Tong Ren - A New Way of Healing

Tom Tam, a licensed acupuncturist in Massachusetts, is a healer, author, poet, and an incredibly warm and caring human being. Born in Tai Shan, China, he came to the United States in 1975 as a political refugee. Since 1982, he has been practicing acupuncture, Tai Chi, and Chi Gong healing with great success. Tom began training students in acupuncture and Tui Na in the Boston area in 1984, and created the Tong Ren Healing System in the mid-1990s. His Tong Ren theory is a synthesis of Western medicine and traditional Eastern medical knowledge that has resulted in a new theory for understanding and healing difficult diseases.

For the last 25 years, Tom has been one of the foremost students of Master Gin Soon Chu, the fifth generation master of traditional Yang family Tai Chi Chuan. Tom has taught Tai Chi Chuan for more than 20 years in the greater Boston area, and many of his Tai Chi students are teaching in America.

In 1994, Tom led a group of students to mainland China and Taiwan in order to share Tong Ren healing. At Guang Zhou Traditional Chinese Medical College, he demonstrated Tong Ren healing for weight loss. This was followed by a trip to Taipei to demonstrate Tong Ren's benefit in curing leukemia.

In 2001, Tom formed the first Guinea Pig class for treating cancer in Quincy, Massachusetts. Now the Guinea Pig class for healing has spread to many countries around the world. Tom continues to practice, teach students and travel the world to share his dreams.



The Tong Ren Healing System uses a Western diagnosis of a medical problem and traditional Chinese medicine based on acupuncture points, to remove what Tom describes as blockages in the body. The method that Tom found to be most effective to remove blockages is the use of an acupuncture doll and a magnetic hammer. When the Tong Ren practitioner taps on the doll at acupuncture points where the blockage has occurred, the symptoms of the individual's problems are relieved.

The classes are called Guinea Pig classes because it is a Chinese belief that one should not change the name of something that is working successfully. So, after people were cured through the use of Tong Ren in 2001, the name Guinea Pig was set in stone.



For example, to take a common problem -- sinusitis, you would consult the Tong Ren manual and would then tap on the following acupuncture points that are marked on the doll: C3, C4,T1, T2, T3, SI16, LI4, and the Ouch Point (where it hurts). C stands for Cervical and is located on the back of the neck; T stands for Thoracic and the points correspond to the spinal vertebrae. LI is large intestine and SI is small intestine -- these acupuncture points are located on the side of the face and are the Small Intestine and Large Intestine Meridians.

The book "A Lazy Bum's Healing" gives the protocol -- tapping points for a variety of conditions and diseases including tennis elbow, stomach ulcers, sore throat, migraines, tinnitus, anxiety, yeast infection, various cancers, acne, Alzheimer's Disease, anemia, bladder, phobias, lung problems, lower back pain, morning sickness and many, many others.

The length of time you would tap varies -- generally, I find 10 minutes of tapping to be effective, but a practitioner would probably tap for a longer length of time.



You can expect many different sensations -- including heat, tingling, odd bodily sensations, feeling as though your blood is pumping through body -- or you may just feel relaxed or go to sleep. In fact, you may experience nothing at all during the session only to realize the effect later.

Here are a few quotes from the "Lazy Bum's" forward by William C. Daly, M.D.

"It's [Tong Ren] healing power grows a quantum leap by harnessing another natural tendency we have all observed --harmony...Tong Ren Therapy utilizes...natural tendencies toward synchronization to bring diseased organs back into harmony with healthy biolectrical patterns...

"Carl Jung, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and others have described the ongoing development of a sphere of collective unconsciousness...We are all part of this progressive sphere of organization, regardless of our awareness..The identity of the individual practitioner does not matter, because the healing power does not come from the practitioner but rather rom the collectively evolving milieu...



"Picture the Tong Ren tapper as a piano tuner striking wires of errant pitch so they may be brought into hamony with a series of tuning forks, each with complex waveform. The actual tuning is done by a collection of maestros whose presence can be felt but not seen...

"Tong Ren practitioners never make a medical diagnosis or prescribe a treatment; they do not practice medicine. They depend upon your doctor or yourself to provide a diagnosis and the location of a medical problem. They never promise a cure or successful results. They can only invite you to accept synchrony with healthy collective energy, and allow it to cure or stabilize your ailment. When you experience others becoming cured, your belief will permit our collective unconsciousness to heal you also."

About 2,000 people watch the live Tong Ren broadcasts each week. I don't think there are any estimates of the number of people listening on the conference calls where people often fall asleep on the phone because the energy is so relaxing.

There are Guinea Pig classes in Africa, Brazil, Canada, British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, China, France, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain and Thailand.

Tong Ren is growing in popularity as new practitioners join every week, many of whom are already familiar with other forms of energy work such as Reiki. The beauty of becoming a Tong Ren practitioner iis that you don't need certification, although Tom and practitioners do hold certification classes and Tong Ren workshops.

However, anyone is perfectly capable of learning the Tong Ren technique by reading Tom's books and referring to the Tong Ren manual on acupuncture points. Listening to the Tong Ren conference calls and watching the Tong Ren broadcasts will quickly convince you that Tong Ren is an easy to learn method of alternative healing. Of course, there's some equipment that you will need -- but even this can be improvised in an emergency as Tom relates in one of his books.

Before, explaining more about Tong Ren healing, may I encourage you to take several minutes to look at the NBC News Youtube video and form your own ideas about this fascinating and powerful healing modality. Thank you!

I hope you will benefit from watching the live Guinea Pig Class broadcasts on Tong Ren Station. Every week hundreds of faithful viewers do manage to obtain relief from their symptoms and illnesses.

Some viewers and attendees report heartwarming stories of success -- infertility and cancers reversed, or reaching a higher level of health. (Unfortunately, sometimes the feed for the program does not work properly, but Tom always assures us that the chi is still flowing.)

If you obtain a copy of Tom's DVD "Tong Ren Healing," you'll hear testimonials of healing and people expressing their devotion to Tom and Tong Ren for saving their lives. I was fortunate that Anuba Boudouris (a Tong Ren practitioner and one of the regular tappers at Quincy) was able to arrange an aculpuncture treatment on short notice for me by Tom when I was in Boston.



Chi Gong and Tui Na are also practices that Tom endorses for healing. Tui na is a massage designed to clear blockages, and it is very vigorous and can be a bit painful. Yvonne, Tom's daughter, gave me a tui na massage and all I can say is that my body felt different and better twenty minutes after the treatment.

In Tong Ren Therapy, both chi gong and Tui Na are recommended for patients suffering from cancer.

Dr. Sprague is a proponent of using Tong Ren for healing depression. He began employing this mode of healing when he found that his clients were not making the progress that he would like to see through the use of medication and psychotherapy.

Dr. Sprague has a Tong Ren Broadcast that is currently featured on Wednesdays at 4:00 pm EST on http://www.tongrenstation.com/live. While tapping, he also carries on an inspiring and compassionate discourse about life. His commentary is reminiscent of the late Joseph Campbell. As a person who suffers from endogenous depression, I find Tong Ren very helpful in brightening my mood and relieving anxiety.

Dr. Sprague is one of the individuals featured on the Tong Ren video which is available from http://www.tongrenshop.com/

I can't help but think that belief is an important component of Tong Ren -- at least as it is tied in to the collective unconscious, the morphogenetic field and all those mysterious things we are still exploring.

Father McDonough is featured in an interview on the DVD "Tong Ren Healing" available on the Tong Ren website featured on the Tom Tam link list. Father McDonough and Tom Tam shared a mutual respect for each other's healing work.

Father McDonough's advice was "If you're sick, the first thing you should do is pray, not just as a last resort....It's not as important how you pray, but that you in fact pray and trust that the three persons of the Trinity know how to work together." The story of his life can be found on the link featured below.

McDonough died on February 11, 2008. His work of healing had taken him around the world but his simple roots and love of God and man shone in his face. The link to the active ministry he founded is below.

I do sometimes question how well Tong Ren works at a distance when the person cannot hear the tapping. Tom says that the chi is still flowing. As a Reiki III, I know that distance Reiki does have an effect on the individual to whom the Reiki is sent. Even while entertaining this uncertainty, I still tap for friends and family (with their permission) and trust that the collective unconsciousness is expanding and that the intent of the healing is received.



Scarcely a day goes by that I do not listen to a Tong Ren broadcast. Like others with health issues, my daily schedule revolves around watching/listening to Tong Ren. For me, it's most relaxing when the cadence of the tapping is akin to that of Native American drumming. The caring and dedication of the Tong Ren practitioners who conduct the teleconferences each week reaffirms the goodness and generosity of the human spirit.

Tong Ren has helped me with several health problems, including sinusitis, the dowagers' hump on my neck has decreased, painful knee issues have been resolved, and anxiety and fibromyalgia symptoms have greatly diminished.



I've employed numerous healing modalities in seeking relief from my 22-year odyssey with fibromyalgia. Among them were polarity therapy, Reiki, Barbara Brennan Healing, pranic healing, dowsing, crystals, aromatherapy, supplements, change of diet, massage, acupuncture and Chinese Herbs, EFT, TAPAS, Network Spinal Analysis, Quantum Healing, chiropractic, homeopathy, Reconnective Healing, Theta Healing, therapeutic touch, sound therapy, Sanskrit mantra, shiatsu and others.

Each one has had its effect, some quite profound. Others like prayer, Reiki, aromatherapy, Bach Flower remedies and sound healing are threads woven into the fabric of my daily life, while other healing modalities are too expensive to pursue on a regular basis.

The beauty of Tong Ren is that it is effortless and the expense is minimal. With the doll and hammer, I can speedily tap away annoying issues like sinusitis and stomach distress as well as work on more deep-seated issues. The speed with which Tong Ren relieves symptoms and reestablishes balance can be only described as amazing.

I make a modest weekly donation online to support Tong Ren broadcasts. I'm also enrolled in Craig and Janet Holmes program (www.gb13.net). From Craig and Janet - excellent teachers that they are - I've learned a great deal (They incorporate Matrix Energetics, an emerging and cutting-edge therapy, into their Tong Ren therapy.) From private sessions with Anubha Boudouris and Dawit Asefa, I've learned that each practitioner's style is different. I am so deeply grateful to all those practitioners and Tom Tam, of course, as well as the Tong Renners who participate on the live broadcasts and teleconferences.

At Kee Yan's (Tom's nephew) class in February 2009, I met a delightful new friend who initiated our mutual tapping by phone. She also uses the services of Katharine Baldwin, a Tong Ren practitioner who was one of Tom's first clients.



I've successfully tapped for my adult niece who was suffering from vertigo and had been taking a prescription medication that has since been implicated in kidney failure. She was incredulous that she had no symptoms after two Tong Ren treatments of about 20 minutes each over a period of 10 hours.

Although, I don't have a Tong Ren practice, I tap for others and tap along with the practitioners on the Conference Calls as well as the Live Guinea Pig Broadcasts. Studying the Tong Ren manuals and making notes of practitioners' comments, also help me remember the tapping points for various conditions as well as new techniques since Tong Ren is constantly evolving. In the future, I hope to be able to offer Tong Ren Therapy Guinea Pig classes in a community-based, nonprofit context.



I hope you will have an opportunity to watch the Guinea Pig Classes broadcast over Tong Ren Station. Every week hundreds of faithful viewers experience relief from symptoms/illnesses, and the heartwarming stories of success -- infertility and cancers reversed - always elicit applause. I must warn you, however, that sometimes the feed does not work properly, but often reloading the feed will fix the problem. But if you are patient, you will be rewarded greatly.

Tom's DVD "Tong Ren Healing" provides testimonials of healing and expressions of devotion to Tom and Tong Ren for saving their lives. I was fortunate that Anuba Boudouris, a regular Tongrenner at Quincy, was able to arrange an appointment for me with Tom on short notice when I was in Boston. Tom's charisma lies in his confidence, caring and boundless good cheer and optimism.

This certainly is true with our cats who will gather for a round of tapping. Of our three cats, Mary is the most susceptible to Tong Ren therapy, especially when tapping the doll at the point between the eyes. Yes, you use the human acupuncture doll to tap for animals, however, I am not familiar with the protocols for tapping for animals.

If you think that you'd like to practice Tong Ren on yourself, friends or animal companion(s), then you will need the acupuncture doll, the magnetic hammer and the book "Tom Tam Healing System." Not absolutely necessary, but useful is "A Lazy Bum's Healing" -- this is a large format, spiral bound book that lies flat and has a list of ailments along with points to tap.

Watching the broadcasts and listening to the teleconferences will give you many other ideas about tapping.

Often I copy the comments that appear below the Tong Ren broadcasts into a Word file and save them for future reference (this may not be possible on all browsers).

Although not necessary, you might want to get an anatomy book because listening to the broadcasts will probably pique your interest in human anatomy!

Finally I recommend finding a partner to practice with -- especially if you have a difficult problem you'd like to heal. There's nothing like having an enthusiastic companion on the Tong Ren journey to speed your healing. Although, I have experienced incredible energy flows tapping for myself, there is nothing quite as relaxing as having someone else tap for you.

Another suggestion -- there are alternative healing groups on Meet-Up and perhaps you can find a group or start a group in your city. Here's the link to Meet-Up http://www.meetup.com/

The information in this lens is for the purpose of information only and is in no way intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe to any individual for any disease. Each individual is responsible for deciding upon his or her health care in the manner he or she deems appropriate.

In America we receive a daily blitz of health messages on television, where the ads suggest that we seek drugs from our doctor that may correct our depression, anxiety or impotence, but that if we take it, we run the risk of having strokes, heart attacks, impaired memory, kidney or liver damage, paralysis and other "side-effects." Manufacturers place pink ribbons on products which are known to be implicated in cancer because they know that the color pink will evoke a sympathetic response and increase product sales. Pink, a color I totally avoid, has come to stand for breast cancer.

The following excerpt from the January 26, 2003, "New York Times," may suggest why it has been reported that many doctors would refuse chemotherapy, and an Internet search on that topic will yield the answers.

"Drug Sales Bring Huge Profits, and Scrutiny, to Cancer Doctors
By REED ABELSON

"Among cancer doctors, it is called the chemotherapy concession. At a time when overall spending on prescription drugs is soaring, cancer specialists are pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars each year by selling drugs to patients - a practice that almost no other doctors follow.

"The cancer specialists can make huge sums - often the majority of their practice revenue - from the difference between what they pay for the drugs and what they charge insurers and government programs...."

(From my research, it is my understanding that it is illegal for a medical doctor to tell you that there are ways to cure cancer other than by surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.)

And in another study, "Researchers found that doctors were more likely to reduce the chemotherapy dose for heavier patients and those who were less educated, and lived in zip codes with lower median household income and higher levels of poverty. "
Although the researchers speculate that the dosage was reduced because of obesity, it does seem more likely that the patients couldn't afford the higher dosage! http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=708

Many people are still asleep, but as more individuals spread the message about alternative therapies, the healing value of food and other tools for maintaining and restoring health, the picture should change.