What are the differences and effects of acupuncture and massage?

Although both belong to the category of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, their core level of action and emphasis on efficacy are completely different - acupuncture penetrates deep into the meridians and meridians through the skin to regulate the movement of deep qi and blood, and is more suitable for the treatment of chronic and deep-seated problems.； Massage acts on the muscles and superficial fascia, focusing on relaxing superficial soft tissues and promoting local circulation. It is more suitable for mild illnesses and daily relaxation.

I have been in the outpatient clinic for almost ten years, and I meet patients every day who ask if the two are the same. Last month, there was a programmer in his twenties who had suffered from lumbar muscle strain for almost two months. He felt that it was troublesome to get acupuncture and insisted on getting a massage first. After the massage, he felt that his whole body was relaxed and relaxed, but when he woke up the next day, he was so painful that he could not straighten his waist. Later, he pricked Weizhong acupoint three times and local Ashi acupoint. It's easy to say. His strain is not just superficial muscle stiffness, but deep muscle knots that block the qi and blood pathways. No matter how hard the massage is, it can't penetrate the thick psoas muscles to touch the deep knots. However, the thin needles of acupuncture can accurately reach the lesions and directly open the blocked areas.

Many people think that these two are "stimulating acupuncture points" and they are not much different. In fact, they are really far apart. Massage stimulation is most likely to reach the superficial subcutaneous fascia. If it touches the lower back or outer thighs where the muscles are particularly thick, no matter how strong the masseur’s hand is, it will be difficult to affect the deep meridian layers, let alone the meridians connecting the organs. Acupuncture is much more flexible. It can be deep enough to penetrate into the periosteum to remove deep-seated old blockages. It can also be shallow enough to treat problems such as urticaria and itchy skin just under the skin. I once had a sister who had a long-term spleen and stomach deficiency. She couldn't eat and her stomach was bloated for almost half a year. She usually rubbed the top of the Zhongwan point by herself. At that time, she got some Qi. Later, when she got the acupuncture and added Zusanli to gain Qi, she said that the soreness and swelling ran down her calves to the tops of her feet. She felt warm in her stomach the day after the injection, and she didn't feel bloated even after eating two bowls of porridge. This is the effect of unblocking the deep meridians.

Of course, massage also has its own irreplaceable advantages. If your shoulders and neck are stiff after sitting for eight hours today, or your legs are so sore that you can’t lift them after climbing a mountain, and your muscles are so tight that they feel stiff, ask a regular massage therapist to massage them for forty minutes. The muscles will relax and circulate, and the soreness and swelling will disappear immediately. In this case, there is really no need for acupuncture. Massage is comfortable enough. There are also children who have a fever due to food accumulation. Parents give chiropractic massage at home, which is a light massage. The children's skin is tender and they are very receptive. After three to five days, their appetite has improved and the fever has subsided. It is more worry-free than taking medicine and acupuncture.

People often argue with me, saying that acupuncture is a psychological effect and massage is effective, or conversely, they think that massage is an IQ tax and only acupuncture is effective. Both of these ideas are too biased. There are currently many clinical studies around the world that have confirmed the clear effects of acupuncture on chronic pain and neuromodulation. Of course, those who say that acupuncture can cure all diseases are definitely liars. ； The same goes for massage. Regular massage has an immediate effect on relaxing muscle and soft tissue strains. But if you say that two massages can eliminate nodules and cure tumors, that is purely IQ tax. In clinical practice, we often use them together. I used to have an aunt with facial nerve paralysis sequelae. After three months of acupuncture, the corners of her mouth were still a little crooked. Later, after each acupuncture, I gave her 15 minutes of facial massage, and she was almost recovered in less than a month. Both of them have their own strengths, and it is not an either/or relationship at all.

To give a simple analogy, massage is like loosening the surface soil of crops and pouring some water on the surface. Small problems with weeds on the surface can be easily dealt with. If the deep soil is hardened and small lumps grow on the roots, you have to use acupuncture, a thin "little hoe", to reach to the roots to break up the hard lumps and open up the blocked areas. Only when the roots are nourished can the crops grow vigorously. You don’t have to worry about it when choosing. If you just feel tired and have sore muscles and no other discomfort, you can just choose massage. If the pain has been recurring for several weeks, or if you have internal problems such as insomnia, dysmenorrhea, or long-term constipation, the effect of acupuncture will definitely be more stable.