The practice or art of hand manipulation, healing through touch, or manual therapy performed with the hands.
From Greek 'cheir' (hand) + 'tonos' (tone, tension, or practice). This term emerged in alternative medicine and manual therapy contexts, combining the Greek root for hand with the concept of tension or therapeutic practice.
Though rarely used today, 'chirotony' represents an earlier attempt to name what we now call chiropractic or massage therapy—and it's fascinating how English speakers kept inventing new 'chiro-' words as healing practices evolved and became more systematized.
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