Neil Kingham

I’m very pleased to announce that the UK Register of Tui Na Chinese Massage has now launched, and the website is live. The register is an independent, professional organisation dedicated to promoting high standards of training and practice in Tui na, to supporting its trainee and qualified practitioners, and to developing the profile and fostering public awareness of this therapy within the UK.

The register is currently offering discounted membership to practitioners, and will offer a UK wide ‘find a practitioner’ function from November 1st.

Tui Na is rapidly growing in the UK. Only a few years ago it was unknown even to people working in massage or complementary health, but there are now more colleges offering training, and more practitioners. In my practice I am more and more often being approached by people specifically requesting Tui Na, as understanding of this wonderful therapy grows.

The UK Register of Tui Na Chinese Massage is in a strong position to lead this growth, and provides a much needed source of information for the public, as well as setting minimum standards for practitioners. This last function is extremely valuable as the standard of Tui Na training has historically been very variable, but now it is possible to be certain that members of the register (who will bear the letters MRTCM) have the highest level of training and professionalism.

For more info visit the website: UK Register of Tui Na Chinese Massage

The Chinese date or ‘jujube’ is so important to the Chinese that it has worked its way into folklore – a traditional Chinese story tells of a woman who lived 2000 years ago who ate nothing but jujube and when she married at the age of 50 she had the appearance of a 20 year old! In Chinese medicine Jujube is used to strengthen Qi and Blood and calms the spirit. It strengthens the digestion and the whole body, improves the complexion and also helps to calm irritability and a racing mind. They are also very high in Vitamin C.

Jujube is an effective general tonic for the whole body, with particular affinity with the skin and digestion. Jujube is very useful for insomnia, restlessness and fatigue. As a blood tonic it is the ideal remedy for the Blood Deficient symptoms (pale skin, dry skin or hair, sometimes feel dizzy when standing, or ‘floaters’ in your vision) in which case jujube tea should be taken daily. Jujube can be eaten dried as you would with regular dates (but be careful of the stone) or soaked before use. They can also be simmered for 10-15 mins in boiling water to make a tea, which is a common way of taking jujube in China.

The longan (literally ‘dragon eye’) is a close relative of the lychee, and is one of the most well known and well used of the medicinal fruits in Chinese Medicine. It’s forte is in treating Blood Deficiency, especially in the realm of calming the spirit.

The longan fruits strengthen both the digestive system and also the Heart. As the Heart is the abode of the Spirit in Chinese medicine, this means that the longan is especially indicated for Blood deficiency symptoms involving the mind or emotions – it is one of the favoured medicinal foods for insomnia, poor memory, stress, and palpitations – especially if there are other signs of Blood deficiency (dry skin, floaters in the vision, feeling dizzy when standing)

The Longan fruit is available fresh or tinned in syrup in Chinese supermarkets, or occasionally in the tropical fruit sections of large Western supermarkets. It is also often available dried, in which case it should be a very dark brown / black colour. Avoid dried fruits that are light in colour as they have probably been sulphured to keep them that way.

½ collander nettles, tops or young leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
Chicken, or vegetable stock (fresh is best, but stock cubes/powder are ok too)
1 tbsp thick cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Put the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and potato in a pan with enough stock to cover. Simmer until potato is soft. Sort through the nettle, selecting only fresh healthy young leaves, and rinse thoroughly. Add to the pan and cook for another 5-10 mins until nettles are tender (add more stock if necessary). Blend with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. Add more stock if desired to reach the desired consistency. Season, and stir in cream or crème fraîche if using just before serving.

Serves 2.

Energetics: Tonifies Yin, Blood and Jing. Detoxifying.

By popular request, here is the recipe for my Malty Flapjacks. I’ve spent some time gradually refining this recipe – the finished result used honey and malt instead of white sugar, and also much less fat than most flapjack recipes. It’s very easy to cook, and about as healthy as a sweet treat can be!

Ingredients:
250g porridge oats
130g cooking spread or unsalted butter
70g honey
70g barley malt
Dried fruit, nuts etc as you choose

Method: Simply melt the butter or spread in a large saucepan on a low heat (do not allow to boil.) Stir in all the other ingredients until evenly mixed. Transfer to a greased baking dish and put into a warm oven (gas 4, 180 degrees) for 25-30 mins until beginning to brown on top. Remove from oven and whilst still warm use a knife to cut into 8-10 slices. leave in the tray until completely cool before removing.

Variations:

Grain: Oats seem the best, but I often replace up to 50g of oats with other flaked grains eg barley or quinoa.

Sweetner: The equal mix of honey and malt works well, but you could try replacing some or all of it with date syrup, molasses, maple syrup etc. Barley malt is a thick sweet liquid, much less refined than sugar and consequently better for you. You can get it from most health-food shops.

Other bits: Any dried fruit, nuts or seeds can be added to taste. A small handful is normally plenty. A pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice also work well. Here are some ideas of combinations I’ve enjoyed:

Hazelnut and sultana – A classic mix. My favourite.
Tropical – Dried pineapple and dessicated coconut.
Mixed seed – Nutritious and tasty.
Date and walnut – Another common combination, works really well.
Yin booster – Goji berries and black sesame seeds to tonify Qi, Yin, and Blood. Soak the goji berries in water for an hour before use to stop the from burning.
Yang booster- Walnut and cinnamon to tonify Qi and Yang.

Qi Gong (or ‘Chi Kung’) is one of the branches of Chinese Medicine, and is closely related to T’ai Chi (taiji). It literally means ‘energy work’ and is considered by many both the most important and the most profound method of health maintenance and spiritual development.

Qi Gong is typically divided into 5 types: Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, Medical & Martial, however, these are broad categories and many styles fall into more than 1 category. In fact, Confucian Qi Gong is rare, ands most types can be traced back to either Buddhist or Taoist roots.

The exercises of Qi Gong normally consist of a few slow movements in sequence combined with specific breathing techniques, and sometimes visualisations. Sometimes no movements are used, especially in meditation exercises. Most styles have many different exercises for different purposes. When practicing, short but regular practice is normally encouraged rather than long but infrequent practice.

First references to this ancient art appear in Chinese texts dating from as early at 700 BCE. Zhuang Zi, writing in 600 BCE said ‘breathing techniques can improve metabolism; moving like a bear and a bird will result in longevity’. Around 250 BCE the famous Taoist doctor Hua To created the ‘5 animal play’ Qi Gong in which mimicing animal movements was said to balance the 5 elements and improve health and wellbeing.

Pretty much all Qi Gong has overall health maintenance as one of its main aims. Medical Qi Gong focuses on this aspect, specifically in the treatment of illness. Martial Qi Gong is perhaps the style least interested in healing, and concentrates on developing fighting and self defence skills.

Most Qi Gong, and certainly the Taoist and Buddhist types, is seen as a form of self development in which the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual spheres are all improved through practice. Most Qi Gong practitioners notice better health, improved posture, deeper breathing and a calmer more positive outlook. With dedicated practice, spiritual development can be persued, if desired.