Published: Fall 2022
Author: Hu Zhiqing (Rose)
People will be able to claim health insurance for services at Xiang Ming Liang Blind Massage Clinic ever since the clinic received the certificate of Wenzhou Healthcare Security Administration.
Mingliang Xiang, the clinic’s owner who is visually impaired, said that visually impaired massage therapists can massage patients accurately by telling the bony landmarks which are the distinct bulges on the human body. Moreover, a guide dog is kept in the clinic to help the blind therapists walk around.
The guide dog is obedient to the massage therapists in the clinic. For Dr. Xiang, the dog is also very helpful in his daily life and he trains and plays with his guide dog whenever he is free, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. [Photo/Zhiqing Hu]
Blind massage has a long history in China. According to a journal article from Disability in China, the China Blind Welfare Association held the first blind massage training course in 1955. In 1997, the medical nature of blind massage was first recognised by the government.
From the middle of December 2022, citizens who have social security can claim 80% of medical fees while people who have rural insurance can claim 50% of medical fees. “The inclusion indicates that we are more professional than others,” Xiang said.
Another massage therapist Chunyang Liu in this clinic stated, “Different from the massage parlor, our massage is mainly for medical treatment instead of enjoyment. This is a special therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine that can not only cure the ache of bone, but also increase the immunity of people.”
Liu is the chief massage therapist of Xiang Ming Liang Blind Massage Clinic with rich experience. She can perceive the internal problems of customers by identifying the difference in humidity, elasticity and granular sensation of skin during the process of massage, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. [Photo/Zhiqing Hu]
Liu’s claim is supported in an article in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies which found that some measurable immunomodulation can be produced by massage therapy.
The patients who see Liu at the clinic range in ages from 6 month-old infants to 80 years olds. She believes that more customers will come to have blind massage after the implementation of medical insurance.
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