Massage therapy must pay attention to the “holistic concept.”

The “holistic concept” is an indispensable aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The human body is a complete and organic whole, with the meridian system interlinking the internal and external, upper and lower parts, as well as various visceral tissues and organs throughout the body. When a wellness occurs in one visceral organ, other organs can also be affected. For instance, Heart wellness can spread to the Spleen, Kidneys, Lungs, and Liver; Spleen wellness can spread to the Lungs, Kidneys, Liver, and Heart; a cold can lead to pneumonia and tonsillitis; gallbladder pathology can cause pain in the right shoulder and back, along with tenderness at the Gallbladder Shu point and Gallbladder acupoint (1 cun below Yanglingquan point); in appendicitis, not only is there a painful focus in the lower right abdomen, but tenderness also appears at the Appendix acupoint (2 cun below Zusanli point) on the lateral side of the lower limb; when the stomach is affected, in addition to obvious tenderness in the epigastric region, there are also marked tender points at the Stomach Shu point on the back and the corresponding area of the stomach on the back. These tender points are not only reaction zones for wellness but also the sites for acupuncture and massage treatments. However, supports only the head for a headache or the foot for foot pain will not yield satisfactory results. Therefore, when one or more parts of the body are affected by pathology, we advocate for whole-body massage. Nevertheless, it is essential to consider both the local and the overall conditions comprehensively, distinguish between primary and secondary, severe and mild conditions, and identify corresponding supports measures. This is a concrete manifestation of “syndrome differentiation and supports” and “symptomatic supports” guided by the principle of the “holistic concept”.