"Shiatsu" is a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure". It is a "hands-on" therapy used both as a compliment to conventional medicine and as a preventative/alternative therapy. | ||
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News Letter |
Why Shiatsu is an Effective Treatment for a Child with Cerebral Palsy
This is not unconditional, but Shiatsu therapy is very effective in treating the
variety of disorders faced by a child suffering from Cerebral Palsy. For
instance, it is effective in relieving the excessive muscle tension which is a
particular symptom of a child suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Most of the
children suffering these symptoms are not hypersensitive, but under pressure
from this excessive muscular tension. It is hard for a healthy person to imagine
the difficulties faced by a child suffering from this disorder. Among the
difficulties faced is a feeling of helplessness, due to the fact that they
cannot move. |
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Shiatsu Workshop for Diabetes Thirteen students from the Canadian College of Shiatsu Therapy attended the workshop "Shiatsu for Diabetes" given by Mei -Yu Chen, Sensei on February 16, 2002. Mei-Yu Chen Sensei is the President of the Taiwan Shiatsu School She was appointed by Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei to be responsible for the Japan Shiatsu Association in Taiwan. Her son Robert acted as her translator. Mei-Yu Chen Sensei outlined a brief treatment specific to diabetes. The treatment focussed on the Medula Oblongata, Supra scapular, Interscapular and Infrascapular points L1 & L2. These points are all important for regulating the digestive system and the nervous system. The digestive system is related to diabetes because the pancreas produces both insulin and glucagon. Glucagon starts the breakdown of glycogen to glucose and assists in the formation of glucose in the liver. Insulin is involved in the removing excess glucose from the system and increases the synthesis of glycogen. The pancreas is located directly behind points L1 & L2. If the muscles in this area feel hard and swollen, it could be a sign that the patient has diabetes. Stiffness in the lumbar muscles can also indicate problems in the stomach and small intestine. If the patient shows symptoms of diabetes these points can be repeated several times with deeper pressure. On the front of the body points on the abdomen are done to soften the stomach thereby increasing the function of the pancreas, liver and small intestine. These points should be done softly and any tense spots gently worked out with palm pressure and breathing. It was a great honour to have the opportunity to attend this workshop with Mei-Yu Chen Sensei. It was the first opportunity I had had to observe and learn from a great master teacher. Her depth of knowledge and technique tremendously inspired me. I left the workshop with a sense of awe and renewed inspiration for my studies of shiatsu. Many thanks to Kiyoshi Ikenaga, Sensei for organizing this great event. |
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The Effectiveness of the Hand In the correct form of Shiatsu Therapy, one's hands and fingers are utilized. This is clearly stated as the definition of Shiatsu in "Theory and Practice of Shiatsu" published by the Ministry of Health in December 1957. Therefore, any method that applies force by the use of elbows, knees or feet cannot technically be called Shiatsu. For your reference, below is a definition quoted from the Japan's Ministry of Health: "Shiatsu technique refers to the use of fingers and the palm of one's hands to apply pressure to particular sections on the surface of the body for the purpose of correcting the imbalances of the body, and for maintaining and promoting health, and it is also a method contributing to the healing of specific illnesses." Then, why is it so important to only use hands and fingers? "Diagnosis and Therapy Combined = Essence of Shiatsu" describes how hands and fingers are indeed excellent sensory instruments that can recognize and treat 'trouble spots' in the body. Yet there is also a mystery hidden in the mechanism of the hand itself. In Japan today, people still use the word for 'treatment', 'te-a-te', which literally means "hands-on". This means that by laying hands on the body, we can cure illnesses. Historically, this refers to the hands-on technique of healing, and in a broader sense, this can be traced back to the origins of "Shiatsu". In fact, Hands-on healing methods are not exclusive to Japan; as suggested in historical documents in many parts of the world. Hands-on Therapy have been an integral part of peoples' lives as an effective treatment method. In Japan, up until TCM was imported around the period when Buddhism was introduced, Hands-on Therapy would have most likely been the main medical treatment. However, in the year 984, in what is considered as Japan's oldest existing medical document called "Ishinb", compiled and edited by Yasuyori Tamba, in this document, he introduced the Chinese system of Meridian Line and Meridian Point along with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also, until so-called Western Medicine was imported during the Meiji Restoration Period, methods introduced from China such as TCM, acupuncture, and moxibation took over center stage in Japan's medical practice for approximately 1000years. However, during the Meiji Era, the simplest and most effective form of Hands-on Therapy was practiced under the guise of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine by historically renowned doctors such as Ryozan Goto and Fuzai Ohta. Needless to say, until Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei developed Shiatsu, the only form of Hands-on Therapy used was not Shiatsu, but Anma Acupressure technique based on the theory of the Chinese Meridian Line, Meridian Point system. Today, Anma Acupressure derived from China, western forms of massage, and uniquely Japanese Shiatsu are each accredited by Japan's Ministry of Health as distinct methods of Hands-on Therapy. During the initial stage of policy restructuring, Shiatsu, along with massage, was categorized as a branch of Anma Acupressure for some period of time. For that reason, still today, some people tend to make such assumptions. However, based on its history and theory, Shiatsu differs completely from Anma Acupressure. In fact, Shiatsu can be categorized in the spectrum of treatment methods somewhere between massage and chiropractic. Therefore, while both techniques effectively use the hand, Shiatsu does not rely on the TCM theories of Meridian Lines or Chi Gong in the same way that Anma Acupressure does. The effectiveness of the hand in Shiatsu therapy is extremely connected with blood circulation. Medical Doctor, Fumimasa Yanagisawa clearly explains the relationship between Shiatsu Therapy and blood circulation. There are numerous negative ions in the palm of a person's hand, which react with the positive ions within the bloodstream, which in turn help to improve the circulation of the blood. In other words, while calcium is the main component of the positive ions in the bloodstream, when the palm of the hand adheres closely with the surface of the skin, this increases the calcium component in the bloodstream. When the percentage of calcium in the blood increases, Potassium, interfering with blood circulation, in turn, decreases. This brings a fresh new blood supply to the whole body and acts to promote the natural healing powers innate in the human body, helping to prevent and heal illnesses. Moreover, with Shiatsu, the pressure penetrates to deeper regions compared to massages which may merely rub the surface of the body with oils etc., thereby bringing forth greater effectiveness. |
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Prosection at University of Hawaii I would like to report regarding of dissection, (actually, the bodies had been already dissected by the instructors, these are called prosections) at Hawaii University on March 23rd and 24th, 2002. It was held from 9:00-12:00 (lecture), 1:00-5:00 (lab) and there were about 40 people (from Japan Shiatsu College, students and teachers, teachers from all over the world). The teacher was Dr. Scott Lozanoff, (Professor and Chairman, Department of Anatomy). Actually, his lecture was easy to understand, because it was the second time for me learning Anatomy and a good opportunity to review. The first day, we had a lecture on the spinal cord, thorax, anterior abdomen, inguinal region, back, scapular and humeral regions, forearm and hands. In the lecture, the teacher’s explanations were similar to those in our the classes of Anatomy and Physiology. (e.g. bones, arteries, veins, nerves, etc.). Then we moved to the lab. Before prosections, the Dr. explained that we must respect the persons who donated their bodies and also explained we could take pictures except for the faces because that it what identifies the person. In the lab, there were about 15 bodies and we used 6-7 bodies each day. Also, another Dr., Dr. Dee, assisted us. (She tried to explain to the Japanese students, in Japanese, things like Shinkei (nerve) and Kinniku (muscle). Actually, the bodies' details are the same as the coloring book of Anatomy, (of course, it is much better to see a real body to understand rather than from the book). The first day, we could see almost all the upper body. (bones, muscles, nerves, arteries, veins, visceral organs, etc.) and also, we could touch them. We could feel the weight of the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, pancreas, spleen, gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine,…) and touch the skin. In the heart, we could see the coronary artery. We looked inside the lungs. Some lungs had many dark dots. (That is from smoking. If you smoke, probably, you have the same lungs. Be careful!!). The liver was quite a big organ as we learned. The stomach was flat and small. The gall bladder, (as you learned, is where the bile is stored bile). It was dark green. Of the arteries, the most impressive one was the aortic arch. It was such a big artery! We could see many muscles of the back, humeral regions, (we checked carefully for the rotator cuff), forearm and hands. One of the anterior abdominal muscles, rectus abdominis, (very important for holding the visceral organs,) is a very strong muscle. The second day, we learned about the gluteal region and thigh, the leg and foot, superficial and deep neck, superficial and deep face, cranium and brain. The lecture, it was the same style as the first day and after that, we moved to the lab again. That day, we could see the muscles of the gluteal region, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and piriformis. The Dr. said that it is very small muscle, but very important because, right under the piriformis, there is the sciatic nerve. So, if the muscles push on the nerve, the person will probably have low back pain or Sciatica. In the thigh, we could see the hamstrings,(extension of the hip joint, and flexion of the knee joint). We could check that biceps femoris has 2 heads, the medial thigh, (this is for adduction), the anterior thigh, the leg and foot. In the neck, we could see sternocleidomastoid and other muscles. In the face, of course, (it has many muscles.) it is interesting that the trigeminal nerve (V), is very thin and separates in many directions. We could also see the facial nerve. The cranium and brain, dura mata, is a very thin, shiny membrane which is difficult to take off. At last, I would like to say thank you to Indei sensei at Aisen shiatsu school for arranging this course and also Japan Shiatsu College for giving me a great opportunity. I would like to say thank you to Drs. Scott and Dee. It was very nice lecture. |
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The Treatment of My Brain Infarction by Shiatsu as
Shiatsu treatment for brain infarction (right side hemiplesia) |
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Shiatsu for Pregnancy Workshopi On May 5th 2002 Sensei Kiyoshi Ikenaga held a workshop at The Canadian School of Shiatsu Therapy on 142 Lonsdale in North Vancouver. Approximately 20 members of C.S.S. were involved with learning about Shiatsu for pregnancy. Two pregnant models, a one month and a five month were used as demonstration patients with the focus on ‘morning sickness’ and ‘toxemia’. Kiyoshi began explaining about the symptoms of morning sickness that starts at about 5-6 weeks and usually ends after the sixth month. Morning sickness symptoms involve back pain, constipation and pollakiurnia. In Shiatsu we practice and use fukuga until the women is in her 5th month of pregnancy after which we use the gyouga position for morning sickness. The purpose is to adjust the overall health for the duration of the pregnancy. The important pressure points (tsubos) focused for treatment were the anterior cervical region which prevents and adjust the functions of the stomach and intestines; the posterior cervical that treats malaise; the inner and infra scapular; abdominal region that adjusts the stomach and lower limbs that adjusts the body fluids. With the second model (five months pregnant) Kiyoshi practiced on symptoms of toxemia that can occur in 80% of pregnant patients between 28-35 weeks. The patient may have high blood pressure, swelling, proteinuria, decreased functioning of the kidney and numbness of fingers. Toxemia is caused by an accumulation of toxins in the body. The patient must relax physically and mentally and should keep the back and legs warm at all times. Areas of treatment for toxemia that were covered by Kiyoshi were the anterior cervical; auxillary region; cubital fossa; areas of the abdominal; lateral brachial region; interscapular and lateral crural region.
The essence of Shiatsu therapy aims to promote a holistic approach with non-invasive treatment to correct potential problems that may coincide with pregnancy and childbirth. |
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Application of the Basic Shiatsu Treatment
Shiatsu treatment
The Purpose of Shiatsu Treatment
Characteristics of shiatsu treatment
Directions for shiatsu treatment
How to use the hands. |
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Shiatsu treatment for Asthma It is best to do shiatsu for the asthma suffer when they are calm and not experiencing an acute attack. When the person is calm, shiatsu will improve their condition and help prevent asthma attacks. 1. Patient in Ouga position
Start from the left anterior Stenocleidmastoid to relieve the tension in this area as well as the Vegas Nerve. With the patient lying on their right side in Ouga position and the head resting on a pillow, place your le\ft hand on the forehead. 2.Patient in Fukuga position Treat both sides, Suprascapular, and Infrascapular regions. Place both hands on either side of the spine with the thumbs touching (hands made a “W”) and the heel of the hand at the level of the diaphragm. With cupping action (Kyuin-Appo), push up and down (similar to the adjustment for back position in the basic treatment) ten times. Then spread the fingers open and repeat the up and down motions ten times. Then open a space between the thumbs (move the hands slightly to the lateral) and repeat the up and down motion again ten times. Repeat this up and down pattern (using the three hand positions) several times. 3. Patient in Gyoga position
Kneel at the head (Seiza), hold both shoulders with the four fingers of each hand on the deltoid muscle and the thumbs in the Delto-Pectral region. Press 5 or 6 points in the Delto-Pectral groove. Then, with the thumbs, treat the pectoral region (intercostals muscles) and the sternum. Treat this area with palm pressure as well. 4, Patient in Seiza position (Kneeling position) First, treat the whole neck (anterior, lateral, posterior, cervical), the supra scapular and Infrascapular areas. Have the patient clasp her/his hands behind their back, holding them at the sacrum. Stand behind the patient and place the hands around the shoulders. Pull the shoulders back and hold for ten seconds. Do this several times to open up the chest area. |
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