The ancient knife massage in modern days

As you walked inside this massage parlor, it's equipped with four bed and looks ordinary. But this is not any regular massage parlour. It offered a weird massage technique called knife massage, an ancient Chinese folk remedy for body pain. Instead of rubbing in oils and perfumed lotions, George Pan and his three masseurs deftly pat affected parts of the client's body with the edge or the back of an ordinary kitchen knife.

Majority of Pan's customers are women aged between 30 to 70 who are suffering from chronic muscle, joint or spinal pains. Others have turned to knife massage for insomnia, hyperthyroidism, stomach and intestines problems or even just to reduce weight. At Pan's parlor in Taipei's Sungkiang Road, the light patting of the knife on the body is mingled with the conversation between the four masseurs and their customers.

A session runs from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on a customer's condition. Clients are advised not to take food at least one hour prior to a session and drink lots of water afterwards. Explaining how knife massage works, Pan says, "The theory is similar to that of a lightning rod. It diverts pain away from the body through the knife. When the knife touches the skin, the negatron from the metal's edge will interact with the positron released from a problematic spot and a patient will feel a slightly piercing sensation. Then, the pain is relieved."

He adds that knife massage is also linked to acupuncture, and in place of needles, a knife performs the function of a bunch of them without actually piercing the skin. The 62-year-old master masseur's tool is a stainless knife, 20.5 centimeters long and 8.5 centimeters wide. Its handle is covered with layers of black insulation wrap. It is a little heavier than a regular kitchen knife.

Dangerous as knife massage may appear, Pan says no wounds are inflicted, even when the blade vertically touches the skin. Those under treatment have to remain perfectly still. "That's why children are unsuitable for knife massage because they can hardly keep still," he adds. Pan admits that most customers, although drawn to the mysterious knife massage healing, tend to be nervous before their first session. So he usually has to give a brief demonstration on himself.

A microbiologist by training, Pan received his first knife massage some 20 years ago from a Japanese Buddhist monk who later became his mentor. His teacher used a Japanese samurai sword. Legend has it that "knife treatment" was practiced by monks in the Han (206 B.C.-226 A.D.) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties in China. It was later introduced to neighboring Japan.

The master masseur had mostly conducted knife massage for relatives and friends until he chanced to treat a partially paralyzed young man during a trip to Malaysia six years ago. That experience has prompted him to start his practice in Taiwan and Malaysia. In 1999 Pan established the Chinese Dow Leo Healthcare Association in Taipei. He has trained about 500 masseurs over the years. About 50 of them are active practitioners.



Source : www.chinapost.com.tw

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