Spa Therapies Of China
Cupping (Ba Guan):
Cupping (ba guan) involves attaching small glass cups to the skin by creating a vacuum. Some practitioners also use metal jars or bamboo segments. The vacuum is created by placing a lighted match inside each cup to burn up the oxygen. The suction created increases the local circulation of qi and blood, and dispels cold and dampness from the body. Cupping is suitable for joint stiffness and pain, and for reducing swelling.
Acupressure:
It is believed that acupressure predated acupuncture. At some point, it was considered an inferior form of treatment because it involved the practitioner actually touching the flesh of the patient – a practice that the upper classes regarded as disrespectful and unrefined. It only regained its status in modern times with China’s encouragement of the revival of traditional medicine, and the West’s interest in this traditional therapy. Acupressure is essentially a massage therapy involving the stimulation of acupoints, using the fingers, although the palms, elbows, knees and feet are sometimes used. Practitioners use firm finger pressure to stimulate acupoints, usually for a few minutes at a time. Acupressure is a highly effective way of relieving discomforts such as constipation, diarrhoea, insomnia, back pain, muscle pain and poor digestion. In spas today, therapists familiar with Chinese systems of healing may blend acupressure with other massage techniques.
