The German Tuina Academy in Bad Füssing writes that the demand for “acupuncture without needles” is constantly increasing. “Many people are afraid of the needle pricks in acupuncture,” says Dr. Sun, chief physician at the German Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Bad Füssing since 1997. “Especially for children, Tuina is therefore ideal. For example, in acute pain, mothers can even treat their children themselves easily but effectively after appropriate training,” says Dr. Sun.
For which symptoms is Tuina used?
The courses focus on Tuina treatment of spinal diseases joint arthritis, infant and childhood diseases, sports injuries, obstetrics and gynecological diseases, stress relief and many others. Now, for the first time, courses are to be offered for medical laypersons for the self-treatment of headaches, insomnia or stress. Therefore, in order to meet the demand, the German Tuina Academy, together with the University of Shandong in Germany, is training more and more Tuina therapists in Leipzig and in Bad Füssing. A profound knowledge of the meridians and acupuncture points is an absolute foundation for a Tuina masseur.
Therapy successes
Germany’s health insurance companies recently decided to approve acupuncture for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and back pain. A long-term study had confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in 60 to 70 percent of patients. Chinese studies show that the effect of tuina on the same condition is even significantly higher, at up to 87 percent, Dr. Sun says.
