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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Physical, mental and
spiritual rejuvenation:
Prowess of needles by Aditha Dissanayake Walk into the white two storied house on Templer's Road, Mt. Lavinia on a Tuesday morning, to find two figures stretched out on two beds in a quiet, slightly dark room receiving treatment from Dr. Thanuja Abeynayake. The shirtless sleeping figure has small needles stuck to certain points on his body while the other figure covered in a white sheet seems to be fast asleep. 'Shhhhh' says Dr. Abeynayake as she tiptoes us out of the room, and in that instant, all becomes clear. I have seen this face before. Seen it a million times on the silver screen, the same eyes, the same smile. Yes, now I know. Without being told it is easy to recognize her as the daughter of the Cinema idol, Gamini Fonseka. Healing hands No wonder then, that thirty minutes later, the figure covered in the white sheet gets up and walks freely around the house, seemingly looking energized after her treatment, cuddling a brown teddy bear, calling Dr. Abeynayake 'Thanu'. Yet another face seen on the silver screen Sangeetha Weeraratne. 'I come here with my husband for treatment. He's being treated for a pain on his shoulders and I'm being treated for controlling my weight. Both of us like Thanuja's healing hands because we feel she's got 'ath gunaya'. Staring at the acupuncture needles stuck to the patient's body, metallic, solid and hair-thin, and seeing how fast asleep he is, it is easy to believe that the needles cause no pain. But this is not as easy as it looks because improper needle placement, the wrong movement of the patient, or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain during treatment. 'This is why it is important to seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner'. Stresses Dr. Abeynayake. Needles For the uninitiated, Acupuncture (from Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "prick", is a broad term covering techniques for inserting and manipulating thin needles into "acupuncture points" on the body in order to restore health and well-being. As one of the key components of the system of traditional Chinese medicine, Acupuncture sees the body as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces : yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in this method of treatment are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. It is believed that there are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians and that there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body that connect with them. Dr. Abeynayake uses acupuncture as well as massage therapy for treating her patients. Massage, considered as one of the oldest and simplest forms of therapy is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body but does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, as it also works on the soft tissues(the muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to improve muscle tone. Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, its benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves. Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body. Correct technique Currently in the process of fulfilling the dearth for professionals in the field of therapeutic treatment, Dr. Abeynayake says "There is no place for young people right now to learn the proper techniques when it comes to therapeutic massages. They invent their own massage techniques which are often wrong. Calling Dr. Wimal de Alwis, her guru, when it comes to acupuncture because it was from him that she learnt the first steps of this alternative method of healing, today, with qualifications from London, the Open University of Sri Lanka, with a stint in Kerala to learn about the Punchakarma she has also mastered the arts of Reiki healing. Dr. Abeynayake believes the workshops will be useful to anybody interested in alternative medicine practices and will help cure headaches, high-blood pressure, arthritis etc. Together with her partner Dr. Midori Iimuro, she is planning to teach this method of healing to Japanese people too, in the future. At present a visiting doctor from Mumbai, Dr. Vinu Gopal Nayar has joined her in treating patients, assisting with the workshops and providing his expert advice on areas like weight reduction in patients. When Sangeetha, straight after her treatment from Dr. Abyenayake says that she feels relaxed and soothed and free of tension, it is evident that a massage is not only enjoyable but enhances one's well-being too. When she explains that Thanu's healing hands have the effect of strengthening and toning the entire body mechanism, and so help prevent unnecessary strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension, it is hard not to believe her. Obviously, here is a form of medication that can stimulate or calm the nervous system-depending upon what is required by the individual, thus helping to reduce fatigue, leaving the receiver with a feeling of replenished energy. At its best, it undoubtedly has the potential to restore the individual physically, mentally and spiritually. |
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