TuiNa is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in

  conjunction with acupuncture, herbal medicines and other Chinese

  therapies. The name is derived from the Chinese characters

  "Tui" - to push and "Na" - to grasp, two techniques fundamental to

  traditional Chinese medical massage and manipulation.

 

It is probably the oldest system of bodywork still practised: its uses

  in treating a range of health problems were documented in The

  Yellow Emperor's “Canons of Internal Medicine” – believed to have

  been handed down from the emporer Huang Di who lived over

  4600 years ago.

 

Attention is focused on meridians and selected qi points.  They are

  massaged in different ways to remove all blockages to the flow of qi.

 

Doctors may brush, knead, roll/press and rub the areas between

  each of the main joints (known as the eight gates) to open the

  body's defensive (wei) qi and get the energy moving in the

  meridians as well as the muscles.