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
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Listlessness and heaviness of the body
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.
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.
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| So, the green outside of the clinic was "the gourd"!! It grows so fast!! |
NAJOM November 2012
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
"Thoughts on Japanese Acupuncture" by Shoji Kobayashi
"Shakujyu Therapy: Case Study" by Cynthia Quattro
"Seminar Report: Shakuju Therapy, Hawaii, Spring 2012" by Ehrland Truitt
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Intake forms
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.
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.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Acupuncture and Moxibustion (2)
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.
*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 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)"
Friday, June 8, 2012
Taishido Greenization Project
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".
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This is the photos taken on May 19th.
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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! !
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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:) )
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.
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.
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