Neil Kingham

Headaches are often related to stress or can occur along-side fatigue, muscular pains or insomnia and migraines are often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and aversion to bright lights. In all of these cases, Chinese Medicine can be used to treat the root cause of the problem as well as dealing with the manifestation.

In many cases tight muscles in the neck and shoulders can contribute to or even cause headaches or migraine, and Tui Na massage is especially useful to relax the muscles and often has dramatic effects. If you have held tension in these muscles for some time you may not even realise that they are the cause of the problem.

Diet can be an important factor, particularly with migraine – in some sufferers a specific food can trigger a migraine attack (often shellfish, red wine or chocolate for instance.) Even if there is not a direct trigger such as this it is often possible to control attacks by relatively simple changes to the diet, a Chinese nutritional analysis will reveal if there are changes that you could make in this area.

There are a number of causes of headaches and migraine, and Chinese medicine distinguishes many different types, depending on the nature and location of the pain, and other symptoms. The treatment is based on the Chinese diagnosis, and results are generally excellent.

The acupuncture treatment of headaches and migraines has been extensively researched, and a systematic review of the evidence by the Cochrane collaboration concluded that for migraine acupuncture treatment is at least as effective, or possible more effective than treatment with drugs, but without the side effects. They also found that treatment by acupuncture was effective for chronic tension-type headaches.

Tui Na is an ancient Chinese form of bodywork incorporating acupressure and massage techniques. It is one of the 5 main branches of Chinese medicine, but is still quite uncommon in the UK. Although it is sometimes described as a very hard or strong kind of massage, it can equally be be very gentle and relaxing if performed by a well trained practitioner.

Tui Na is much more than just a massage. As it is based on the same theories as acupuncture it also works on the internal environment, balancing and regulating the Qi. This makes it suitable for all manner of conditions including digestive problems, hormonal imbalance, insomnia, low energy levels, depression, stress and anxiety, and of course aches, pains, injuries and other physical problems.

The newly formed UK Register of Tui Na now has a ‘find a practitioner’ function. Minimum training standards exist for membership, so you can be certain that practitioners listed are highly trained.

Search for a practitioner, or learn more about Tui Na Massage at the UK Register of Tui Na Chinese Massage

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