Abdominal Massage for Health Preservation and Longevity
The classic Chinese medical text *Huangdi Neijing* records: “Abdominal massage is a secret for health preservation.” Famous Tang Dynasty physician and centenarian Sun Simiao once wrote: “The abdomen should be frequently rubbed to eliminate all diseases.” The renowned Song Dynasty literary figure Su Dongpo practiced self-abdominal rubbing at the dantian point and composed the verse: “One night I rubbed my dantian with my own hands.”
Traditional Chinese medicine considers the abdomen as the “palace of the five zang and six fu organs, source of yin-yang and vital energy.” The spleen and stomach are regarded as the foundation of postnatal life; the essence derived from food and drink nourishes normal physiological functions. Moreover, the spleen and stomach serve as the pivot of qi movement—only through ascending clear and descending turbid can qi transformation proceed normally, leading to healthy longevity and well-being.
Rubbing the abdomen harmonizes upper and lower parts, balances yin and yang, removes old and generates new, strengthens the zang organs, expels external pathogens, and clears internal disorders. Modern medicine holds that abdominal rubbing increases blood flow to abdominal muscles and intestinal smooth muscles, enhances tone of gastrointestinal walls and lymphatic system function, activates secretion of digestive organs, improves digestion, absorption, and excretion, significantly enhances peristalsis of large and small intestines, thus promoting bowel movements and preventing or eliminating constipation—especially beneficial for the elderly.
Regular, skillful abdominal massage stimulates the gastrointestinal mucosa to produce sufficient prostaglandins, effectively preventing excessive gastric acid secretion and reducing risk of peptic ulcers. Abdominal rubbing also reduces fat accumulation in the abdomen. This is because massage stimulates peripheral nerves, and varying pressure levels promote unobstructed capillary circulation in the abdominal wall, enhancing fat absorption and transport, preventing obesity and achieving satisfactory weight loss results.