Chi Nei Tsang

Because traditional, Western medicine has not been particularly effective with my gnarly chemotherapy side effects, I’ve been open to all kinds of alternative treatments.

For example, to deal with my plumbing issues (the list is way too long to begin to tell you all of the things that I have tried to deal with said plumbing issues!), I tried something called Chi Nei Tsang.

Chi Nei Tsang, or CNT, is an ancient form of detoxifying, energizing, abdominal massage.  It blends Chinese and Thai massage and meditation techniques, making it unique from any other healing modality. It integrates the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of being, which is the approach (to everything!) in which I believe so firmly.

Chi Nei Tsang literally means “working the energy of the internal organs” or “internal organs chi transformation.”

Chi, the life-force energy, moves through the body’s internal channels, nervous system, blood vessels, and lymph glands. These systems concentrate and cross paths in the abdomen, which acts as their control center.

Tensions, worries, and stresses of the day, month, or year have the potential to accumulate in the abdomen, because (I was told by my therapist) it all intersects here. This accumulation can cause physical tangling and knotting of the nerves, blood vessels, and lymph nodes. The result is the gradual obstruction of energy circulation, which may lead to any number of maladies including, but not limited to, indigestion (YES!), constipation (YES!), bloating (YES!), insomnia (YES!), whole body toxicity (YES, thanks also to chemo coursing through my system!), poor skin quality (YES!) and an inability to lose weight (YES!  I there are days when I do look like & feel like I am 7 months pregnant.).

My CNT practitioner worked mainly on my abdomen with deep, soft and gentle touches (focusing on the knotted areas). Her goal, she said, was to train my internal organs to work more efficiently. Unprocessed emotional charges are also addressed in this manner, as well as all of the body systems: digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, muscular-skeletal, and the acupuncture meridian system (Chi).

CNT manipulations help relieve the body of excess stagnation, improving elimination and stimulating the lymphatic and the circulatory systems. CNT also strengthens the immune system and resistance to diseases. In doing so, CNT augments other health care modalities with optimal results.

After having this treatment, I was a little woozy and my abdomen was a tad sore (in a good way, as if I had just had a workout), both of which I perceived to be a good response.  I proceeded to drink a 1.5 liter bottle of Evian in an attempt to flush out whatever had just been released from the treatment.

Well, suffice it to say that my my goal to relieve my clogged pipes WORKED!  I’ll spare you the details, but I will say that I definitely have a spring in my step (SL!)

A good spirit lies in a healthy body.

~ Chinese Proverb