatsu and Tui Na are the two most common styles of bodywork used in Traditional East Asian Medicine. Today we will take a brief look at each and learn about what they share in common and what makes them different.

Shiatsu has Japanese origins and is a very involved form of manual therapy. The style uses light manual pressure on acupuncture points and channels with the aim of bringing the body into a better state of balance. The treatment usually begins with a diagnostic exam on the abdomen where light pressure is used over key energetic points to check upon the health of the various organs in the body. The practitioner will usually investigate the energetic relationship between two most prominent systems and then perform further diagnosis to confirm the imbalance. Once a pattern is established the treatment that follows is aimed at first grounding the body through working on the earth meridians and then moving on to the meridians that need further adjustment. 

Shiatsu treatments can also involve specific requests for joint discomfort, organ dysfunction, and even emotional imbalances. After the treatment the practitioner will repeat the diagnostic process to assess the efficacy of the treatment and provide further recommendations. 

What is unique about Shiatsu is that the style is very gentle, yet can have profound effects on the energetic system of the body. It is not uncommon to feel so relaxed while receiving a treatment that the patient falls into a deep restorative sleep while the treatment is taking place. Shiatsu is also unique, unlike other massage techniques, in that the treatment is preferentially performed over clothes, as the texture of skin can reduce the efficacy of the technique. 

Tui Na is the other common bodywork technique practice in Traditional East Asian Medicine. If Shiatsu is more gentle and replenishing, Tui Na can be seen as more direct and corrective. Tui Na, like Shiatsu, is commonly done over clothes and often works on acupressure points and meridians.  Unlike Shiatsu, it can often be very intense and take on an affinity for more of the physical body instead of the energetic one. Tui Na treatments are often sought out to correct musculoskeletal imbalances that lead to pain or discomfort. Tui Na can also be done when the patient does not respond well to needles as a means to also influence the Qi of the body without having to penetrate the skin. 

Even though these two styles can differ on their application they both work towards influencing the balance of Qi in the body and are two useful tools in the large toolbox of a Traditional East Asian Medicine practitioner. The key lines in the ability of the practitioner is to form the correct diagnosis and then prescribe the right treatment.

Next time we will look at the therapeutic application of fire in healing through the technique called Moxibustion as we continue to explore the range of healing modalities used in Traditional East Asian Medicine.

Diego Garcia, MAcOM, LAc, CSCS
Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
Performance Coach