The Science behind the Bamboo Treatment
Bamboo massage is a technique that incorporates bamboo stalks of varying lengths and diameters to provide deep-tissue work.
The Japanese name for bamboo is take, while the Chinese call it chu. It is from this word that the cho sticks, used by some bamboo massage practitioners, take their name. Some practitioners combine elements of shiatsu, traditional Chinese medicine (where bamboo cups or the ends of the stalks are used in specific ways), Thai massage, lymphatic drainage, and even ayurveda into the technique, and sticks are sometimes heated or essential oils are incorporated into the massage. The massage itself promotes circulation, sensory nerve perception, and lymphatic drainage and provides a deep sense of relaxation and well-being. An added benefit for the practitioner is that using the bamboo sticks helps to reduce stress and strain on hands and fingers while still allowing for deeply penetrating maneuvers.
Long before paper was invented, the Chinese recorded their history on thin slivers of bamboo. In fact, the material was used in a multitude of ways, ranging from musical instruments to elaborate decorations, artwork, and even agricultural tools. Since bamboo was incorporated into so much of daily life, it wasn’t long before it was used as a form of creative and spiritual expression, which quickly took on ritual and healing connotations.
Chinese, Indonesian, and Japanese festivals, rituals, and myths abound with bamboo symbolizing life energy, prosperity, longevity, sexuality, and fertility. In China, stalks of bamboo still symbolize eternal youth, strength, prosperity, and peace. What may seem like a new technique, bamboo massage, has ancient roots and perhaps deeper associations than simply bodywork. Today, bamboo massage is touted as Bamboo-Fusion, Tian di Bamboo Massage, or simply promoted at high-end spas as the latest in exotic treatments or for massage therapists as a new tool, but bamboo can be seen as much more than a new trend or accessory.
Although bamboo matures fully in approximately seven years, most bamboo flowers only once in 60 to 120 years, with large heads much like those of sugarcane. After blooming, all the bamboo plants of the same species die, which occurs worldwide at the same time. Overall, there are more than 1,200 species of bamboo, all of them related to sugarcane and corn. Bamboo is, in fact, a giant grass: the bamboo stalk can be cut, leaving the root system intact for rapid regrowth. This makes bamboo a highly renewable resource. In a favorable habitat, it can grow as fast as one foot in 24 hours and will grow back to full-size in a few years.
In addition to its sustainability, bamboo is also recognized for its suppleness and resilience. With its unique combination of strength and flexibility, bamboo lends itself to a variety of uses. Because of its hardness, bamboo has been used for bridges, floors, furniture, gutters, masts, utensils, and vessels. Because the fiber is soft and can be finely crushed, it can also be used for clothing, bedding, and towels. Another approach, Tian Di Bamboo Massage was developed by Ernesto Ortiz, LMT, CST, who studied at the Upledger Institute and now offers workshops worldwide. Ortiz incorporates principles from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically the Chinese five elements theory, in which the principles associated with wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are applied to the massage technique. The massage uses bamboo cut in different sizes and the bamboo sticks (called cho sticks in this technique) are also used as an extension of therapists’ hands, forearms, and elbows, enabling them to work deeper and more effectively.
“[The] five elements have been used to describe our relationship to external and internal phenomena and to the overall natural process of life,” Ortiz explains. “Understanding these cycles and how they play out in our life and our body can bring us into a closer relationship with ourselves and the world around us and helps us understand how nature plays a role in our life and well-being. The Tian Di Bamboo Massage technique aims to apply an understanding of these five elements and develop an approach to treatment in accordance with one’s relationship to inner and outer conditions.” In addition to learning how to work with bamboo, Ortiz teaches the basics of Chinese cupping and the use of gua sha, two other therapeutic approaches from TCM.
Cupping involves placing glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the skin with a vacuum-like device to deeply work acupressure points. The technique is used to relieve stagnation or a lack of the vital life energy flow (chi or qi) in the body. “When chi is compromised, it is believed to contribute to a variety of conditions ranging from chronic pain, stiff muscles or joints, fatigue, emotional and psychological states, and even problems with organs,” Ortiz says. “Cupping has been found to penetrate the tissue four inches into the body, stimulating blood flow, helping tissues release toxins, and helping support the lymphatic system.” Please note that many liability policies do not cover cupping precisely because of this four-inch penetration!
Gua sha dates back to more than 2,000 years and uses round-edged instruments made of stone, bone, or pieces of jade along the surface of the skin in order to promote the free flow of chi. In Tian Di Bamboo Massage, pieces of bamboo are incorporated into the gua sha technique. (In Chinese, gua means to scrape or extract and sha means toxins.) Gua sha involves palpation and cutaneous stimulation, where pressure is applied to the skin in strokes, encouraging blood circulation and removing toxins from the body.
Recent studies on bamboo conducted in Japan show a significant increase of serotonin (a hormone of happiness that makes us feel good) when looking at a bamboo plant. In addition, bamboo plant seems to promote a sense of well-being and relaxation.
As therapists and clients search for new approaches to massage therapy, bamboo massage may be at the forefront, offering a basic solution: a technique that not only makes use of a renewable and sustainable resource, but also reconnects us to ancient approaches. This reminds us of what it means to be connected and interconnected — respecting our needs and those of the natural world that support those needs. This may be the gift that this seemingly simple material offers: strength, flexibility, and versatility, without depleting our world or ourselves.
The Original Article was written for BambuStrength Blog: https://www.bambustrength.com/post/history-of-bamboo-therapy
Scientific Reference:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29785198/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29216963/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31783531/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27527193/
