The difference and connection between the effects of acupuncture and massage

Both are traditional external treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine. Their core logic is to regulate qi, blood, yin and yang and improve the body's condition by stimulating the meridians and acupoints. The core difference is that acupuncture is more focused on deep and precise disease treatment, while massage is more superficial and broad-spectrum relaxation and soothing. The two are often used together in clinical practice. Different schools have different practical standards for the boundaries of their efficacy.

Last week I met a 24-year-old new media girl at the outpatient clinic. She had stiff neck pain for three days. She massaged it twice at the massage parlor downstairs. She was sore when I massaged it. It took almost half an hour to relax. She still had pain when she turned her head. I really couldn’t bear to get the needle. I massaged the stiff neck point on the back of my hand for half a minute and asked her to slowly turn her neck. I heard her say "Wow" on the spot, saying that it was no longer painful. Before leaving, I specifically told her that she could use a hot towel on her neck when she got home and massage her shoulder well with her knuckles, so she didn’t need to prick her again.

In fact, whether it is acupuncture or massage, the root cause is the external treatment method passed down from our ancestors. It does not go through gastrointestinal metabolism and relies on external force to stimulate the corresponding points to mobilize the body's own repair ability. I know many acupuncture doctors who have been practicing for 20 or 30 years. They usually do not prick themselves at home. They just rub the Zusanli and Taichong points twice while watching TV. After injecting the patient, they will often gently massage the area where the acupuncture was applied to help smooth out the newly mobilized qi. No one would ever contradict these two methods.

To be honest, the difference in efficacy between the two is essentially the depth and accuracy of stimulation. The needles of acupuncture can penetrate the skin and fascia and directly stimulate the deep tendons, corresponding acupoints and even nerve nodes. For example, many people suffer from deep fasciitis. When pressing, they always feel that they "cannot reach the point" and the needle is in place. For problems related to the internal organs such as dysmenorrhea and chronic gastroenteritis, acupuncture can also directly adjust the corresponding internal organs and qi through distal acupoint selection, and the effect is often faster. However, this cannot be said to death. I have met with old massage therapists in Fujian before. Their bone-setting and tendon-relaxing techniques are so powerful that they can penetrate into the bone seams. Many old tendon knots will be loosened after just two massages. The effect is no worse than acupuncture. There are also Western-style rehabilitation schools nowadays. I feel that both are essentially regulating nerve reflexes through peripheral stimulation. One uses a needle and the other uses a hand. There is no absolute distinction between high and low.

But when it comes to universal applicability, massage is definitely better than acupuncture. After all, acupuncture requires a qualified doctor to perform it. It is very easy to cause risks by indiscriminately injecting acupuncture at home. You also have to endure the soreness and swelling of the acupuncture. Many people get nervous when they see needles. Massage is different. It can be as small as pinching the spine of a child who has accumulated food, or as old as an office worker who has been sitting for a long time and has a hard massage on the waist. Even if you massage your temples at home to relieve a headache, the threshold is low and the acceptance is high. The kind of comfort that makes the whole person relax is difficult to give with acupuncture.

There are a lot of controversies on the Internet now. Some people say that massage is an "IQ tax", which can only relax but not cure diseases. Some people say that acupuncture consumes energy and makes the body weak. In fact, these problems all arise from the operator. Irregular violent massage may indeed push and dislocate the cervical vertebrae. People who do not have systematic training may insert needles randomly into organs. This has nothing to do with the method itself. I have encountered many patients with lumbar prolapse who are obsessed with just acupuncture. In fact, regular bone-setting massage according to the treatment course, combined with the analgesic effect of acupuncture, the recovery speed is much faster than using either method alone.

As a practitioner who has been working for almost ten years, I would say that there is really no need to argue about who is better, acupuncture or massage. If you have acute pain or medical-related treatment needs, find a regular acupuncture doctor to get faster results; if you just want daily relaxation, or are afraid of needles, or provide treatment for the elderly and children, find a reliable masseur who is comfortable and practical. The two are complementary and good partners. Just like when you open a sewer, use a hook to poke the blockage quickly, and use hot water to flush the pipe to stabilize it. It is most suitable to use them together.