Five Days, Five Ways
With five days to go before treatments can officially commence, today is all about the number five, and its importance in Traditional Thai Medicine. This is a brief overview of five key areas.
Five Roots of Traditional Thai Medicine
Thai Medicine has five primary branches. They are:
1. Internal and/or Herbal
This will include wound care, herbal compresses, as well as balms, and infusions.
2. External Medicine
Thai Bodywork or massage falls into this category. Included here are modalities such as scrapping, cupping, and bloodletting.
3. Divination
Vedic astrology is used to understand the predisposition of a patient and determine the issues of the body. Divination also includes numerology and palm reading.
4. Spirit Medicine
Thai spirit medicine includes tok sên, the use of a mallet and sticks to work on the body. It's a highly skilled form of treatment and requires specialised training - sign me up!
5. Buddhism
All Thai Medicine is Buddhist Medicine but not all Buddhist Medicine is Thai. Here we consider element theory, psychology, and meditation.
Five Rules for the Thai Massage Practitioner
I adhere to these rules however, I'm known to have the odd drink now and again. Of course, this is never before or during a treatment session.
1. Do not use intoxicants
2. Do not speak poorly of other practitioners or teachers
3. Do not boast about your skills
4. Do not promise to treat or heal someone you cannot
5. Seek advice from your teachers
Five Elements
When treating a client, their core elemental constitution is of importance, as it determines the manner in which a treatment is given. There are four key elements; Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Space is considered to be the fifth element.
Five Layers of the Body
Each layer is worked so as to make it free and open. We don't proceed to the next layer if the current layer being worked doesn't become free.
The layers of the body, from superficial to deep are:
1. Skin
2. Tissue - includes fat, muscle, and fascia
3. Channels or Sên - veins, arteries, tendons
4. Bone
5. Internal Organs
Five Limbs
We all recognise our arms and legs to be limbs of the body. In Traditional Thai Medicine, the head is seen as the fifth limb of the body.
Traditional Thai Medicine is absolutely fascinating. Just when I thought I had learned all I had to when it came to Thai Yoga massage, I tugged on a string, and like Alice, I’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole, where each branch leads to a world of wonder, complexity, and knowledge.
I’m not sure where the path leads but I am certain that when it comes to understanding how to help people heal their bodies, this for me is an exploratory journey of a lifetime. I’ll write about my journey into the mind in a future post. Stay tuned.
Joseph
