“If your roof leaks, you can locate the cause, or cover up the damage, or cut and replace a part,” says Ming Wu, DCM, who practiced traditional Chinese medicine in Chouzhou before coming to the U.S. in 1990 where he has established healing centers in West Hartford, CT., Cambridge and Maynard MA.
Wu’s philosophy of healing is analogous to the leaking roof: he wants to teach patients to help find root causes of energy blockage and to open the flow of the life force, qui, rather than to suppress symptoms, or surgically remove body parts which were created to be used. His mission is to
Bring Health to the World, One Family at a Time by teaching family members to heal each other.
“From the ancient teachings of the Tao to the progressive thinking of Dr. Mehmet Oz, restoring the Body, Mind, Spirit connection is believed to be the key to optimal health,” Wu maintains.
Unique among Wu’s services, is an intensive two-day Tui Na workshop. Learning this Chinese massage technique, practiced as early as 1700 BC, requires no background, books, or knowledge of acupoints. After the instructional sessions, participating couples or partners practice on each other every day, one hour per person, for ten days.
“Movement is an essential part of nature, which includes the Human body,” says Wu. “If it becomes stagnant for any reason, unnatural events, even small stagnations, will compound and eventually become stubborn blockages causing much suffering and pain. Treatments like Tui Na are tools to address the condition and restore the natural flow.”
Similar to Shiatsu massage therapy, Tui Na uses rhythmic pressing, tapping and kneading movements with the palms, fingertips, and knuckles that help remove blockages along the meridians of the body and stimulate the flow of ch’i and blood to promote healing.
Like acupuncture, it seeks to enhance and balance the flow of vital energy, but instead of using needles, Tui Na draws upon a wide variety of hands-on techniques, ranging from light stroking to deep-tissue work, that include massage, acupressure, and joint manipulation.
Tui Na's massage-like techniques, release deep-seated or chronic conditions. “ It's especially effective for arthritis, sciatica, muscle spasms, and pain in the back, neck, and shoulders,” Wu notes. “It also helps chronic conditions like insomnia, constipation, headaches--including migraines--, and the tension associated with stress.”
As with other styles of Asian bodywork, Tui Na is designed to prevent problems, not just to correct them. By keeping the body's energy in balance, physical, mental and emotional well-being is maintained.
One of Tui Na's advantages over simple massage is its ability to focus on specific problems, especially chronic pain associated with muscles and joints, as well as gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders.
Furthermore, for many diseases and problems, Tui-Na achieves a speedy and profound result; visible results from mainstream allopathic medicine may require longer.
Unlike surgical or pharmaceutical based medicines, there is a marked lack of side effects from Tui-Na treatments as no foreign objects or chemicals enter the body.
Wu, who has published more than 20 articles in the Chinese Medical Journal, has conducted seminars worldwide since 1987 and was awarded “Outstanding Doctor Gold Medal” at the 2000 World Traditional Medicine Day.
To reach Elizabeth Eidlitz, call 978-369-5142 or e-mail her at eidlitz@gmail.com
