TRAVERSE CITY -- Immersed in a medical paradigm a world away, certified massage therapist Ramona Pleva returned Nov. 1 from training in Beijing.
For nearly two weeks, Pleva and 29 other colleagues from around the United States studied Chinese Manual Therapy, or Tuina, at the Training Center of China Academy of Chinese Medical Science.
Tuina is a comprehensive therapeutic approach where a patient receives blended treatment. This contrasts with the Western model of seeing a different medical specialist for each issue, often winding up with multiple prescriptions, and a separate chiropractor or other therapist for bodywork.
A holistic model, Tuina addresses an illness or condition from the inside out instead of treating symptoms. Doctors in China using Tuina may provide a combination of soft tissue work like a massage therapist, spinal adjustments like a chiropractor and an herbal prescription. The concept blurs the distinctions between massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment and orthopedic medicine.
The goal is to get the body back into balance, which could, for example, reduce nerve compression or increase range of motion. Chinese doctors practicing Tuina believe that it is helpful for 95 percent of the conditions they treat. Injections such as cortisone are a last resort for extreme cases and prescriptions will most likely be herbal.
"You're learning different techniques, new ways of treating some of the same issues that we have here -- like sciatica, frozen shoulder, headaches and insomnia," said Pleva, who has had a private practice in Traverse City for 12 years.
Still going through her notes and the textbook and sorting out her experiences and impressions, Pleva is integrating what she learned into her practice. She is pleased to have more tools to offer clients.
"You come out knowing that you have new skills," she said. "It's going to take a while to implement some of these techniques and work with them a bit more to gain a level of skill with them, though people have noticed."
The training was held at an orthopedic facility where Pleva and the other students spent mornings observing patient care. After lunch, students had an afternoon filled with classes and hands-on training, where they worked on each other under the guidance of the Chinese doctors.
Built into the program were evenings for fun plus other excursions to sites such as the Great Wall of China and Olympic landmarks including the Birds Nest, media center and Water Cube.
"We were engaged but it was not overwhelming," said Pleva of the pace of learning.
Because of the integrative mindset prevalent in Chinese medicine, Pleva and the other American students delved into some techniques they cannot practice in the United States.
"We did learn some spinal adjustments and we were all looking at each other, 'Oh, no, we can't do that [at home],'" she said, noting that these manipulations are the province of licensed chiropractors in the United States, again illustrating the different outlook in China.
The medical learning, cross-cultural expedition is the brainchild of Kenneth Lubowich, a professor who for three decades has championed bringing traditional Chinese medicine to the United States. Based in the Chicago area, Lubowich is the director at the U.S. Foreign Office of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
He leads tours to Beijing multiple times a year, offering students programs studying Tuina, Qigong, sports Tuina, food as medicine and infant massage. Lubowich, who Pleva said is the first Western doctor to become a doctor of Chinese medicine, was also on staff at the Olympics this summer.
Pleva, who has trained in Italy and participated as a massage therapist in the 2006 and 2007 Ironman Triathlons in Hawaii, had previously received information about Lubowich's training trips. The information describing the ventures was sent to members of national massage organizations, but Pleva had been uninterested and daunted by the cost.
This year, however, something clicked. Pleva began researching the Tuina program and signed up after reading rave reviews from respected massage journals. Also intrigued to go during the Olympic year, she appreciated the chance to experience a totally different culture while boosting her massage therapy skills.
"It kind of stimulates you to think outside the box and look for adventures where you can not only have fun but grow personally and professionally," she said of her massage-related travels.
Print this story
E-mail this story
