Masters of Health Magazine November 2017 | Page 100

Tui na is an is a form of massage akin to acupressure from which shiatsu evolved. Asian massage is typically administered with the person fully clothed, without the application of oils. Techniques employed may include thumb presses, rubbing, percussion, and assisted stretching.

Qigong is a TCM system of exercise and meditation that combines regulated breathing, slow movement, and focused awareness, to cultivate and balance qi. One branch of qigong is giggling massage, in which the practitioner combines massage techniques with awareness of the acupuncture channels and points.

HISTORY

The doctrines of Chinese medicine are rooted in books such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (dialogue compiled between the Yellow Emperor and his ministers around the first century BC) and the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses by Zhang Zhongjing (between 196 and 220 CE; at the end of the Han Dynasty), which focused on drug prescriptions combined with the Yin-Yang doctrines and the Five Phases principals.

INDIAN INFLUENCE

Between the 4th and 8th centuries, Indian medicine penetrated into the Chinese world. Ayurveda greatly influenced TCM during its formation. And, some believe acupuncture had its origins in ancient India. Indian medical knowledge of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, dentistry, and otorhinolaryngology was brought to China. Kashyapa Samhita, dating back to the 6th century BCE, was translated into Chinese during the Middle Ages. Kashyap Samhita, also known as Vriddha Jivkiya Tantra is a treatise on Ayurveda attributed to the

sage Kashyap. According to the Book of Sue and the Book of Tang, eleven Indian medical works were translated into Chinese. Indian monks and translators, who had a good understanding of medicine introduced surgery into China. An Shigao translated an indian medical work into Chinese, which dealt with 404 diseases. The Chinese monk, Yijing went to India and brought back some 400 Buddhist translated texts. Yijing highlights India’s superior medical knowledge and praised the practice of fasting among Indians, which he believed could cure imbalances within days. He also introduced hygiene practiced in India. Formulae for lung diseases were imported from India during the Tang dynasty. Indian ophthalmologist also practiced medicine in China. Indian medicine had a profound influence on physician Sun Simian who mentions many Indian surgical techniques for treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, and other eye diseases. Over ninety articles were attributed to Indian physician jivaka, which were recorded by Ishinpo of Tanba Yasuyori.