Recently I chanced upon rattan canes (rotan or known as wicker canes in the West)- basically made from the rounded strips of rattan being tied together. They were sold in the market for RM15 each:
According to the seller, each rattan stick is bounded very tightly together and it can be used for even 15, 20 years. He had sourced the items from a maker in Penang.
As the stick reminded me of Uncle San from Singapore who gives very effective treatments- by beating with rattan stick and applying tuina to clear meridian blockages that causes pain, I bought two of the above rattan sticks.
The rattan stick is not as scary as it looks- I tried to use it to beat my lower back but found, muscles and joints but found it to be not so painful. Using the cane from the cane exercise is more effective– because it is more *painful*. I know it sounds strange to be beating yourself up- but these treatments are effective….and much cost effective compared to going for massage all the time.
Do note that an untrained person should not beat another person using this, for it may end up causing misunderstanding. Unless administered by a professional to you, it’s okay as the person knows the correct meridian point. Else, you are better off administering on yourself- start with gently beating along various muscle or flesh part of your limbs (do not beat at the bone directly). At the point where you feel pain- the ‘wind’ type, continue beating. Beat from top down starting from the lower back, buttocks, hamstrings, thighs, calves (back and sides) and then the middle of the feet (the side where reflexology is done on). Do on both sides.
The vibrating effect of the rattan can help to clear wind and remove dampness within the bones and joints- which is what that is usually contributing towards joint pain, aches, stiffness and discomfort.
Just a word of caution: according to the seller, there are some lower quality ones: you can see from the thin stripe placed above the rattan sticks in the picture below: that would break quite easily and do not last.
Anyway, if you stay in Klang Valley or Malaysia and plan to get one, you can contact the seller at 0 1 2 5 7 3 8 0 9 2 (he can only speak Mandarin).
