I am working on a book for Pediatric Tuina therapy, a TCM solution for kids wellness. Here is the preface as my first page. Would like to hear from anyone with suggestions for content. In a new era like this, a blog pod style writing will inspire a new way to carry tradition. There is short term workshop in Vancouver to introduce Pediatric Tuina for professionals and parents( www.tuinacourse.com).

Tuina therapy for Pediatric Health

– Care kids with hand touch

Preface

For most people in the West, Pediatric Tuina is still a new term, though it has been practiced in China over thousand years like the acupuncture and TCM. It looks like a therapy blending gentle hand reflexology with acupressure massage.

If parents learn the Pediatric Tuina, they could care their kids for common aliments with own hands instead of feeling frustrated. Injection with pains and drugs with side effect are real torture for lovely babies. They could enjoy a comfort therapy lying on bed with no worry of any side effect.

Pediatric Tuina is a traditional therapy in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) with long history success, though it has not been well known in the West. Many people learn about acupuncture and meridians which adjust the energy balance to heal. Children have the same system of meridians but vary as their energy is different with adults’; hence some property and location of meridians are floating to the surface and more sensitive. Stimulation at the certain points along their meridians could be powerful with hand touch, which will work the same like acupuncture.

Thanks for the ancient practitioners who developed the magical therapy of Pediatric Tuina. When I was young, I witnessed many successful treatments by Pediatric Tuina at my local TCM hospital, which attracted my interest till I chose medicine as my profession later. Eventually, I worked at the local hospital and learnt the special school of Pediatric Tuina from experts, following a lineage over 300 years’ history in China.  Dr. Dexiu Li was the master of this school and he was specialised in pediatrics of TCM. His outstanding experience was recorded at our hospital library, which explained the ancient text in lyrical three words verses. This school of Pediatric Tuina was named as “Three words verse” school as its key technique was published in lyrical verses with three words as one sentence. Learners need to recite the text to master the skills. Its technique is quite simple and effect comparing with other schools of Tuina; I will introduce its techniques in this book as it is also easy to learn for all levels.

Another school of Tuina was famous for its effective treatments on internal disorders with traditional Taoist style, named as “Zangfu acupressure”. It was known by public 150 years ago with a book published around 1840’s. This lineage used to be practice by Taoist yogis and only opened to one doctor one hundred years ago and his only students Dr. Yaru Wang taught in Beijing during the 1950’s to a team of doctors selected from TCM hospitals. As the original textbook was lost, a new textbook was published in 1950’s with few copies, then out of print with most copies lost during the Cultural Revolution. The doctor from my hospital learnt the technique and taught internally within the hospital; therefore I am lucky to carry this lineage with a rare copy of the textbook.

Some simplified technique will be introduced here to help treatment for specific concerns. I try to explain the old teaching into modern language and transfer my knowledge of classical therapy by easy, straight forward application. Hope the ancient medicine will save kids wellness in the hands of their own parents. I know it seems hard to believe we can treat most symptoms by just pushing the fingers of the children. As described in one textbook of Pediatric Tuina, the stimulation of certain meridian on one’s finger effects as the same of herbs like ginseng, angelica etc. As the old saying:” hundred meridians links with two hands”, any qualified application will alter the energy circulation to correct imbalance effectively. The long history of TCM is a good prove for this magical therapy. This book is a turn key project, giving you the skill and confidence. It comes from my decade long clinical practice and teaching experience. I simply wish more people learn this natural alternative therapy to enjoy a cost free wellness path, without any pharmaceutical side effects.

You may download our Pediatric Tuina course outline from:

slideshare.net/dr.chen