Massage therapist ‘sees through his hands’

Edinburgh massage therapist sees through his hands.

Alan McIntyre is a blind massage therapist who has been looking to the old, for new treatments of daily life’s aches and pains. Alan has a degenerative eye condition that meant that he could not continue with his previous career, so he decided to train to become a massage therapist to try and help people in a direct way.

There is a modality of massage that is gaining awareness around Edinburgh and throughout the UK that comes from ancient roots. We are talking about Tui Na massage, (or also known as Tuina). Alan is the only blind therapist in Edinburgh who is practicing this ancient traditional Chinese massage treatment.

Part of the training was held in hospitals in China. Alan said: “It was really encouraging to see that Tuina and acupuncture was used at the front line of their medical treatments alongside Western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine.

“It was an amazing experience to work with the patients and the Chinese Tuina doctors via translators to help treat some of the many local patients. They would tell me which direction the patient was lying and a brief description of their gender, and general pathology.”

Alan enjoys using his increased sense of touch to help people to relax, release headaches or to help ease pain from everyday activities or from more serious conditions. He continues to study and manages his clinic called Spring Forest Therapies, in Edinburgh by using accessible technology. He now uses his disability as an advantage to see and feel muscle blockages and tension build-up in his clients.

“My focused reliance on what my hands are telling me, gives me a unique sense of touch to treat more than sighted practitioners. There is nothing better than hearing that you have helped someone directly with their stress or pain that they have been carrying for a long time”.

Alan hopes to give people space emotionally or physically from pain or anxiety, so that they can start to heal themselves. He treats clients near Elm Row and suggests that if people want to find out more about Tuina massage,they should visit springforesttherapies.com or call 07812083292.

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