Congestion and hemorrhage are both phenomena of ruptures of blood vessels. One that the blood stays inside of the skin or the mucous membrane is called congestion and one goes outside of them is hemorrhage. This is a massive movement of liquid qi.
Congestion looks dark red, indicating one's inactive condition, coldness. When congestion stays inside of the body for a long time, the power of normal qi of the body is gradually absorbed in it, and one tends to lose energy. For example, one starts to complain the symptoms such as the cold of the body, dizziness and pain.
There are two types of congestion, one resulting from the problem of the inside of the body and the other caused by the trauma. The former is not easy, one has to get the power of the body itself to absorb stasis qi.
Women who gets close to menopause sometimes have blood congestion that looks like a bruise (purple spot or purpura). This diminishes within a few days without any pain. It can be described as a physiological phenomenon discharging so called unnecessary qi.
Traumatic blood congestion such as a bruise, strong pressure and sprain requires special care. When one is young, sometimes the normal qi can surpass traumatic blood congestion naturally (in other words, blood congestion disappears naturally), but it is important to have a proper treatment done, otherwise its influence stays there even if one gets older. It may appear as cold, pain or difficulty to move the body much later.
Therefore, when one has a pain though he/she has no idea of its cause, one should look back the past whether or not he/she had been hit strongly when he/she was young.
In contrast, traumas with bleeding, such as a cut or a scratch, do not cause such a problem. However, one has to be careful with the amount of bleeding, and it is necessary to avoid a lot of bleeding. Hemophilia that one has difficulty to stop bleeding once received a trauma is a serious condition that the qi of the body diminishes rapidly.
(note)
<blood congestion>
(1) internal cause
Ask a specialist for its diagnosis and treatment.
(2) traumatic cause
The affected area would be very painful, but bear the pain and rub it well for about 30 minutes.
<bleeding >
(1) Ask for a professional treatment for the large quantity of bleeding which cannot stop easily.
(2) For other cases, apply moxa to the affected area and fix with a plaster. Moxa has a function to stop bleeding and to sterlize, so it is okay to apply moxa to the affected area directly.
(3) One can use any kind of moxa.
(4) It is important not to let the affected area wet as possible, and there is no need to change the moxa until it stops bleeding enough.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" p. 169-171, written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005. Articles of the book were meant to be written for patients who came to Taishido Acupuncture Clinic.
Today's topic of the advanced course was about "the sternum treatment".
When looking at the body in terms of yin and yang, each line of back shu points (the outer line, the inner line of bladder meridians, JJ line, GV line) is given each meaning, but the same thing can be said even when comparing it with the abdomen. The GV line, the pole of the yang side, the back, is used when the practitioner judges that the deficiency of Jin qi is severe from his/her experience. When the deficiency of Jin-qi progresses further, the treatment would be done on the CV line on the yin side. Even within the CV line, there are yin and yang; the sternum is on the yang area and the lower abdomen is on the yin area.
As well as the back shu points treatment, these CV points in the sternum also follow the abdominal diagnosis pattern. This treatment is very effective especially for patients who cannot lie on the prone position. In addition, the sternum treatment is used right after the outer line, without using GV line, so the choice of tools are also important; Teishin needle or Chinetsukyu. It is very difficult to use a filiform needle and tonetsu-kyu (heat penetrating moxa). For reference points, one should check Shaku mainly and reactions such as the bicipital groove. However, you have to be very careful for a female patients because of breasts and the underwear...
You might not use this treatment so often, but you have to be used with it in your practice so that you can use it when necessary.
It is difficult to insert a SJ needle, how can I insert it? We'd like to talk about this question today.
Firstly, let us consider this technically. Is the posture of your Oshide (pressing hand) foamed stably? Oshide plays the role of opening the skin and guiding the needle towards its direction. If the right and left balance of Oshide is not equivalent, you are unable to make the angle of the needle that is perpendicular to the surface of the skin. In this situation, it is impossible to transmit the pressure of Sashide (needling hand) to the needle tip properly.
In fact, the pressure required for penetrating the needle is very subtle. It is as small as not bending a soft silver needle, so if you missed only a little, the pressure transmitted to the needle tip can be reduced, nearly zero sometimes. If you are continuing this, it is impossible to insert the needle forever.
In addition, if the purpose is just inserting the needle, you can force to insert the needle. However, this forcing needling is not related to tonifying the Jin-qi and healing process of diseases. It is notable how to insert a needle is also important.
Here, let us look at it from a different point of view. The needle used in Shakuju therapy is special for its tip being round and difficult to insert. Comparing with other needles, SJ needle is a kind of difficult-to-insert-needle in terms of its needle tip and its elasticity. Actually, this is the point.
Let me give you an example. When teaching students who just start learning acupuncture how to insert a SJ needle, they can insert it easily. However, as more years of experience of acupuncturists pass, more difficult for them to insert a needle. Why? Hint lays in the word "comparing with other needles" mentioned above. The difference between senior and fresh students are the difference of the amount of "common sense" of acupuncture sphere. If the difference of them is only the amount of practice, the senior students must take the advantage.
Moreover, I myself don't think that a SJ needle is not an especially-difficult-to-insert-needle. The difference between the easy-to-insert needle and the difficult-to-insert needle is not in the needle itself, but in the body of the recipient. This needle can be inserted anywhere in the body, so the stereotype that it is impossible to insert the SJ needle is irrelevant.
In other words, it is necessary to understand that it is you who accept the common sense of its difficulty of insertion and create its result. The common sense such as you have to needle in the painful area, incurable diseases, impossible to cure with acupuncture, these are what you accept and create the phenomena. You have to cross the border of such common sense. Here, coming back to the today's question, the answer is that you have to break the common sense that you have to insert a needle to be able to insert a SJ needle.
basic training of insertion (BL 40) The round needle tip Open the point with the thumb and index finger of Oshide. (1) Inserting skill (2) The ability to grasp change of the body Perpendicular to the skin
Thank you for attending the lecture and post-symposium workshop of Shoji Kobayashi's Shakuju Therapy at Pacific Symposium 2012!
It is a great honor for us to participate such a big successful symposium! We hope that those who attended Shakuju Therapy lecture and workshop got some ideas of Oriental way of thinking and its application to clinical practices!
In the workshop, more than 50 people joined at the workshop and it covered the whole procedure of basic treatment of Shakuju Therapy! Please practice Shakuju Therapy, and hope to see you next March in Boston!
Thank you very much again for everybody who attended the symposium, and we would like to thank especially for those who organize the Pacific Symposium and our wonderful interpreter, Stephen Brown Sensei! Arigato gozaimashita!!!
Pacific Symposium 2012 is coming very soon!!! Kobayashi Sensei's lecture will be on 11th, and the post-symposium workshop will be held on 12th and 13th!
We, Kobayashi sensei, Hara sensei and other members of Shakuju Association are getting ready for the symposium!
We are looking forward to meeting you all attendees in San Diego! Let us explore the world of acupuncture together!
The condition of the skin getting sensitive is expressed as "easy to get a rash" generally, and "festering" in the serious state.
Recently, the word "allergy" is used quite often. It includes various conditions, from the light one, such as just red spots and those spreading the whole skin, accompanying itchiness, to the serious one, getting blisters or itchiness turns pain.
The causes of the allergy are understood as the external stimulation such as the sunshine, plants for example the sumac, animal hair, dusts, soils, cosmetics, detergents, synthetic fibers. However, when considering that there are those who are weak and those who are not to the same external cause, it can be said that whether such stimulation becomes stimulation of allergy or not, is related to the condition of the recipient.
In the explanation of the Western medicine, the strong reaction of antibodies to the antigens turns allergy, but how antibodies react are depending on each individual's daily life.
The mucous membrane is what consists of the digestive organs, the respiratory organs and the urogenital organs, being continuous to the skin, so it can be referred as the skin inside the body. The mucous membrane has a sensitivity as well as the skin, so the hyperemia or the inflammation may occur by the stimulation of plants such as pollen, the animal hair, strong alcohol, strong coffee and tea, hot food and drink, spicy food and drink, sometimes medications and a poison in some cases.
The inflammation of the mucous membrane is referred as an "ulcer" generally, but the light one is called a "sore" and sometimes "itis" is used such as the gastritis, and the lightest one is hyperemia. The mucous membrane in such a case becomes red and painful like the skin.
Whether it is the skin or the mucous membrane, both are the surface of the skin, so the density of qi of the body there is the loosest and most flexible. However, what sustains the order of the surface are organs, so if organs get weak, the flexibility of the skin or the mucous membrane decreases, getting weaker or easier to react to the stimulation from the outside.
The phenomena, such as the pain, itchiness and the abnormal reddish color of the skin or the mucous membrane, imply heat, indicating that the core of the body called organs gets relatively weak, that is, becoming cold relatively (Coldness includes the state of less active).
There are two kinds of organs getting weak, one is congenital, another is acquired. Congenital one refers to hereditary problems, prenatal or time-of-birth problems, but it is possible to restrain the problem by the proper daily habits, as well as the acquired case.
The advisable daily habits are sweating once in two days, sleeping before midnight, having the modest food and drink both in quality and quantity, having the moderate sexual life and trying to look oneself objectively when having the worries.
<note>
(1) If one thinks this symptom merely as a problem of the skin, one tends to think just applying the medication to the skin and be in hurry. The problem of sensitivity is constitutional, so basically, one has to look back and correct his/her own lifestyle, such as sleep and work hours and leisure, and treatments would take some time, so one should not hurry.
(2) It is advisable to look back your own lifestyle, then consult with a professional.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" p. 166-8, written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005. Articles of the book were meant to be written for patients who came to Taishido Acupuncture Clinic.
Reference points are not indicating symptoms of specific areas or something like so called specific points. Here, reference points are all the areas indicating the deficiency of Jin-qi.
So, if there are reference points, anywhere you see, all the areas are expressing the same thing. Extremely speaking, if you can evaluate one certain reference point for sure and deeply, it can be enough to do a treatment. However, when we try to observe the nature, certainly it is easier to grasp the actual condition with various data of different check points than a result of only one check point. This is the reason why we check many reference points.
Then, what happens if one misses one of reference points appeared on the whole body, for example? Jumping to conclusions, there would nothing wrong happen with it. If you can understand the deficiency of Jin-qi with other reference points for sure, it is no problem even if you miss one or two reference points. However, this is only when one can grasp the state of the deficiency of Jin qi.
Contrary speaking, even if you have various reference points to check and neither of them show the deficiency of Jin-qi, it would be the big problem. In such a case, following the procedure of Shakuju therapy may be meaningless. Even if Shakuju therapy is a good therapeutic methodology, you cannot get the treatment effect that you expected.
Reference points you learn in each class, are where you can relatively touch easily in the whole body to check the deficiency of Jin-qi. The first step is to be able to check them clearly. The basic skill is the most important to do anything. You don't need to hurry, so try to do it carefully.
** This article is translated from the Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
As some of you might remember the Taishido green curtain project, it was the gourd "the green thumb of Taishido" planted at the outside of Taishido Acupuncture Clinic. It grew so fast fast until July, but after the typhoon, it stopped growing, so he decided to harvest gourds!
These are the first year cropping, not bad, innit? :)
When you are caring about only visible things,
You may not be able to see what is important.
Symptoms appeared in the body are,
Messages from the inside of the body that cannot be seen.
When you see only the symptoms appeared on the surface,
It ends up with the treatment like a whack-a-mole.
Without working on the deep inside of such symptoms,
Chasing with appeared symptoms never ends.
This is not limited to the body matters.
It can be applied to all symptoms surrounding us.
Worry, fear, anger, each event inducing such emotions
Is symbolizing what lies in the depth.
However, you shouldn't forget that all visible phenomena,
Including symptoms appeared on the body, are merely symbols.
That is not the core where to work on.
No matter how much the values of the test result are tampered,
It does not mean the cure of the disease, surely.
Nobody makes efforts for such a silly thing.
The appeared result is merely symbols.
The essence is the vital energy coming from the root.
When the root changes,
Its results also change naturally.
What a waste of energy,
To put your energy on attempting to change the symbols.
Hello! Thank you for reading Shakuju Association blog. Usually, I'm updating articles translated from Kobayashi sensei's writings in Japanese or other senseis' articles in Japanese Shakuju Association blog. But, today, I'd like to write about the other thing, the mystery of the funny creature of Shakuju Association.
Some of you might have noticed that there is a non-acupunctural video on the video bar section on the right. Haven't you noticed yet? Hmm.
This one...
Soo, do you want to know what this strange creature is?
strange creature??
This is called Kakisemi kun. There is annual summer seminar for students of acupuncture students, and this is the special character for the summer seminar.
The summer seminar in Japanese is Kaki (summer) Seminar, in abbreviation Kaki-Semi. The sound "Kaki" also means "persimmon" and "Semi" means "cicada" (in different Chinse characters though), so Kaki-Semi means summer seminar and persimmon cicada. Got it??
That's why this is designed for the mixture of a persimmon and a cicada especially for the summer seminar by O Sensei who is working at Taishido Acupuncture Clinic on Fridays. ＼(＾▽＾)／
Yup, we had the summer seminar in the weekend of 18th and 19th August. Many acupuncture students came to study Shakuju therapy. It started from the introduction of theory, abdominal contact needling, pulse adjustment, abdominal diagnosis and back-shu point treatment, then students went through the whole treatment procedures, so they treated each other in the last session of the seminar.
Kaki-semi (summer seminar)
Do you still wonder what the video was?? Actually, for students who have attended the summer seminar three times (three-years education curriculum is common in Japanese acupuncture schools, except some universities), O sensei made the special Kakisemi-kun cell phone accessories (Kobayashi sensei also has it on his cell phone!). And this video is about how to make it.
Hope someday, Kakisemi-kun becomes the well-known Japanese character like "Dragonball"!! Oops, but I don't know what Kakisemi-kun can do... I don't think he can shoot "Kamehameha"...
To give an order to the shallow qi of the whole body by moving the shallow qi on the abdomen.
As a result, it makes easier to evaluate the pulse and abdominal diagnosis.
Shallow qi on the abdomen is especially called as "Ju".
(2) Abdominal area
The abdomen here is the area between lower parts of rib cages and the pubis and both sides of the inguinal region (upper and lower boundaries), and betwen inner sides of the gallbaladder lines (left and right boundaries). However, in the real practice, one is not necessary to perform contact needling close to each boundary.
(3) Observation of the abdomen
The practitioner always has to be careful to notice changes of the skin on the abdomen. This is because when any changes occur, these changes are understood in terms of the movement of qi.
Firstly, be aware with objective characteristics of the surface of the skin, such as dryness and moisture, cold and heat, hard and soft, tension, texture and luster of the skin.
On the other hand, the subjective condition of the abdomen are, spontaneous pain, feeling of fullness, pressure and itciness, and abnormal sensation (hyperesthesia and hypoesthesia). In addition, borborygmus and succussion splash are the abdominal conditions felt both subjectively and objectively.
To palpate, wipe the sweat of the abdomen off with a towel, place both hands on both sides of the abdomen to compare the temperature of left and right, and check the condition of the skin of the whole abdomen with one's Oshide (pressing hand).
(4) Needles to be used
Basically, a 40 mm, number 3 silver filiform needle is used. However, when patients are very sensitive naturally or in the sensitive condition, and in the case of infants, a Teishin needle is used instead of a filiform needle.
(5) How to do the abdominal contact needling
[Contacting a needle to the abdomen]
As well as the insertion of a filiform needle, the hand posture of abdominal contact needling is based on what the Oshide, Sashide and a needle formed altogether, and the practitioner has his/her needle on the needle handle, and pushes the needle with the Sashide towards the direction of the needle body and presses the surface of the skin with the needle.
Here, it is important the needle tip is contacting the surface of the skin, but it is different from the filiform needle that if the needle does not insert, the practitioner moves to the next point quickly and repeat the same thing.
The point here is not to twist the needle so much to insert the needle. About pushing the needle, the pressure of it is depending on the flexibility of the needle body, so it is unappropriate if the pressure is too strong or too weak. It is better not to bend the needle if possible.
The duration of contacting a needle in each point is usually up to two seconds, but if the practitioner get used to the maneuver, the movement gets continuously and speeds up. One does not need to mind the depth of insertion. If the needle is easily inserted by such a pressure, it means that the body needs such quantity of stimulation, so it has no problem to insert.
Some people might think that it is enough only to contact a needle to the skin because it is "contact needling", but this idea causes some problems, not only the treatment effect is not enough, but also it rather may cause the stagnation of qi.
[Withdrawal of a needle]
Next, one has to add an action to return the needle applied to the skin, and at the same time close the point with the index finger of the Oshide. This is the technique of tonification.
If one gives an uncomfortable pain to a patient during the needle manipulation, the problem lies on the top-bottom and right-left pressure of the Oshide, as well as a filiform needle, unless the needle tip has some problems.
The practitioner performs actions mentioned above to the whole of the abdomen.
[Abdomen as a plane]
In the abdomen, yin meridians and yang meridians are running through, and there are various acupuncture points, but one does not need to take these into account when performing contact needling. It is important to consider the whole abdomen as a "plane" and do contact needling.
Therefore, the rhythm of needling should not be the same all the time, and one may speed up or slow down up to the necessity.
The whole time taking for the abdominal contact needling is around one minute, and one repeats routines of needling the whole abdomen around three times.
Sometimes, a patient may start sweating. Do not leave this alone, this would let the body gets cold, and wipe the sweat off carefully.
(6) The observation of the abdomen after the abdominal contact needling.
One has to check the abdomen again after the abdominal contact needling. As well as other steps of therapy, it is important to check the effect of treatment after needling.
The most remarkable points here are spontaneous pain and pressure pain. Before contact needling, check the part of pain, and observe how it changes after contact needling. In theory, the changes of pain are getting stronger, getting less, and no change.
However, in the clinical practice, it rarely occurs that the pain gets stronger after the abdominal contact needling. If this may occur, it means the way of abdominal contact needling is not appropriate. The needle does not touch the skin, and it cannot give the stimulation that the body requires or the way of contact needling is so harsh that bringing the new disorder of qi, so one has to perform contact needling again with attentions.
One observes other conditions as well, but the point here is also the same with pain.
(7) The meaning of contact needling
It is notable that after contact needling, in some cases, the conditions such as pain disappear, but in other cases, they do not. This means that the abdominal contact needling plays some roles, and there are conditions applied to such cases, and those not.
In other words, the abdominal contact needling is a light stimulation, so there are conditions that easily change with the subtle stimulation and those not. Light means the condition of capability to insert a needle to the skin by just pushing a needle, and qi influenced by such needling is expressed as "shallow qi".
Here, the changes of the body by stimulation of needling and etc, is called "qi moves". The substance of changes is qi, but the condition to change is understood as a phenomenon that uneven qi is returning to the even state.
That is, when thinking how shallow qi of the abdomen, it is divided into those being even, and those not. The same thing can be applied to the whole body.
What to note is one should not understand like the effect of the abdominal contact needling would be something % stochastically. The individual difference is important, and do not judge the effect of the abdominal contact needling, applying the concepts of elements easy to change with a light manipulation and those not, but these changes are just means to know the movement of qi.
Whether the movement of qi is big or not should not be judged by how the main complaint, such as the pain, is in advance, but even strong pain disappears easily in the clinical experience. Do not judge the state of qi conceptually.
What to note in this step is that some conditions of the body change by the light manipulation of the needle.
**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)".
The fifth lecture of advanced course is about reference points which had not been covered by the last lecture. Yes, it was meant to continue the rest of reference points, but the lectures went beyond, and Kobayashi sensei talked about even supplemental treatments, it didn't happen before (-_-;).
Rather, it was easier to talk about it with the explanation of supplemental treatments. The most of supplemental treatments used at the present are what are used additionally as the words suggest, when the deficiency of Jin-qi has not been tonified enough by the back-shu points treatment as the basic treatment.
Especially, such supplemental treatments are used mostly in the case of trauma. Trauma means that the affected part was directly damaged, so the cause itself exists there, therefore, one has to deal with the problem lies there. There would be two different approaches; one is to access there directly (the bloodletting at the neck in the cases such as a whiplash) and the other is to approach at the point slightly apart from the affected area itself (Jin-well point for the sprained ankle). In addition, sometimes points at CV line are used considering the meaning of CV line related to why using the back shu points. In such cases, it is possible to approach with a filiform needle and moxibustion, but depending on points, bloodletting and Chinetsu-kyu may become essential, and you might think "again!" but, it is neccesary to use consciousness (with a Teishin needle).
The theme of the fourth lecture of advanced course is about "reference points". Among many characteristics of Shakuju therapy, this idea of reference points is simply special, I think, compared to other therapies. Even for other therapeutic methodologies that do not contain the concept of deficiency of Jin-qi, this idea would be beneficial. But, writing about reference points generally would be boring, so I would like to describe it in relation to consciousness that I mentioned in the last article.
Touching reference points are actually the most essential thing to use consciousness. Most of us do this unconsciously. In other words, those who do not touch reference points firmly never be able to use consciousness. Some people might think about something like non-inquiry-examination, the condition that a practitioner comprehend the state of the patient's body without touching. Here, it is no problem when acquiring the patient's information (four examinations), however, it has only demerits when the practitioner wants to change the patient's body (treatment).
When one can get used to consciousness, he/she is able to send something like so-called qi. However, it is very difficult for those who have not been used to touching patients and checking reference points carefully. That is, using consciousness, in terms of checking reference points, is (1) able to let the consciousness of the patient be aware with the exact points = touching leads to treatment and (2) able to let the practitioner to project his/her consciousness.
Once one is able to check reference points firmly, it also let the consciousness of the patient be at the exact reference point, and the practitioner feels easier to project his/her consciousness, so the treatment effect increases massively. (2) The projection of consciousness here means grasping the patient's reference points carefully in terms of anatomical comprehension, and also touching the same reference points many times with reproducibility. Then, when the practitioner who acquire such a skill is able to send qi (?) there, the treatment effect can be doubled more!
I'm emphasizing this so many times, but you have to acquire the visible skills to be able to acquire invisible skills. In the process of learning Shakuju therapy, the numbers of reference points is increased more and more. You have to be able to choose, touch and get information from such reference points, depending on each state of the patient, to use the consciousness freely.
Kobayashi sensei sometimes introduces new reference points that he discovers in certain occasions, such as two days seminar. When the new point that I haven't touched yet is added, I also am a beginner for checking the new reference point, so I try to make an effort to touch it. I touch the point of every patient surely, even if it is unnecessary for some patients. Then, I can get used to the reference point, so I can use it without problems when the actual patient who needs to be checked it comes. The issue is not whether you know or not, but whether you are able to do or not. Namely, it is whether you have been practicing or not. Checking reference points during a treatment, this is the essential thing in Shakuju therapy, but it is the shortcut to use consciousness.
* (1) and (2) in the articles are what Kobayashi sensei wrote in the lecture.
The third lecture of advanced course was about "consciousness" that everybody wants to know. One reason why everybody is interested in consciousness would be because its existence is vague and invisible. And some of you might think if you can acquire the invisible power, you are able to cure patients and symptoms that you had been struggling with.
What can you do when you are able to use consciousness then? This is beyond the lecture, but I would like to mention my opinions below.
From my experience, there are mainly three things to point out; (1) The time of each session of treatment can be shorten because the speed of tonifying Jin-qi risens. (2) The body gets warm more, so the treatment effects lasts longer. (3) You are able to use a Teishin needle effectively.
Let us look at each point in detail here. (1) If one can treat a patient in a short period, you are able to treat many patients, and as a result, many people can get benefit from it, and also the practitioner can earn more. However, once you are able to use consciousness, does the number of patients increase? Even though you can tonify the deficiency of Jin-qi in a short period and reference points change quickly, if you haven't acquire palpation ability to comprehend those changes, you are not able to use consciousness freely. Rather, in such a palpation skill, you cannot acquire consciousness.
(2) This is as it is. As an actual feeling of a patient, the body gets very warm. In addition, they feel as if the whole body is wrapped up with something thin layer of air or strange feeling like subtle numbness. Even if the practitioner feels that he or she are able to use consciousness, it is doubtful whether he or she actually are able to use consciousness without such patients' feelings (of course, these feelings are depending on individuals though).
And let us talk about (3) a Teishin needle. Treatment with a Teishin needle is the most subtle in terms of quality of stimulation. The most common stimulation with a filiform needle, it accompanies with certain quality and quantity of stimulation, so if the stimulation exceeds the patient's limit, symptoms may get worse or reference points may not change though there is nothing wrong with the quality of stimulation. However, it can be said that the quality of the most subtle stimulation of a Teishin needle is acceptable for any states of any patients. But, the issue here is the quantity of stimulation. The most subtle quality means the most subtle quantity, in other words, it is difficult to bring out changes of reference points. Once you acquire the skill to use consciousness, you are able to give such the most subtle stimulation in the most quick speed and the most effectively. That is, when approaching the cause of deficiency of Jin-qi, older and older it is, the strong quality of stimulation is unacceptable. In such a case, there is no other way except giving the stimulation little by little in each treatment session to arise changes. It means that it takes certain time to treat such a condition, but once you can acquire the skill of consciousness, you are able to make changes in the most rapid speed like a miracle. To describe this simply, you are able to change reference points that you have not been able to treat or change.
Don't you want to treat what you haven't been able to treat? Every practitioner must long for it. However, do you think you can acquire such a skill simply by learning it?? Of course not.
The demerits of consciousness. It would be that many people misunderstand it, many think that they are able to use it quickly. The consciousness is not a special ability. Everybody can get the skill as far as he or she makes an effort. However, the effort is necessary, it takes time. You can never acquire it quickly. I often compare it to "Kamehameha" of Goku of "Dragonball". He can even fly. However, Goku is not strong because he is able to shoot Kamehameha or to fly. Rather, he is strong, or he becomes strong, so he gets ability to shoot Kamehameha and to fly.
Then, how do you think you should do to be able to use the consciousness? The answer is to deepen your skill of acupuncture, to become able to perceive reference points. More and more the skill of needling is risen, it accompanies the progress of the ability to comprehend reference points. Then, what is the skill of acupuncture concretely? At first, to be able to insert the needle at BL 40 easily. In addition, to be able to use a three-edged needle. To acquire the skill to comprehend reference points that are accompanied with it. Then, the time of treatment session can be shortened dramatically. Less than 30 minutes. You have to come to this level first. Without the ability of inserting a needle of BL 40 or the skill of using a three-edged needle, you never use the consciousness in such a level. To learn a three edged needle at advanced course is the fourth year of learning Shakuju therapy, this is the shortest. But, you can't do what you just learned. So, after learning four years intensively, then the shortest would be the fifth year to be able to enter the world of consciousness. If it is compared with "Hunter Hunter", once you are able to use consciousness, you just pass the "hunter exam".
* This article is written by D sensei who loves manga, such as "Dragonball" and "Hunter Hunter" :)
The first thing that a practitioner should experience is that even a slight manipulation of needling can bring the subtle change of the body. Manipulation of needling here is not a deep insertion, but a shallow needling, and one has to know that it can affect the sense and tone of the skin both subjectively and objectively.
The generally recognized effect of acupuncture is that a needle should be inserted in a certain depth for a certain period to give certain stimulation to get a result of needling. This view is mainly based on the neurological theory of the western medicine, and in other words, the misunderstanding that more stimulation brings more the treatment effect is.
However, acupuncture treatment can never be like that, rather, the most important is to give the most suitable stimulation that the body requires, and it engenders the most appropriate treatment effect.
Moreover, the structure of the body is based on multiple layers of qi, so to perform needling on the deep area abruptly is a forcible manner to the body, and the treatment effect can vary.
One has to know that the body is always changing, so acupuncture treatment should be adjustable to its change, requiring the fluid manipulation of needling. Abdominal contact needling is the first step of the treatment based on such an idea.
*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)"
A chill is the condition of feeling cold and shivering, in such a state, even one put a blanket on, the feeling of coldness stays. This is considered that one has the coldness from the core of the body to the surface of the body, in other words, the movement of the qi is getting weak systemically.
However, shivering means that the body still has power. If one loses the force of body qi, one cannot even shiver. In an extremely strong chill, during the period recovering from it, one sometimes gets fever and sweat on the contrary, but this indicates the body qi is getting stronger, so it is a good phenomenon.
The cause of a chill should be found in the temporally close past, so when one looks back one's daily life, it would be easily understandable. Generally speaking, a chill is one of symptoms of a cold, but one should be careful when it accompanies a pain in the abdomen.
(Note)
A chill accompanying a pain in the abdomen is the condition when one's energy gets lowered more, so it requires a professional examination and treatment.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" p. 165, written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
Whether one has heat or not is scaled by a thermometor, but it can be also known by comparing the pulse rate, the temperature of the forehead and languor with one's normal condition.
Rather, it is far more important to get accustomed to judge one's own condition of the body than caring about deciminal one or two numbers showed in the thermometor. One can lighten the psychological burden to taking account of small change of temperature.
Except high fever, there is no criteria, such as more than what degree may harm the body, and also heat is not necessary to be shown as high fever in the thermometor all the time, it is very important to know the condition of heat checking disorders of the body.
Heat symptoms are evaluated from the body conditions, such as fatigue, the color of the face gets red, the whole body, of course the forehead as well, is getting hot, increased pulse rate and so on.
Heat indicates that the movement of qi of the body gets overactive, but one should not judge to lower the temperature as soon as one gets feverish. Fever is the condition that one cannot control the heat because the power of qi of inner organs to govern the movement of the body smoothly decreases and brings coldness in the center of the body. Basically, the body needs a rest, so it is better not to lower temperature forcibly to work or something.
(Note)
1. When one gets fever, one tends to think to use an ice bag to alleviate fever, but it should be done after the treatment such as acupuncture. The treatment is to give power to the qi of the body and to diminish the coldness of the core of the body, so if one uses an ice bag after the treatment, it does not cool the body so much.
2. When one has fever, one should not take a bath. Taking a bath is consuming the qi of the body, so it deteriorates the fever more.
3. Slight fever continuing for a long time, sudden high fever, symptoms with a chill, strong pain somewhere in the body, such as the head and the abdomen, something wrong with one's consciousness are emergency conditions, requiring professional examination and treatment.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" p. 163-4, written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
There are some patients who say that they feel something moving down to the leg, though the needle is applied on the abdomen, or "electricity running" and so on.
This means that the patient has something irregular down the leg. It is very common to perform needling on the limbs or back though, for example, the patient has a headache.
Especially the feeling as if the electricity is running in the body is like the lightning streaks down the ground. The path such the electricity runs is expressed as "meridian" in Oriental medicine. As the lightning is called as "electricity", the power, qi, is running the all over the body.
Such responses of meridians were used to be very common long time ago, but now people have lost such senses, so this is not what everybody can feel. However, the fact that applying the needle on certain point can actually cure the disorder which appears far away from the point. This is understood as the qi is transferred from the point where the needle is applied, through the meridian and reaches at the affected area, in other words, the unbalance of qi is adjusted.
However, does the qi really run through the meridian that you expect?? There is no way to prove it, so this is quite uncertain. Because, it is also common that the lightning streaks through the meridian that you never anticipate. Even the qi runs through the meridian, it is very modern point of view (!) to think that the qi runs where one expects.
Rather, it is more practical to think that the symptom, such as a headache, is one of reference points indicating the unbalance of qi of the whole body, in other words, as the tip of the iceberg.
The movement of qi is more open and generous. It is the power to move all over the body, not limited only via the path of certain meridians.
*This is translated from the article by Kobayashi sensei, "Taishido Times Square" vol.16
There are three types of feeling listless chronically, mentioned below.
1. Feeling listless from waking up and during the morning.
2. Feeling listless in the afternoon and the evening.
3. Feeling listless the whole day.
When you feel weary only one day today, you can guess its cause thinking back what you did the day before.
The case when one feels dullness of the body from waking up and during the morning chronically is the type that one can accumulate the qi of the body by being active. One does not move the body during the night and the air becomes cooled down, so his/her power of qi gets weak in the next morning. This is the reason why one feels listless in the morning,.
Likewise, the case one feels listless or heaviness of the body in the afternoon and evening is the type one exhausts the body qi because of the daily activity. For this type, one has not to exhaust the energy during the night.
The third case, feeling listless the whole day means it is the more severe case than these two cases. The vital energy is getting weak overall, one exhausts the qi of the body by daily activities and he/she cannot fill the energy up during the night.
If one finds out the cause of such weakness of the body qi, one has to eliminate it. For example, the practitioner has to find out if the person always goes to bed after the midnight, he/she has enough sleep, whether the amount of the foods he/she takes are too little or too much, if he/she takes any medication regularly, if he/she is overwork, if the work environment is too cold, if he/she has excessive sexual life, if she is too active during her period, and as a matter of congenital qi, if one's family member or relatives have similar conditions.
Ultimately speaking, the dullness of the body means slackness of body tissues, namely, the density of the body qi gets loosened. This brings the coldness into the body, and makes the body movement more dull.
All types of listlessness vary in terms of the extent of symptoms and they are not the same.
The expression that the body is heavy, is often used when one feels the weight on one's limbs and difficulty to move them, but sometimes one feels the whole body is heavy. Both of them are regarded as more serious conditions than feeling listless.
The heaviness of the body is sometimes felt even if one's weight is light. This means that the power of qi of inner organs cannot reach at extremities fully, so the movement of qi of extremities gets dull. Basically this occurs when the power of digestive organs becomes weak.
Here, the problem lies in the core where the body gets the acquired qi, but limbs are what makes such power of inner organs more active, so if one cannot use limbs freely, it is a fatal problem.
As recommended countermeasures, one changes the quality of the diet, ie. vegetarian foods that is more light to the body, and eats less.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" p. 160-2, written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
So, the green outside of the clinic was "the gourd"!! It grows so fast!!
There are three articles about Shakuju Therapy in the newly published NAJOM (November 2012)! Please check it out!
"Thoughts on Japanese Acupuncture" by Shoji Kobayashi
"Shakujyu Therapy: Case Study" by Cynthia Quattro
"Seminar Report: Shakuju Therapy, Hawaii, Spring 2012" by Ehrland Truitt
In the advanced course, we have learned about "intake form".
When talking with staffs and students, the most of them ask technical questions, such as how to treat in which conditions and want confirm the skill, for example, the way to check the pulse and how to palpate with fingers.
Not so many people have focused on what to ask in interviews with patients. Shakuju therapy is performed with the ultimate etiology, the deficiency of Jin-qi and the efficient skill to tonify it, so it might look very simple at a first glimpse. So there are many misunderstanding.
For example, there is a patient with lower back pain. If I ask the practitioner what the cause is. The answer will be "the deficiency of Jin qi". However, does the patient understand with this answer? Maybe no. Then, I ask why the deficiency of Jin-qi occurred, not so many people can answer this question. In any treatment, there is a cause of diseases, so there should be causes that the Jin-qi diminishes. To look for the cause is history taking. In interviews, you have to ask when the deficiency of Jin-qi started, in which extent Hie is serious. In this process, what plays an important role is an intake form.
"The cause of your disease (the cause of your deficiency of Jin-qi) is blah blah, so let us change this with treatments, and please take care not to do blah blah any more..." Not so many people can explain such an ordinary thing to the patient. Even though you change the treatment form or acupuncture points, or furthermore you add how to use the consciousness, if you continue treatment without understanding the cause, what can be healed does not heal.
How can the fat person who is eating too much lose weight with only acupuncture treatments without controlling his/her diet? Furthermore, if you explain the reason why he/she is fat is the deficiency of Jin qi..., it just becomes chaotic.
When you get skill of interview and using intake forms, the treatment effect will change dramatically. Do not depend only on your techniques, acquire the knowledge as well in your everyday clinic!
* This article is translated from the Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
The fact that the response occurred to the sick body when stimulated by acupuncture and moxibustion means that the stimulation increased the density of qi (of the body). In other words, it can be expressed that the power of qi is fulfilling and the phenomenon that the body is warming up whether it is perceived or not .
The practitioner can grasp it through various changes of the patient, such as flare, sweating, the skin getting brighter, tissues getting tightened.
Next, concerning the amount of stimulation influencing the body, it depends on the duration of stimulation and the durability of the treatment effect.
***
About moxibustion, the amount of stimulation is influenced by the duration of performing moxa treatment, but even during the same period, it also affected by the numbers of moxa cones. Shorter the interval between each cones, the influence is stronger. In addition, it also related to the amount of heat, when performing moxibustion with the certain amount of heat and certain interval, the amount of stimulation gets stronger in proportion to time.
However, the weak point of moxibustion is that the practitioner cannot judge whether the amount of stimulation is appropriate or not during the treatment, and this is different from acupuncture.
But, concerning the persistence of the effect to the body after the treatment, it can be inferred that the moxa effect mentioned above is more persistent than needling. Clinically speaking, when the interval of treatment sessions is short, for example treating the same patient twice or three times a week, one has to be sure to lessen the amount of moxa in each session. If one ignores this, sometimes the patient gets the state not being able to consume heat properly, such as eczema on the skin, increasing yang excess condition and so on.
In this way, the practitioner can adjust the amount of stimulation during treatment, what one always has to keep in mind is the most appropriate amount of stimulation. Some people might think that more serious the patient's condition is, the practitioner adds stimulation more. However, to absorb the certain amount of stimulation, it requires certain power for the recipient body as well. If one increases the amount of stimulation more than enough, it leads to the indigestion of the amount of stimulation, rather the condition gets worse.
Concerning the quality of stimulation of acupuncture and moxibustion in this way, the light stimulation is more suitable with needling, so when the disorder of qi is on the surface, and conversely when the patient's condition is extremely serious and the damage of qi is as deep as the shape of the body changes, the stimulation of acupuncture is more suitable because it makes the body itself fill out the qi, in other words creating heat on one's own.
What is the condition suitable for moxa stimulation then? You can imagine the old human body for this. That is, the condition that qi is loosen all over the body, and when the body itself does not have enough power to create heat, moxibustion is suitable for these condition regardless of age.
Another issue is whether we can consider inner bladder line, outer bladder line, JJ line and the GV channel as equal in terms of the quality and quantity of stimulation. As mentioned before, the response closer to the GV channel indicates more severe the deficiency of Jin qi is. Especially the GV channel is important in this state.
Clinically speaking, for the symptoms difficult to change, for example, serious knee pain, lower back pain, inner organ pain and heat of inner organs, one can experience the symptom released after moxibustion on GV channel.
***
However, one has to pay attention when the patient is in condition is as serious as he/she cannot absorb the heat of moxibustion. Multiple cones of moxas on GV channel might cause deterioration of symptoms instead, so the practitioner has to be careful. One starts from two or three cones, checking the condition, and stops it if one thinks the change is not what expected.
As a conclusion, needling is the base for the stimulation to the body, and for the moxa stimulation, it is important to check whether or not the patient has enough power to accept it.
growing so fast!
*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)"
Outside of Taishido Acupuncture Clinic, there is a bus stop heading to Shibuya station. There is some space between the clinic and the bus stop, so we began "Taishido greenization project".
This is the photos taken on May 19th.
and this one was taken on May 26th. Now everybody is coming to the outside and check how it grows everyday! and this becomes our new good habit! !
and this was on June 5th! Can you see how fast it grows? I wish our skill of acupuncture progress in such a speed:)
When I was cleaning the clinic in the morning, those who are waiting for the bus are talking like this.
"Oh, were there these plants before? "
"Hmm, I don't know what these are. Is this a cucumber or a pumpkin?"
Here is a question. What is this plant??? (The answer will be on this blog sometime this year:) )
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.
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)"
Today, let me introduce the tool rack beside the treatment bed.
Kobayashi sensei always says that things have to be in the certain place in order to have treatment done smoothly. If you think "where is the tool...?" during the treatment, your concentration was cut there and goes somewhere else.
That's why everything is decided where to be put. Needles are where needles are, moxa is where moxa is, and so are others.
The human body is considered as multiple layers of qi in Shakuju Therapy. So, depending on which layer you focus on, the side to be picked up as a reference point might differ. For example, one checks GB 21 both right and left sides. If the right side is hard in the superficial layer, the right GB 21 is a reference point, and the left GB 21 is the treatment point.
However, what happens to check the deeper layer at GB 21? You may find the left side is harder than the right. In this layer, the left side is a reference point and the right side becomes a treatment side. If you try to confirm the more deeper layer, it might change again.
So, what is the right reference point then? The answer will be all. Why? As a reference point is an indicator for who use it, the relative relationship of the layer focused by the practitioner is highlighted.
Have you experienced like this? Whenever confirmed the reference point by your master, the side is always different. If the problem of finger sensation is not taking an account, the reference point you chose is not wrong, but the layers to be checked are different. Moreover, it can be assumed that the skill to palpate the deeper layer indicates one's ability of treatment. You might feel disappointed when your sensei picks up the different side, but you don't need to be pessimistic. Rather, it is better than picking up the same side with sensei, though the layers are completely different, and you never notice the difference.
*This article is translated from Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
The most of people experience a cramp in the leg when they get old to some extent. It is understandable to get a cramp after the hard exercise and so on, but sometimes one is seized with a cramp and wakes up during sleep at night.
This can be understood as the fatigue of the body itself appearing in the legs where the pressure was put the most. In other words, the cramp is not only the problem of the legs. The fatigue is what the movement of qi of the body gets slow and cold, so needless to say when using one's legs, and even when yang qi gets cold at night, the qi movement of legs slows down. When it gets stronger, the pain appears in the legs. To prevent a cramp, it is important to think about the cause of the fatigue.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
Thank you for attending the fist Shakuju Therapy Seminar in Hawaii! Thanks to Tisha, who organized this workshop, thanks to Mr. Stephen Brown as a fluent interpreter with full of passion for Japanese acupuncture, thanks to Rande who helped Tisha to prepare for the seminar, and thanks to all the attendees who came from all over the states and Australia, the three days seminar was completed successfully!
During the seminar, the morning session began with a lecture of Shakuju Therapy and the demonstration of Shakuju Therapy by Kobayashi Sensei, then in the afternoon the attendees were divided into 8 groups and practice BL 40 insertion and learn the procedure of Shakuju Therapy.
We hope that this seminar gave you some inspiration in your acupuncture practice and understanding. We are looking forward to meeting you at Pacific Symposium 2012 in November at San Diego!!!
Are you ready for Shakuju Therapy Workshop in Hawaii starting from this Friday, 23rd?? Have you packed acupuncture tools and a swimming wear? Except those, just bring your passion and curiosity for acupuncture with you!
If you are new to Shakuju Therapy, it might be helpful to read "Acupuncture Core Therapy" or "About Shakuju Therapy" series of this blog before the seminar. For those who have attended the SJT seminar before, thank you for coming back!!!
Wishing everybody attending the seminar a safe journey! See you and let us enjoy acupuncture in the big island!!!
In Japan, we just had a second Teawase-kai; SJT brushing-up workgroup session yesterday.
Teawase literally means matching or joining hands together. This word is often used in the martial arts sphere, when two or more people meet up and compare each other's skill. So, just like the martial arts, many Shakuju therapy practitioners, regardless of his or her skill and experience, gathered together. They were divided into three people groups, one person treats, another is a patient, and the third person is the watcher.
Actually, this third one is the key person. When the therapist marks Shaku and Back-shu points, he/she always have to ask the third guy for check. Except those, everything is depended on its group. So, for some groups, the practitioner and the watcher are checking and arguing each step and various reference points, but for other groups, the treatment session is just like a normal treatment, observed by the third acupuncturist. Imagine, your each procedure is watched... yes, it is a good pressure.
In the clinical practice, an acupuncturist has to face the patient alone. Acupuncturists are prone to be self-satisfied sometimes. To avoid this, it is a good opportunity to meet up other acupuncturists who have the same interests, same passion in common (please read Therapist's principles 6).
Yes, Shakuju Therapy Workshop in Hawaii is going to be held this weekend!! We are looking forward meeting everybody who are interested in Shakuju Therapy!!! Aloha!
In synchronized swimming, one plays closing one's nostrils pinching the nose. This is not simply for preventing water coming in from the nostrils, rather indicates that one should not inhale the water through the nose.
One must not breath through the nose when swimming. The modern medicine explains that the water through the nose compress the eustachian tubes, and it makes one loose the sense of balance and drown as a result. Water has the much thicker density of qi than air, so it is impossible to inhale such qi through the nose in one breath. That's why even if there is no influence on the eustachian tubes, one feels discomfort, such as the pain in the nose. When one requires the supply of gas is rapidly, the body uses the mouth.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
As one of the supplemental treatment, a practitioner sometimes uses a jin well point. Then, which Jin well point is the problem, either painful one or senseless one? In other words, which is considered as more deficient in terms of Hie?
Regarding other symptoms would help answering this question well. Almost all symptoms start from the state of yin deficiency, then develop through the yin excess, the state that heat was kept inside of the body, the yang excess, the heat starts spreading outwards, then the yang deficiency, the state that the heat itself diminishes in the end.
Namely, the deficiency of Jin-qi caused by some reasons, was something like discomfort feeling in the beginning, but as it gets Hie gradually, it develops from the pain inside to the pain outside, then finally it ends up with the state of desensitization without feeling of any pain. This is the process of the deficiency of Jin-qi growing. It is applicable to almost all symptoms, and an extremely physiological process. Then, it is possible to answer the question which is the more severe state of Hie.
Then, how can you confirm that the unresponsive well point is the more deficient in terms of Hie? It is obvious when you stimulate the jin well point and check the change of deep reference points responsive to the stimulation. That is, when you press the painful jin well point and see which reference point changes, and compare it with when you apply pressure to the jin well point without sensibility. One chooses the jin well point because it links with the deep Hie, not because it is simply the jin well point. It is notable that every step of Shakuju therapy is a process of getting rid of Hie, i.e.. tonifying the deficiency of Jin-qi.
* This article is translated from Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
To insert the soft needle with the round shaped tip, the pressure applied from up to down with one's fingers has to be transmitted to the tip of the needle correctly. When the vector indicating the direction of pressure applied to the needle is in alignment with the tip of the needle, one can minimize the degree of damage towards the human body. The gap between the vector of pressure applied to the needle and the tip of the needle means the unstability of the needling, namely it makes the numbers of cells injured by the needle increase.
The basic training to insert a soft needle without making it bend would be the most appropriate practice to know such a vector. In other words, if one uses a hard needle, even though the vector is not in alignment with the needle tip and makes the needle unstable, it can penetrates the body easily without being bend. This is so called "painful needle", the unstable needling, dispersing the pressure applied to the needle. Those who are used to hard needles are prone to get stuck in such needling. Just apply the pressure towards only one point, the tip of the needle. When you can do this precisely, you are able to insert a needle. This is called inserting ability.
* This article is translated from Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
Two-days Shakuju therapy seminar was held in Chiba last weekend. This two-days workshop has been held annually since 1997. Many acupuncturists and acupuncture students who have been doing Shakuju therapy gather to attend Kobayashi Sensei's lecture. In clinical practice sessions, Kobayashi Sensei introduced the new supplemental treatment using points between toes. Answering the question from participants, he explained that it is a very useful and effective treatment for symptoms such as a sprain, but put stress on the importance of back shu points for the fundamental treatment rather than using the handy supplemental treatment as usual.
A human being floats on water, because the specific gravity is around the same or rather lighter than water. One gets lighter in the sea water furthermore, but it is notable that there are people who are called "hammers" (note: those who cannot swim are called "hammers" in Japanese ).
This is because lacking experience in water makes one's consciousness upset, and the body gets harder more than necessary, and as a result it makes impossible for him/her to adapt to water. This can be understood as one's consciousness thickened density of qi, so that the body gets heavier than water.
It can be said that the flexible movement of qi lightens the body, makes the movement of the body smooth, lessens the stress to the body, this is largely related to the state of consciousness.
*This article is translated from "Yamai hitokuchi Memo" written by Shoji Kobayashi, 2005.
Reference points are like fire alarms. If the deficiency of Jin qi itself were the origin of a fire, reference points that appear in the body were like a fire alarm hung on the wall. This is the phrase of Kobayashi sensei.
It means that even if the fire alarm rings loudly there, it is not the origin of a fire. We have to make sure that the point of treatment is the origin of fire, and as long as the fire is still smoldering, the fire alarm keeps on making sound.
However, in fact, the fire alarm is not the only one ringing. "Sensei, here is a fire alarm ringing." "No, this is not a fire alarm, but a telephone." "Oh, this is an alarm clock." Many other things, which are not related with the origin of fire, are also ringing.
The thing is, if you want to treat the origin of a fire, namely the deficiency of Jin qi, you have to choose which are the fire alarms connected to the origin of a fire alarm, and treat checking only such reference points. However, those who are not sure which is the fire alarm, ends up needling or perform moxibustion on all ringing points in their treatment.
But, you learn such reference points connected to the origin of a fire in the seminar; which one and from which angle. That's it. Because they are only those connected to the origin. Many people tend to think about needling only, but as a fact, if you can find out such fire alarms, the main part of treatment procedure is over.
* This article is translated from Japanese Shakuju Association blog.
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