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Some preliminary preparation is necessary, and an herbal bath for the hand and foot may be adopted for better therapeutic results, although the effects of the massage alone are reliable.
1. Preliminary preparation before massage:
Preliminary preparation is necessary for both practitioners and those receiving hand and foot massage.
1) Preparation for practitioners:
(1) The patient's medical history should be carefully re-viewed, the present course of the disease should be thoroughly learned, and the patient should be examined in detail to ascertain his general condition and determine if the disease indicates the use of hand and foot massage.
(2) The hands and feet of the patient should be carefully examined to see if they are suitable for massage.
(3) A clean, quiet, warm and comfortable environment must be arranged for massage application and a facility for the easy change of the posture should be provided.
(4) Herbal decoctions and supplemental instruments and tools are prepared if necessary, and the locations of acupoints and reflecting areas must be correctly defined and selected.
(5) The character, method and effects of the massage should be explained to the patient in detail on the first visit in order to earn his trust and cooperation.
(6) For patients with acute and severe diseases, other therapy should be suggested if the hand and foot massage is not effective; and for diseases not indicating this massage, the reasons for selecting other treatment should be patiently explained.
(7) The possibility of difficulties which may occur during treatment should be kept in mind and measures for solving them should be arranged in advance.
2) Patient preparation:
(1) The patient should provide a detailed written or oral health report to the practitioner and cooperate in the physical examination.
(2) For convenience, the patient should thoroughly wash their hands and feet and wear wide and loose-fitting clothes.
(3) An herbal bath should be taken before massage if indicated.
(4) The patient should also listen carefully to the explanation of the massage for sufficient mental preparation.
(5) If the hand and foot massage is not indicated, they should follow the practionioner's advice after gaining an under-standing of the situation.
The preparation and requirements for hand and foot massage mentioned above should also be followed for self-massage. The patient may ask a specialist for instruction if they do not know how to prepare, and learn the requirements for hand and foot self-massage.
2. Herbal bath before massage:
This is an important procedure for successful massage, but it is often omitted by many practitioners and patients.
1) Herbal bath proceedure
(1) Before the herbal bath, the feet, and the legs above the ankle joints, are fully exposed and soaked in water of 50-70 degrees Centigrade, or as high as the patient can tolerate, for 3-5 minutes. The hands are also soaked in hot water, separately. If a facility for hot water soaking of the hands and feet is not available, the hands and feet may be wrapped in hot, wet sterilized towels. Soaking the hands and feet in hot water is itself a good method for maintaining health, besides playing a role as a necessary preparation for herbal bath to allow effective absorb-tion of the herbal ingredients.
(2) After soaking the hands and feet in hot water, they are put into a hot herbal decoction for 10 minutes, while the body is relaxed in repose with the eyes closed. The temperature of the decoction may be adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. The softening of the hand and foot skin and the absorption of the herbal ingredients are necessary preparations for an effective massage.
(3) After the herbal bath, the hands and feet are put into clean warm water of 35-55 degrees Centigrade again to wash away the herbal decoction and prepare for the massage.
2) Effects of herbal bath:
The hot-water soak and the herbal bath can have the following benign effects on the body:
(1) The hot water stimulation may promote peripheral blood circulation, adjust metabolism, relieve fatigue, stabilize blood pressure, and improve appearance as well as the quality of sleep and life.
(2) The herbal ingredients are absorbed through the skin, especially through the acupoints and holographic areas on the hand and foot to produce a similar or even better therapeutic effect than oral administration which may cause side effect in the digestive organs. Therefore, it is easily accepted and welcomed by patients.
(3) This method can also improve the adaptation of the hand and foot to changes in the external environment, the respiration of the skin, and the body's comprehensive immunity.
3) Herbal decoction selection:
Following the principles of herb selection for oral administration and the safe and stable absorption of herbal ingredients through the skin, four kinds of herbal decoction are introduced as follows for readers' reference to their selection and use. The recipes were created by the authors through their clinical practice and according to considerations of cost, practicality, convenience, and effectiveness.
(1) Le'an No. 1 recipe:
Composition:
Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Chinese angelica) 10 gm, Chuanxiong (Rhizoma Ligustici, lovage) 10 gm, Honghua (Flos Carthami, safflower) 10 gm, Chuanjiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli, pepper) 10 gm, Huangqi (Radix Astragali seu Hedysari) 10 gm, Dahuang (Rhizoma Rhei, rhubarb) 10 gm, Chishao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra, red peony) 10 gm and fresh ginger 10 gm.
Preparation:
a. The herbs are boiled in 1000 ml of water after soaking for 10 minutes, until 500 ml of decoction is obtained for use.
b. The herbs are wrapped in a cloth bag and soaked in boiled water until the solution cools to an adequate temperature.
Functions and indications:
This recipe can promote blood circulation, relieve stagnation in meridians, tone qi, and stop pain. It can be used to treat diseases of the circulatory, digestive, endocrinal, and reproductive systems. It is especially useful for chronic diseases in adults with general fatigue, cool limbs, stagnation of qi and blood, functional disturbances of the automatic nervous system, cardiac and cerebral-vascular diseases, and chronic diseases of the digestive tract.
(2) Le'an No. 2 recipe:
Composition:
Pugongying (Herba Taraxaci, dandelion) 2 0 gm, Xuchangqing (Radix Cynanchi Paniculati) 10 gm, Machixian (Herba Portulacae, purslane) 10 gm, Longkui (Herba Solani Nigri, nightshade) 10 gm, Rougui (Cortex Cinnamomi,
Preparation:
Same as Le'an No. 1 recipe.
Functions and indications:
This recipe can clear heat and toxic pathogens and adjust qi and consolidate the physique. It also can be used to treat various inflammations, pain, tumors, and cancers due to stagnation of qi and blood, as well as rheumatism, thrombosis, alcoholism, venereal diseases, swelling and pain with unknown causes, and leukemia.
(3) Le'an No. 3 recipe:
Composition:
Kushen (Radix Sophorae Flavescentis, shrubby sophora) 20 gm, Xuanshen (Radix Scrophulariae, figwort) 20 gm, Longdancao (Radix Gentianae, gentian) 10 gm, Dahuang (Rhizoma Rhei, rhubarb) 10 gm, Baizhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Chinese angelica) 10 gm, Danshen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, red-rooted sage) 10 gm, Tiannanxing (Rhizoma Arisaematis, jack-in-the-pulpit) 15 gm, and Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis, goldthread rhizome) 10 gm.
Preparation:
Same as Le'an No. 1 recipe.
Functions and indications:
This recipe can eliminate dampness, discharge fire pathogens, enrich the blood, and improve facial appearance. It also is used to treat many chronic diseases resistant to other treatments, skin diseases, rheumatic diseases, endocrinal diseases, sequelae of cardiac and cerebral vascular diseases, and extraordinary diseases of unknown origin. It is useful for both expelling pathogens and strengthening and toning the body when used to soak the hands and feet over a long period of time.
(4) Le'an No. 4 recipe:
Composition :
Cebaiye (Cacumen Biotae, arber-vitae) 10 gm, Danzhuye (Herba Lophatheri, lophatherum) 10 gm, Chuanjiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli, pepper) 10 gm, Shiye (Folium Kaki, persimmon leaf) 10 gm, Cheqiancao (Herba Plantarinis, common plantain) 10 gm, Guipi (Cortex Cinnamomi, cassia bark) 10 gm, Banxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae, pinellia tuber) 5 gm, and vinegar 5 gm.
Preparation:
Same as Le'an No. 1 recipe.
Functions and indications:
This recipe can enrich Yin, promote the discharge of water, remove impure substance from the body, and promote tissue regeneration. It also can be used to treat diseases in endocrinal, circulatory and locomotive systems, such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, and fatty liver, diseases of the thyroid gland, and hyperosteogeny with deformity. It is especially useful for treating chronic diseases with complications, if applied every day.
A decoction of the above recipes must not be administered by mouth. The dosages of the herbs may vary according to the patient's condition. The patient should consult the practitioner if there is any doubt about using the herbal bath. In addition, the herbal bath should be stopped if skin reactions appear such as an allergic reaction, rhagades, or desquamation. In general, the herbal bath does not cause any harmful side effects if properly administered. The herbal bath is usually applied before hand and foot massage, but the herbs of the above recipes may also be used to prepare cream for massage use. Because of the wide spread use of the herbal foot bath, an electric thermal box was recently invented and produced in China and Japan for the convenient application of the herbal foot bath.
The preparation for massage and the herbal bath needs greater study and investigation for the development of a new therapy.
