Practice of Medicine at Home

3 min read

To Westerners, traditional Chinese medicine is mysterious and hard to fathom. However, to the LChinese people, it is very simple and concrete:a needle,a glass,a spoon and even two palms can be used to treat diseases. In China, few people wield a scalpel, but almost every family has stored some needles, glass jars and scrapers to practice acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, cupping and scraping therapies.

Both acupuncture and moxibustion are external therapeutic methods. The points for inserting needles are called acupoints in traditional Chinese medicine. These acupoints reflect the condition of diseases and can be used to treat diseases. When an accurate diagnosis is made, doctors may insert the needle quickly into the selected acupoints and manipulate the needle with various techniques to stimulate the acupoints. Usually the patient will not feel pain when the needles are inserted into the acupoints and it rarely results in bleeding. In moxibustion, the selected moxa roll is lit and used to fumigate the surface of the body, promoting circulation of Qi and blood and adjusting the physiological functions of the body as well as preventing and treating diseases.

Tuina(massage), another therapeutic method in traditional Chinese medicine, can alleviate pain, repair injury, adjust circulation and promote rehabilitation. Itis a true natural treatment because it does not use any medicinal substance. The techniques for Tuina are varied; some are performed with fingers, others with palms and still others with elbows or even feet. The way of treading on the body of the patient appears harsh to bystanders, but is effective for curing certain diseases without injuring the patient. Under normal conditions, Tuina performed for the purpose of healthcare does not need special skills and can be done in any place, at any time and by any person. Usually simple and gentle kneading and rubbing can relieve fatigue and calm the mind.

Cupping is performed with cups with the oxygen burnt, with cups boiled in water or in decoction. The first is the most common method in cupping. The cups act as a vacuum when the oxygen inside is burnt and, when attached on the surface of the body, will promote blood and Qi circulation, relax tendons, stimulate corresponding areas, subdue swelling, stop pain, eliminate wind anddampness. The cups used may be glass, earthenware or bamboo. Usually people just use glass cups to perform such a treatment. To perform this, just take a glass cup, place a burnt cotton ball rinsed in alcohol into the cup for a while, immediately covering the cup over the selected area. The skin drawn into the cup will gradually turn red and purple. After about 10 minutes, the cup can be removed. The cup also can be repeatedly covered over the surface of the body and then removed immediately. This is known as flashing cupping. The cup also can be pushed back and forth over the surface of the body. This is known as mobile cupping. When the cup is removed,a round seal will be left over the surface of the body,a sign of the therapeutic effect.

When performing such a treatment, the practitioner applies oil on the skin and then scrapes up and down and from the central region to the lateral region till the skin appears purple. This method is usually done in summer and autumn to deal with skin problems caused by invasion of wind, cold, summer heat, dryness and fire into the body. This treatment can remove pathogenic factors from the internal organs, invigorate bloodto eliminate stagnation, clear away heat to remove toxins and promote metabolism in the body. Such a treatment is as effective as other therapeutic methods like acupuncture, Tuina and cupping. It is a sort of acupuncture treatment without needles, Tuina withoutusing hands and cupping without using any cups. Folk practice of scraping therapy is very simple; sometimesa cup of water and a spoon are enough to perform sucha treatment. In the rural areas, old peasants still usescraping therapy to treat common colds caused by wind and heat. The therapeutic effect is quite significant. If you see brown and purple skin around someone’s shoulder area, you need not be surprised. It is not scarring, just signs of the scraping treatment. Usually three days after treatment, the patient will feel as energetic as usual.