Correcting Qi flow so that balance and harmony are restored, provides the right conditions for the body to heal itself. For the Western doctor the body is the sum of its individual parts but for the TCM doctor it is a single functioning whole. The four types of bodywork in this article are all truly holistic in their application and the benefits they bestow. Tui Na and Shiatsu achieve this by following the guide-lines provided by the complex underlying theory. A practitioner of Thai or Indonesian massage lacks this type of theoretical background but nevertheless seems to possess an almost intuitive awareness of it.
Oriental massage maintains good health and can also treat a wide spectrum of health conditions.
The four systems that are under discussion here differ widely in their techniques and methods of application and each one excels in the treatment of particular types of condition. In its purest form as practised in thousands of departments of traditional medicine throughout China, Tui Na is a very comprehensive healing system. It even includes a branch of specialist bodywork for babies and infants. The Chinese use it for all those conditions that in the West would be treated by physiotherapists, sports injury therapists, osteopaths and chiropractors as well as some that would be treated with drug therapy. The highly successful Chinese Olympic teams rely on Tui Na for all their bodywork requirements.