«Cathay»: the history of the encounter between East and West

«Cathay» is the name used by Europeans in the 16th century to refer to China, where the elaboration of traditional Chinese medicine is dated 1250 BC.

Massage therapy and acupuncture: university training in China

Nowadays, the two main disciplines of traditional Chinese medicine, massage therapy and acupuncture are part of the university courses offered in about 30 medical universities in China.

Contribution in the West: rules of hygiene and asepsis

In the West, on the one hand, Dr. Pehr Henrik Ling, elected in 1831 at the Swedish Medical Academy, is considered "father of Western massage therapy". With the aid of a Chinese massage therapist named "Ming", Dr. Ling sets up the "Swedish massage". On the other hand, it was not until the 17th century that theories on acupuncture reached Europe. At the present time, thanks to the development of contemporary medicine, rules of hygiene and asepsis are rigorously applied in the practice of massage therapy and acupuncture.

Mission of our clinic: selection of regulated and insured practitioners

Unfortunately, especially because of the language barrier, after their immigration to Quebec, not all Chinese massage therapists and acupuncturists are able to successfully complete the process of equivalence recognition of their training. As a result, some of them work in an unregulated manner even without professional liability insurance. To protect our clientele, Clinique Cathay's mission is to carefully select regulated and insured practitioners, who come from the country of origin of massage therapy and acupuncture.