OTHER MODALITIES

Although acupuncture and herbal medicine are its two best known modalities, Chinese medicine includes many other techniques that may be useful in supporting the treatment of various conditions. Some of the more common adjunctive therapies include:

TUINA

Tuina is a form of massage therapy that stimulates the acupuncture points and channels with pressure applied using various hand techniques.  Unlike a full-body circulatory massage, tuina tends to target the deeper tissue of a particular problem area. Liniments or herb-infused oils are frequently used to enhance the therapeutic effects.

CUPPING

Cupping is the technique of creating a vacuum in glass or silicone cups applied to acupuncture points or general areas of muscular tension. It acts as a sort of “reverse massage” by decompressing the underlying tissue rather than applying pressure.  Cupping has become popular with Olympic athletes, most famously Michael Phelps in the 2016 Olympics.

GUA SHA

Gua sha is a method of relieving channel or muscular tension by applying pressure with thin, smooth tools and sliding them along the surface of the skin.  Common in far eastern folk medicine, this technique can be performed with any smooth, blunt object such as a ceramic soup spoon, but stainless steel, polished horn or jade stones are typically used in professional practice.

MOXIBUSTION

Moxibustion is the technique of stimulating acupuncture points with heat. The Chinese believed that the heat produced by burning mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) was particularly healing and could be used alone as treatment or in conjunction with needles.  Since the production of smoke can be problematic in clinical environments, alternative methods are frequently used to generate a similar warming effect.