During the Song and Ming dynasties, the development of fortune-telling reached its zenith, and along with it diagnosis and treatment by hand and foot also matured. In ancient China it was believed that "fortune-tellers may be good physicians" because they had wide social contact and rich life experiences for studying the psychology of common people, and the chance to obtain knowledge of common diseases. Through their close contact with people, and analysis and explaination of their health and diseases, they earned the confidence of their clients. Their diagnostic techniques and hand and foot treatment increasingly improved and gained acceptance by their patients. This is how this methods were applied and spread among common people through the centuries.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, traditional Chinese massage further developed and combined with the theory of meridians and acu-points. By application of traditional massage maneuvers, the five Shu (well, spring, stream, river and sea) acu-points on the hand, and on the foot below the elbow and knee joints, were frequently selected for massage in the treatment of diseases. After absorbing the experience of folk hand and foot massage, an independent medical branch--regular hand and foot massage--was established.
However, as with traditional massage itself, hand and foot massage was not widely accepted as an independent branch of medicine equal in importance to other branches. Only a few fragmentary statements in few books on pediatric Tuina (traditional massage) mentioned it. It was only applied and adopted by common people, instead of qualified physicians.
In the 1980s, following the renewed popularity of Qigong and the Yi Jing ( Book of Changes), traditional hand and foot massage was also back in vogue. Superstitious activities such as hand fortune-telling and the diagnosis of disease by palmar creases, and predicting the future by palmar creases also became more fashionable for a time.
Since the introduction of reflective sole therapy from Hong Kong and Taiwan into the mainland of China, traditional hand and foot massage has become more and more attractive for clinical application.
The investigation of unconventional therapies has become a trend in the development of contemporary medicine. Hand and foot massage is simple and easy to learn and practise, and effective in obtaining good therapeutic result. Therefore, as a treasure of traditional Chinese medicine, it will surely attract more attention around the world and again bring its benefits to man-kind.
