History of Thai acupressure

Traditional Thai medicine is the wisdom that our ancestors have accumulated and passed down for a long time. There have been attempts to preserve the wisdom of traditional Thai medicine in the nation since the past. There were collections of good medical texts and inscriptions on stone tablets, which were decorated on the walls of important temple halls. When Western medicine was introduced to Thailand, traditional Thai medicine still played a role in treating patients, both in treating and preventing diseases before they became serious or chronic and difficult to treat. There was the development of modern traditional Thai medicine called “Applied Traditional Thai Medicine”, which is the application of scientific knowledge and medical science to explain and develop traditional Thai medicine.

Treatment with applied Thai traditional medicine will collect and compile information according to the concepts and theories of Thai traditional medicine regarding elements, such as the Disease Analysis Manual, the Origin of the Vinication Manual, the Elements of Elements Manual, the Elements of Elements Manual, and the Elements of Elements Manual, which states that the human body is made up of four elements: the Earth Element, the Water Element, the Wind Element, and the Fire Element. Each person will have different elements, but one element will be the most important, called the Element of the House of that person. However, the Element of the House that is present since birth can change over time. Factors that influence the change include age, season, time, place of residence, and the cause of the disease caused by behavior. If there is an imbalance of the elements that make up the components, disease or illness will occur. When the applied Thai traditional medicine doctor has diagnosed the disease, he will plan the treatment using Thai traditional medicine for the patient, which consists of the following methods:

The use of herbal medicine may involve preparing medicine for each patient, such as decoctions, or dispensing ready-made medicines in various forms, such as pills, tablets, capsules, etc.

Thai acupressure is an examination, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, health promotion and rehabilitation using basic acupressure and hand signals or the use of Thai medicine in treatment by an applied Thai traditional medicine practitioner. Symptoms that can be treated with applied Thai medicine include pain in various areas such as headache, stiff neck, neck pain, stiff neck, shoulder blade/shoulder pain, shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, arm pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, finger joint pain, back pain, hip pain, leg pain, knee pain, knee swelling, numbness, calf cramps, pain in other illnesses such as constipation, insomnia, nasal congestion, asthma, allergies, hemiplegia, paralysis, etc.

Thai: Thai acupressure treatment has a long history with traditional Thai medicine since the time of the Buddha. From the great teacher “Jiwaka Komarabhacca,” a famous physician who was an expert in treatment and was very famous during the time of the Buddha. He was the personal physician of King Bimbisara. King Bimbisara offered him to be the personal physician of the Buddha from India, which was spread to Thailand along with religion. Treatment with Thai acupressure treats diseases and medicines. In the Ayutthaya period, there was a feudal tradition. Acupressure physicians would have the title of Luang Ratcharaksa and Luang Racho. Until the Rattanakosin period, the reign of King Rama I, the Department of Royal Physicians and Common Physicians was established. However, in the reigns of Kings VI to VIII, traditional Thai medicine was abolished. Then, traditional Thai medicine was revived again in the reign of King Rama IX by Professor Dr. Auay Ketsuh as the founder of Ayurvedic College (Jiwaka Komarabhacca) in 1982 and developed the curriculum until it became the Bachelor’s degree program in Applied Thai Traditional Medicine in 10 universities today. Professor Dr. Auay Ketsuh invited Professor Narongsak Boonrattanahiran teaches the subject of Thai acupressure for disease treatment, which is a science that combines Thai massage, Thai boxing, and Thai swords, and has been developed into the science of Thai acupressure for disease treatment (Royal Court Massage), which is a traditional Thai medical science that is used to treat patients today (Foundation for the Restoration and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine, Ayurveda College, and Ayurveda Thamrong School, Applied Thai Traditional Medicine Institute [Nthapth], 2012).

Thai acupressure is a royal acupressure, which means examination, diagnosis, treatment, disease prevention, health promotion and health rehabilitation by basic acupressure and manual signal acupressure by applied Thai traditional medicine practitioners. Royal massage or royal acupressure is a massage used in the palace. Therefore, the postures must be polite, using only fingers and palms for massage, and taking into account the beauty of the massage postures, applying gentle hand weight in the correct direction of force, “delay, emphasize, still” but with power in massage by pressing along the basic lines and signal points throughout the body.

By massaging the basic lines to prepare before pressing the signal points to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. Before the massage, the masseur will feel the pulse at the wrist and the back of the foot on the same side to consider whether the pulse of both places called “high wind and low wind” are equal or not. Then start massaging from below the knee down to the ankle or from the thigh down to the foot. The massage recipient will be in a sitting position, lying on their back or on their side only. Do not lie face down. The principle of acupressure treatment is to control the blood flow to the desired area. The benefits of royal acupressure treatment are various, such as helping to stimulate the circulatory system, lymph and nervous system to work better. To relax the muscles better Adjust the organs to recover and be stronger. It also helps to rehabilitate patients with abnormal conditions such as hemiplegia, paralysis, etc.

Thai acupressure treatment steps

  • Find the cause of the disease by taking a history, examining the body
  • Diagnosing the disease
  • Acupressure
  • Evaluating the treatment
  • Giving advice
  • Scheduling the next treatment

Elements of Thai acupressure treatment

Acupressure for treating diseases is mainly divided into two types:

  • Basic Line Pressing
  • Signal Point Pressing

The various points of the royal palace are the basic line pressure to bring blood to the area to be treated, called “basic line pressure”, there are 5 positions.

Basic shoulder press is to press both shoulders to relax the tense muscles and improve blood circulation in the shoulder area.

Basic arm presses are pressed on the inside of the arm, from the upper arm to the wrist, to get blood flowing throughout the arm.

Basic back compression is the compression along both sides of the spine, from the waist to the neck and from the neck down to the waist, to improve blood circulation in the spine.

Basic leg presses are pressed along the lateral femur, from the shin down to the foot, and from above the knee up to the thigh, and reverse hand presses down the underside of the leg, from the thigh to the ankle.

Basic abdominal compression is to bring blood to the abdominal area, relax the abdominal muscles to press on each abdominal signal point.

Acupressure for sleeping position

  • Back Acupressure
  • Back Acupressure (including waist – hips)
  • Abdominal acupressure
  • External arm signal acupressure
  • Inner arm signal acupressure
  • External leg acupressure
  • Inner leg acupressure
  • Knee Acupressure
  • Ankle acupressure
  • Toe signal acupressure

Seated signal acupressure

  • Head signal acupressure, front
  • Head signal acupressure, back
  • Nerve signal acupressure
  • Ear signal acupressure
  • Shoulder signal acupressure
  • Back signal acupressure (signals 4, 5)
  • Outer arm signal acupressure
  • Inner arm signal acupressure
  • Wrist signal acupressure
  • Center palm signal acupressure
  • Finger joint signal acupressure

Professor Narongsak Boonrattanahiran

Professor Narongsak Boonrattanahiran is the founder of the teaching of Thai traditional medicine (Royal Thai massage). He was born on March 18, 1928. His father’s name was Mr. Ah Sae Lao and his mother’s name was Mrs. Kee Sae Lao.

The teacher has an educational qualification of completing the fourth grade of primary school in Suphan Buri Province. He was ordained as a monk and studied Dhamma studies at Wat Pak Nam, Phasi Charoen, Bangkok. The teacher has knowledge of traditional Thai medicine from his ancestors. As for the origin of knowledge of traditional Thai medicine from his ancestors, as for the origin of knowledge about royal Thai massage, it comes from oral tradition that has been passed down:

The Master learned the rules and methods of royal massage for healing from the following masters:

  • Professor Dr. Krut, a disciple of Luang Vayo
  • Ajarn Morchit Dechaphan, the youngest son of Dr. In, who was a doctor during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, was nicknamed Dr. In Thewada because he was a genius in massage. No matter who he massaged to cure their illness, they would always recover easily like an angel had come to ward off disease. He used to massage in the royal court during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, under Ajarn Narongsak Boonrattanahiran. He received knowledge from Ajarn Morchit Dechaphan closely, i.e., studying body editing at the teacher’s house, following the teacher to treat patients, learning about treatment methods, seeing treatment methods, and getting in touch with patients, etc. until he gradually became more skilled. Ajarn Morchit would test him by letting him treat patients, and he had to come back and report back every time about the problems he encountered and how to fix them.

Ajarn Narongsak is a person with true intention, is quick-witted, and is patient in learning all forms. Even though the method of teaching is strict, and Ajarn Morchit himself does not have a son to receive this knowledge, Ajarn Morchit loves and is kind to Ajarn Narongsak like a son and intends to pass on all knowledge without hiding anything until it is clear that Ajarn Narongsak can truly inherit all knowledge in place of Ajarn Morchit Dechaphan.

  • Professor Lang Ratcharaksa, former royal physician
  • Master Pua Laisriphothi, a disciple of Luang Ramdecha
  • The Grand Master of Thai Boxing and the Grand Master of Thai Swords, Master Narongsak Boonrattanahiran, said that he had adapted the principles and art of Thai Boxing and Thai Swords, which are similar, into the principles of the 5 Signals and the Degree Scale to be used in determining the degree of bones, examining diseases that occur, and using the style in massage postures to treat diseases.

Master Narongsak Boonrattanahiran has combined his knowledge, expertise and expertise from other masters with massage, which is the original knowledge inherited from Master Morchit and knowledge from the sword master of Muay Thai, appropriately, until he can apply it as the science and art of massage to treat his own specific diseases. That is, he is skilled in treating diseases of the joints, muscles, tendons, especially pushing bones into place, the reproductive system, the nervous system, paralysis, etc. The master passed away on June 11, 1992.