TAO OF
HEALING ART:
HEALING METHODS

The Tao of Healing Art introduces us to extraordinary vistas and levels of health.

Another name for the Tao of Healing Art is Tuei-Na. The word Tuei means “pushing away abnormality.” The word Na means the “taking out abnormality.” Together these words represent manual or implemental manipulation of meridian points to encourage, adjust and balance the natural functions of the three folds of the body.

The techniques of Tuei-Na, described as the oldest of healing techniques by the Yellow Emperor, are the result of diligent research by Taoists. After noticing that human beings naturally and immediately clasp themselves upon experiencing pain, Taoists began to research the effects of manual and implemental manipulation for pain and other problems. From their research, many theories and techniques of healing were developed.

Healing is an art and a gift of kindness. It is an art because the changes within the human body are infinite and only the healer can sense the type and degree of intervention required. A machine has neither the wisdom nor the sensitivity to handle the endless variations and reactions of the human body. No machine, even if it is computerized, can equal the skill of the healer.

The healer’s kindness toward mankind augments the efficacy of the healing techniques, because he or she is willing to give a part of himself or herself to replace that which is wanting in the sick. Kindness and wisdom are mankind’s God-given gifts, and there is no machine capable of emitting these qualities.

Unlike the Tao of Revitalization, which is an expression of the art of self-healing, Tuei-Na is an expression of the art of social healing―that is, the healing of others.

The body cannot be compelled to health by surgery, use of machinery or other such methods that focus only upon the ailing parts. Because the body is similar to intricate clockwork, if one part is not in good condition, all of the other parts are affected; therefore one part of the body cannot and must not be isolated from the rest. Concentrated attention on or treatment of only one part will cause that part to be out-of-step with the rest of the body and will upset the entire system. There must be balance among the three folds of the body: the physical, mental and spiritual.

I

Following are the theories of Tao of Healing Art, which can be used to balance and change the entire body. In order to spare the reader a rather heavy initial immersion in theory, most theories will be summarized while two theories will be explained completely (the Vital Energy Theory and the Five-Element Theory).

VITAL ENERGY THEORY

We may refer to the energy of the body as electromagnetism, vital force, or spirit. Whatever we choose to call it, we will all agree that we cannot live without it. It is the basic force that moves the entire body.

Energy circulates throughout the body along minute pathways called meridians. Dr. Kim Bong Han of the University of Pyongang, Korea arrived at a conclusion regarding the actual existence of these pathways for energy, after conducting an extensive series of experiments. He reported that the meridians were actually composed of a type of histological tissue as yet unnoticed by scientists. Prior to Dr. Kim’s experiments, scientists had believed that the meridians were simply imaginary lines. Dr. Kim discovered the structure and function of the meridian system to be totally different from that of the lymphatic, circulatory, and nervous systems. He noted that the meridians are channels (diameter 20-50 millimicrons) that are symmetrical and bilateral and which exist beneath the surface of the skin. They have a thin membranous wall and are filled with a transparent, colorless fluid. Each of the main meridians intricately develops subsidiary branches, some of which supply adjacent areas with energy while others ultimately reach the surface of the skin.

Recently German scientists have proven with the use of electricity that the meridians are pathways for energy. Using the six major meridians that run through the hand, it was found that by charging a certain amount of electricity (0.005 volts) into the lung meridian on the hand, a similar amount of electricity could be detected in the lungs themselves! (Although energy levels in the meridians may be gauged by electricity, energy itself is not electricity.) They found that each of the six meridians of the hand carries a different amount of energy and each meridian has an energy correspondence to its organic counterpart. This study led to the invention of a machine called the Point-locator which indicates the points where the branches of the meridians reach the skin surface.

Although the first scientific proof of the existence of the meridian system is believed to be the result of Dr. Kim’s efforts, conclusive evidence of the existence of the meridians was actually found in 1937 by Sir Thomas Lewis of England. His report, published in the British Medical Journal of February 1937, stated that he had discovered an “unknown nervous system” that was unrelated to either the sensory or the sympathetic nervous systems. Rather than being composed of a network of nerves, he reported, his newly discovered system was composed of a network of thin lines. Although his report went relatively unnoticed by his colleagues, it was the first scientific verification of the physiological system that Taoists had mapped out thousands of years ago.

There are 12 main meridians―one assigned to each of the five organs, the six bowels, and the pericardium (here referred to as the heart constrictor). Each of the main meridians has both a point of entry and a point of exit. Energy enters the meridian at the point of entry, circulates along the meridian, and flows through the point of exit and on through the point of entry of the succeeding meridian. The point of exit on a meridian is connected to the point of entry on the succeeding meridian by a secondary channel. Treating a point of entry will affect the entire length of a meridian as well as connecting meridians in a cascading effect, in that the direction of the flow of energy along a meridian remains constant and never vacillates after flowing through the point of entry. Tuei-Na is used to encourage the energy flow in all the meridians, energize a specific area on the body, and disperse or augment the energy flow.

Example of a Meridian: The Lung Meridian

Because the universe maintains balance through the interplay of the Five Elements, our bodies, a microcosm of the universe, are thought to achieve mental and physical harmony in the same way. Energy flows through the body via the meridians and their respective organs and bowels in well-defined cycles. The cycles depicting the flow of energy within the body mirror the two cycles that depict the interaction between the five elements. Taoism identifies each of the viscera with one of the elements in the following manner:

Identifying each of the organs with its respective element in the first cycle results in: the heart (fire) supporting the spleen-pancreas (earth); the spleen-pancreas (earth), the lungs (metal); the lungs (metal), the kidneys (water); the kidneys (water), the liver (wood); the liver (wood), the heart (fire). The bowels also follow the same cycle: the small intestine (fire) supports the stomach (earth); the stomach (earth), the large intestine (metal); the large intestine (metal), the bladder (water); the bladder (water), the gallbladder (wood).

If the energy within an organ is not balanced, that organ, rather than being able to effectively support the organ succeeding it on the meridian circuit, will adversely affect, or will be adversely affected by, another organ; this pattern has been depicted in the second cycle on the interaction between the elements in which each element destroys or absorbs the other. Thus, when the energy within the heart (fire) is imbalanced, it (heart, fire) will adversely affect the lungs (metal); the lungs (metal), the liver (wood); the liver (wood), the spleen-pancreas (earth); the spleen-pancreas (earth), the kidneys (water); the kidneys (water), the heart (fire). The second also applies to the bowels: imbalanced energy within the small intestine (fire) will cause it to adversely affect the large intestine (metal); the large intestine (metal), the gallbladder (wood); the gallbladder (wood), the stomach (earth); the stomach (earth), the bladder (water); the bladder (water), the small intestine (fire).

In showing that the cyclic interaction between the organs and bowels is identical to the interaction between the elements, Taoists not only provided a means by which the sayings, “That which is above is the same as that which is below” and “The microcosm reflects the macrocosm,” can be realized and understood, but they also provide a means whereby the interaction of energy between the organs and bowels can be accepted as fact in that the basis for that interaction is founded upon the very same logic whereby the interaction of the five elements is instinctively realized to be true.

II

Tuei-Na consists of two types of approaches to healing. The first type contains sixteen hand and arm techniques, which are used to manipulate the body.

These sixteen techniques are divided into two groups: the Yang group containing eight techniques, and the Yin group which also contains eight.

For purposes of demonstrating a healing technique explained at the end of this page, one of these techniques will be illustrated here. For a detailed explanation of all the techniques or other concepts please consult The Great Tao.

1. The Tsa Technique: Brush the meridians in the correct direction.

The second approach to healing with Tuei-Na consists of the utilization of five groups of tools which are used on the meridian locations and provide results similar to the sixteen techniques mentioned earlier. These tools are identified with one of the elements of the Five-Element Theory in the following manner:

The use of needles for healing is called Acupuncture; therefore, acupuncture is only one part of Tuei-Na.

Dr. Chang developed a powder that is a composite of all the elements in the Five-Element Theory. Twelve years of research and five years of testing have gone into the development of this powder. The result is that the efficacy of Acupowder is greater than that of acupuncture needles or any other single tool. Acupowder generates heat and siphons energy and nutrients to the various points that lie along the meridian to stop pain and correct other problems. Unlike needles, Acupowder will not cause any pain, tissue damage or transmission of germs. It also saves the energy of the healer from being passed to the ailing or weak, since manual manipulation is not required.

The procedure for using Acupowder is simple. Scoop a bit of powder with the sharp end of a nail file or any tool and transfer the powder to chosen points on the body. Use surgical tape to cover powder and surrounding area. Acupowder will continue to work unceasingly for one or two weeks. At the end of this period it can be removed or replaced easily. Since surgical tapes are waterproof, frequent baths or showers will not reduce Acupowder’s effectiveness.

Many people have benefited from the use of Acupowder. A couple from Washington came to see Dr. Chang because the wife was suffering from severe asthma attacks. They had found nothing that could help. When he gave them some Acupowder and taught them where it should be placed for asthmatic conditions―along the bronchial points, the lung meridian and the spleen-pancreas meridian―the wife experienced relief immediately, and the couple continued to use Acupowder for the next six months. She never suffered from asthma attacks again. A doctor wanted to study with Dr. Chang for a month, so he and his wife (five months pregnant) flew to San Francisco from Switzerland. They arrived at his office Thursday afternoon severely ill with jet lag and headaches. That evening Dr. Chang had a lecture at the University of California, Berkeley which they both wanted to attend but neither could move one step. So he placed some Acupowder on each of them. Fifteen minutes later they both felt well and refreshed enough to attend the lecture and even gave a testimonial about the miraculousness of Acupowder at the close of the evening.

During a seminar, a young woman stated that she suffered from sciatica which causes sharp pain to emit from her lower back, the sciatic area. The pain, like nails being hammered into her flesh, was so debilitating that sometimes she could barely walk or even stand―her legs would suddenly lose strength and collapse from under her. Her suffering continued for six years and caused her great worry, with no relief from any of the doctors she had seen. As part of a demonstration, Dr. Chang located six extremely sensitive points in that area and applied tiny amounts of Acupowder to those points, covering them with surgical tape. About two hours later at dinner time, she stated to everyone that she sensed the discomfort and heaviness in both legs disappear. The next morning, she was late to the lecture hall, causing a bit of concern that she had worsened. But when she came in later she told everyone all the pain was gone—all six years of suffering gone.

The sixteen techniques, the five groups of tools and Acupowder are used on points that lie along the meridians of the body, to pump energy into the meridians. These meridians, their points and further explanations can be found in The Great Tao.

III

The meridian points and techniques are used together many different ways. One example of how they are combined and used is in the case of a child sick and feverish from a cold. The Tsa technique is applied on the lung meridian by placing five fingers of the right hand on the L5 point (called Chihtse) of the left arm (see below) and stroking along an imaginary line that ends at L7 (Liehchueh), which should be located earlier in order to know the exact point at which the stroking should stop.

In any manipulation, the cultivator should use some Jade Cream (discussed in Tao of Forgotten Food Diet) to reduce friction, to form a barrier against too much energy loss and to speed up recovery of those who are suffering from abnormalities of the body.

During one of Dr. Chang’s lectures, a man in the audience stood up and shared his experience with everybody in the audience. He had been suffering from severe coughing for three months. During that time he had undergone all sorts of treatments but nothing worked. What especially annoyed him was that the continuous coughing kept him and his wife awake every night. When he came to see Dr. Chang, he recommended stroking the lung meridian. He did not believe Dr. Chang, but that night he tried that technique while reading a book―he did not want to waste too much time doing something he did not believe in. His wife, who was at his side, watched him for about four minutes and then fell into a sound sleep. He continued for about one more minute and then fell into a sound sleep himself. For the first time in three months, he and his wife slept like babies. For an entire night, he did not cough.

IV

Realizing that all human beings share similar organic structures, Taoists designed a general healing program to energize and balance the entire body. The general healing program utilizes all of the sixteen Tuei-Na techniques and most of the meridian points. This program, called Tuei-Na Tune Up, will serve as a guideline for the design of treatment programs by healers. For specific instructions, please consult The Great Tao, Chapter 5.

End of this Chapter

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