The difference and connection between the effects of acupuncture and massage

Both belong to the external treatment system of traditional Chinese medicine, both based on the core principle of "clearing the meridians and harmonizing Qi and blood", but their efficacy is obviously different - acupuncture is more of a deep intervention, good at breaking up old blockages, regulating organs and system problems; massage is more superficial relaxation, good at relieving acute muscle tension, daily stress relief and health care. In clinical practice, the two are often used together. There is no absolute advantage or disadvantage, only the applicable scenarios are different.

In the past eight years of practicing traditional Chinese medicine, the most frequently asked question is "Is it better to have acupuncture or massage for my problem?" Last week, I met a girl who had just finished working overtime. She was rubbing her shoulders that she couldn't lift and was standing by the clinic in confusion. She said that she was afraid that acupuncture would hurt, but she was also afraid that massage would not be able to cure it for long.

In terms of the depth of treatment, acupuncture does have natural advantages. I once had a migraine patient who had been suffering from migraine for 20 years. He went to a health center every week to have his head and shoulders massaged. Every time he felt comfortable for two or three days, he would relapse. The pain was so severe that he had to take two painkillers to get over it. Later, she came to have the sphenopalatine ganglion pierced and the head penetrated. After the third time, she came back for a follow-up consultation half a month later. She said that she only had pain once and it was not enough to require medication. Acupuncturists of the traditional Nei Jing school often say that "acupuncture regulates Qi, and moxibustion regulates cold." They believe that the Qi sensation caused by needle insertion into acupuncture points can directly act on the deficiency and excess of the meridians, unlike massage that requires layer-by-layer penetration to reach the deep layers. Practitioners of modern acupuncture schools such as abdominal acupuncture and Jin Sanzhen place more emphasis on acupuncture's direct stimulation of nerve reflex zones, and the intervention efficiency for medical problems such as chronic rhinitis, irregular menstruation, and insomnia is indeed much higher than that of ordinary massage.

However, this statement has also been criticized by colleagues who do viscera massage before - I know a master viscera massage master in Shanxi who used the heavy force of his palms to rub his abdomen. He treated a patient who had taken stomach medicine for three years and still had acid reflux for two months. The superficial gastritis was all cured after a follow-up examination. He always said, "The touch of the hand is finer than a needle, and as long as the force is deep enough, it can still regulate the internal organs." In recent years, there have been more and more cases of this kind, and no one in the industry clings to the old idea that "massage can only touch the skin."

But when it comes to instant relaxation, massage is indeed incomparable to acupuncture. Last week, there was a young man who was rushing to graduate. After staying up for three days and nights, his shoulders and neck were as stiff as frozen pork when he came in. He said he felt dizzy when he saw the needles. I used the rolling method to loosen his trapezius muscles for 20 minutes, and pressed the Fengchi and Jianjing points. When he got up, he touched his neck and said, "I feel like my head has lost two pounds." Moreover, the threshold for massage is much lower. Ordinary people can learn basic massage techniques in about ten minutes and can massage their parents’ waists and pinch their children’s spine at home. They don’t have to systematically learn acupuncture points and avoid risks like acupuncture. After all, problems may arise if the wrong acupuncture points are inserted or if they are inserted too deep.

In actual clinical practice, we rarely let them choose one from the other, but mostly use them in combination. Last month, there was a patient with an acute attack of lumbar protrusion. When he first came in, he was grinning from pain. The superficial erector spinae muscles were stretched like a fully stretched bow. If the needle was inserted directly, the needle sensation could not be transmitted, and the patient was still in unbearable pain. I first used palm kneading to relax the muscles in his waist for 15 minutes. After the tight muscles softened, I then pricked the deep Jiaji and Huantiao acupoints. The numbness immediately spread to the soles of his feet, and he was able to walk out slowly on the same day. Subsequently, he added five massages and acupuncture. Now he can squat without any problem, and his recovery speed is almost 30% faster than acupuncture alone.

If I choose it myself, if I just have sore shoulders after a day of planning, I will definitely choose massage. Lying there and squinting for 40 minutes is more comfortable than anything else; but if I have a stomachache from eating too much iced milk tea in the past few days, I will definitely pierce myself and get better in half an hour. It is better to massage slowly.

There are always people who insist on judging me, but it’s really unnecessary. If you are afraid of pain, just want to relax when you are tired every day, or do health care for the elderly and children at home, massage is the right choice; if you have old diseases such as migraines, cold legs, or want to regulate internal problems such as endocrine and gastrointestinal problems, don't be afraid of pain and try acupuncture, and you will often be surprised. If you can find a doctor who knows how to combine the two, the effect will often be 1+1 greater than 2. By the way, no matter what you choose, you must find a regular licensed institution. Don’t just go to any health center and just stick acupuncture and press hard. If you don’t have the right symptoms, you may cause problems.