The literatures of the recent ten years about tuina(massage) therapy in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) for regulating and treating the subhealth status were searched and analyzed to understand the current thought and methods for the regulation and treatment of subhealth status by tuina. The results showed that tuina had a better regulatory effect for subhealth status. In the selection of the position for tuina application, tuina was predominantly applied to the whole body, guided by the holistic viewpoint and meridian theory of Chinese medicine, especially on the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian of the back and on the area the patient felt uncomfortable. In terms of tuina techniques, the routine relaxing technique, tendon-regulating technique and acupoint-pressing technique were used in predominance. In terms of the therapeutic time and course, although the reports were different in various literatures, it was believed in most reports that 50 min and 2-4 sessions per week were appropriate. The therapeutic aim could be achieved by 15-20 sessions. Without pain from the needles and suffering in taking drugs, tuina has a better psychological regulatory effect, therefore it has a better prospect for popular application. But, the basic study on the explanation of its functional mechanism by modern medical theory and means needs to be intensified.
Sub-health state is a kind of low-quality state between health and disease, and will lead to disease if not intervened in time. As one of the external treatment options in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), massage therapy has achieved an ideal curative effect in the treatment of the sub-health state. This paper summarizes the articles on massage treatment for the treatment of patients in the sub-health state from the past decade. It mainly includes the current understanding of sub-health, treatment ideas and specific methods, as well as clinical classification of treatment modalities. From the perspective of treatment ideas and specific methods, most massage therapies are performed under the guidance of the holistic concept of TCM, and the concept of treatment based on syndrome differentiation (four diagnostic methods of TCM: inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation). In this treatment, not only are the therapeutic functions of meridians and acupoints emphasized, but the selection of the therapeutic time is also performed according to the "Ziwuliuzhu" and the "Lingguibafa"(the acupuncture method based on time in ancient China). According to the different clinical symptoms of sub-health, it can be divided into three types: physical sub-health, psychological sub-health, and social adaptive sub-health. Massage therapy eliminates pain, relieves physical fatigue, and has a good therapeutic effect on physical sub-health. It can alleviate anxiety and depression, promote psychosomatic pleasure of patients, and has a satisfactory regulatory effect on the psychological sub-health symptoms. However, basic research on using modern medical theories and the means to explain its mechanism of action is relatively weak. Therefore, only constantly improving the quality of clinical observation and strengthening basic research can provide more and better evidence for the clinical application of massage therapy in treating the symptoms of the sub-health status.
