Integrating Daoist Zangfu Acupressure into Chinese Medicine Clinical Practice

Daoist Zangfu Acupressure is a system of acupressure massage that involves manipulating the qi of the patient’s internal organs via the abdomen. The analogy for this system is of ‘playing’ the patient’s body like a stringed instrument, in which one hand presses down above to define the tension of the ‘string’ while the other hand plucks below. In the same way in Daoist Zangfu Acupressure the practitioner ‘locks’ points in the middle/upper torso while the lower hand rubs and massages points on and around the abdomen, influencing the qi inside the body. Moving through a strategic sequence of locks and plucks, the qi of the organs under the fingers is stimulated to return to a more healthy flow. By working directly on the organs and the passage of qi through the San Jiao, practitioners can effectively treat gastro-intestinal disorders, under-functioning organs leading to low immunity, or hyper-functioning organs leading to auto-immune disorders. This article describes the history, theoretical framework and basic practice of Daoist Zangfu Acupressure.