Friday, May 25, 2012

Reference Points (3)

I don't want you to misunderstand this, but the main complaint is merely the secondary objective in Shakuju therapy. What is the primary target? Of course, it is the deficiency of Jin-qi, the power of the fundamental yin, as I have been claiming. We understand that all kinds of therapies work on this basis. In other words, it is impossible to change the main complaint without influencing the root. This is not limited only to the Oriental medicine. Even it is a sophisticated surgery, if it cannot work on the core, it is impossible to heal.

Unfortunately, we have never seen the form of the fundamental power among our group. I've asked only to my friends, but the world is broad, so some people might say that they can actually see it, but at least we cannot see it. Then, how we can know and be sure the existence of the root? Here comes the useful scale called "reference points".

Shakuju therapy has developed enormously thanks to this scale. It can be said that reference points are all we need for working on Shakuju therapy. We are depending on reference points in terms of evaluating criteria for everything. No matter what kind of therapy one applies. In any treatment, one can easily understand how it influences on the body when checking to reference points. That is reference points.  

Then, where in the body becomes a reference point? Surely, in many cases we use points where are close to generally called acupoints as reference points, but it is not necessary to locate the point as in the location of acupoint. It might sound complicated, but precisely speaking, the location of reference points are also up to reference points.

 Today I would like to mention what to consider when taking reference points. Do not have the schema how reference points should be. For example, if you understand that reverence points are stiff, you end up looking for only stiffness. What you have to do is to be simple and touch in the same way as your teacher touches. This is the most important part. It is not in your own way, but at first let your fingertips remember how sensei him/herself touches. This is the beginning to acquire the skill of therapy.

It is interesting to note that it is not only us using reference points. In fact, bugs like mosquitoes are also using these. When seeking reference points, sometimes insect bites can be found exactly on the reference points. You might think that a bug is away ahead. A bug might try to save you.

*This article is translated from Japanese Shakuju Association blog. 


Saturday, May 19, 2012

Acupuncture and Moxibustion (1)

There are acupuncture and moxibustion as means of stimulation, how can we consider the choice of use such therapeutic mehods? Is it simply depending on the preferance of patients, or the skill of the therapist to choose needling or moxibustion?

First, taking account of how to give stimulation to the patient's body, what can give the lightest stimulation during the certain period is needling. This indicates the technique such as contact needling and the usage of a Teishin needle. It is impossible for moxibustion to move qi only with the slight stimulation like such needling.

Additionally, on the other hand, if one uses a big stainless needle or a three-edged neele, one can give the strong stimulation to the patient as well. If one would like to give the most strong stimulation, needling is the more suitable method.

As the amount of the stimulation, moxibustion as the therapeutic method is not as variable as needling. In addition, one cannot perform the treatment, taking the body as a plane with the point moxibustion method, not like contact needling.

What is the difference between needling and moxibustion in terms of the effects of the human body then? Needling is what has the normalizing effect to the response of the human body by contacting a needle as a foreign substance to the body (sometimes by damaging the tissues). On the other hand, moxibustion expects the similar effect by applying the heat to the human body from the outside (similarly sometimes by giving the damage as a burn to the tissues).

What is common between these two is that both of them cause the heat in the human body after applying the certain amount of stimulation. However, the moxibustion is what brings to the effect of heat by adding the heat from the outside, so if the patient's body cannot have the power to accept it, ie. the power to consuming the given amount of heat, the heat ends up staying inside of the body, sometimes it leads to the fever or eczema. In such cases, the moxibustion is not appropriate. Moxibustion is not suitable for the patients whose condition of the body is too weak.

*This article is translated from the book of "Toyo igaku koza dai 10 kan, Keiraku-Shakuju chiryo hen (Oriental Medicine Lectures, Vol.10, Meridian Shakuju Treatment)"