Whether it’s applying deep Chinese massage to an aching back, advising her clients to get more sleep or to adjust the temperature of their drinking water, Janice Ye treats every one to her many years of experience.
“Chinese medicine looks at the whole body and we look at preventing illness in the first place, whereas western medicine will treat the symptoms after you get sick,” said Ye, a mother of two who has been in Vernon since 2002. “But it’s important to note that the two cultures can complement each other.”
At her Vernon clinic, Healing Hands Chinese Massage, Ye also offers acupuncture and cupping. Using various sizes of glass “cups,” cupping involves creating a vacuum over various parts of the body for therapeutic effects.
Cupping is used therapeutically to draw blood flow to areas of pain, thus flushing capillary beds and re-supplying vital nutrients. Suction also mobilizes and stretches soft tissue, loosening areas of restriction. Suction cups are usually placed over disease/injury sites for five to 10 minutes.
“Acupuncture and suction cupping follow the meridians, because if you’re in pain, you are blocked, and we work to unblock the meridians,” said Ye.
And for anyone new to Chinese massage, be forewarned: it’s not always comfortable, but it’s effective. Ye uses a method known as Tui Na, a method of bodywork therapy that has been used in China for 2,000 years. Tui Na uses the traditional Chinese medical theory of the flow of qi through the meridians. Through the application of massage and application of massage and manipulation techniques, Tui Na seeks to establish a more harmonious flow of qi, allowing the body to naturally heal itself.
Each of Ye’s sessions lasts between 90 minutes and two hours. On their first visit, clients are assessed, with Ye getting to know what it is they need, and adjusting the treatment for each individual.
“I will look at the tongue and I’ll look at the eyes and feel the temperature of the body,” she said. “And with traditional Chinese medicine, there is much to learn about the meridians, the acupuncture points, the muscles, where they start and stop, and then the bones.”
A session with Ye begins with a relaxing foot soak in a specially designed tub that heats to a relaxing temperature. This is followed by a few sips of chrysanthemum tea, which Ye orders directly from China and gives to her clients. The tea has long been used in China, where it is known for its many health benefits.
“The tea is very good for the liver,” said Ye, who uses the tea regularly as well as enjoying a healthy traditional Chinese diet. With her annual Chinese New Year party coming up this month, Ye will be treating her friends and clients to some of her delicious, home-cooked and healthy Chinese specialties.
Once tucked under a warm blanket on the massage table, clients are treated to a thorough treatment that alternates between relaxing and slightly uncomfortable, when Ye finds particularly tender acupressure points that relate to other areas of the body.
With traditional Chinese music playing softly in the background, Ye works her magic, while dispensing advice that ranges from the importance of eating breakfast to the necessity of getting a good night’s sleep.
“Chinese medicine also pays particular attention to the function of the liver and the gall bladder,” said Ye.
Growing up in southern China, Ye learned early on the benefits of traditional medicine.
“If we had a problem with our health, we would go outside into the yard and gather plants to make a special juice for healing.”
Ye’s thorough and intense massage over, clients relax with another soothing cup of chrysanthemum tea before facing the world a little more relaxed, a little more at peace.
