I believe the best way to do that is to inform you about some of the clinical case histories and challenges confronting those seeking treatment to rectify their specific disharmony, illness, pain or as often occurs in the case of elite sports people, optimize their performance potential.

Here are just a few examples of this potential, I trust these scenario’s will assist you in understanding some of the potential benefits of Japanese acupuncture.

Following is an excerpt from an e-mail kindly sent to me by a patient who has experienced significant health benefits from ongoing treatment.

This patient is a marine biologist who has recently traveled to San Francisco to spend a few months working with her colleagues stateside.

Hi Alan,
How are you? I hope you’ve been out in the water? I’m surfed out trying to get as many surf’s in as possible before heading to San Fran and hasn’t it been beautiful!

I just wanted to say thanks so much for your treatments, they have helped me enormously and I will miss coming in to see you over the next few months. The last treatment was fantastic – it seemed to clear away the nerve tingling and I felt a lot stronger. I wasn’t sleeping as well though but that’s probably to be expected with all the excitement around going overseas.

I’d love to continue acupuncture in San Francisco so if you do have some contacts for me I would really appreciate it. It has helped me beyond words so I’d love to keep it up and I will be sure to come see you again when I get back. I think half of the treatment is your presence and zest for life!

Hope you have a fantastic next couple of months and I’ll look forward to seeing you again when I get back!

As a practitioner this is a very satisfying and welcome communication indeed.

The correspondent works in a very demanding and results orientated field, often experiencing high levels of stress in an effort to meet externally imposed deadlines.

An entirely different perspective arises in discussing the clinical outcome for a patient who was diagnosed as suffering from a molar pregnancy, a condition whereby miscarriage is a 90% certainty.

Without going into details, after several treatments she is now very happily 23 weeks pregnant with an apparently healthy baby on the way according to her medical specialist.

In yet another case, the patient presented with an extremely painful and expansive episode of the shingles.

Whilst no miracle cure was at hand, there can be little doubt that regular Japanese acupuncture treatment aided in his full recovery from this debilitating condition in a relatively short amount of time.

A number of the physiotherapists with whom I practice at the Queensland Sports Medicine Center have sought treatment recently for difficulties in maintaining an extremely busy work schedule and focused fitness training as a result of impeded immune function.

Basically the more intense the training regime and the busier they were at work, the more often they were suffering from colds, flu’s and accompanying lethargy.

It is of no surprise to me that their condition appears to improve relative to the regularity of their treatment?

I often work in conjunction with the physiotherapists in an effort to bring about a more rapid and complete recovery of our patients.

One example of such cooperation is the work we have been doing to assist an ex-Australian cricketing legend prepare for the forthcoming IPL cricketing tournament in India.

Amongst other aspects of treatment, I believe Japanese acupuncture has been extremely beneficial in defusing much of the physical stress related to his increased training regime and the mental anguish associated with a making a decision regarding his involvement as a result of the security status of the tournament and concerns for his personal safety.

As well as recharging his energetic battery, Japanese acupuncture treatment also provided an extremely welcome refuge from the myriad of questions and potential outcomes that assuaged his mind during this most difficult of decision-making scenarios.

Last but not least, Emma Snowsill is the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist in the sport of Triathlon, an event that includes a 1500m swim, 40k bike ride and a 10k run.

Against the best female tri athletes on the planet, that implies insanely fit individuals with extra ordinary motors sharpened to a cutting edge by the hardness of competition and intense training, all striving to be at the absolute peak of their game for the ultimate reward for a competitive athlete, Emma won her gold medal in emphatic fashion at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

March 2010 and Emma has been struggling with persistent immune related problems for several months, including a diabolically compromised energetic status and repetitive breakdowns in her health resulting in continual colds and flu’s, a situation that saw her training regime severely compromised.

Over the last few months she has been receiving regular Japanese acupuncture treatment and her condition has improved markedly, to a point where she has recently been able to resume full training.

I believe regular weekly treatments have helped Emma  accelerate her training regime whilst maintaining a robust immune status.

By way of explanation, Emma missed a treatment a couple of weeks ago, whilst continuing to accelerate her training regime she flew to Melbourne where she was subjected to a radical climate change, the end result was that she attended clinic last Wednesday suffering from a sore throat, streaming sinuses, increased lethargy and she was justifiably concerned that her health was about to crash again.

In short, after three treatments Emma left for Abu Dhabi today to attend the http://www.laureus.com/awards/ in good health, no runny nose, sore throat greatly improved and energetically much stronger.

I’m sure you’ll agree this is a  preferable option when one is partaking in international travel and will see her able to enjoy this landmark event to the fullest.

As a practitioner of Japanese acupuncture the reality is that a majority of people through no fault of their own are totally ignorant of the diversity and power of this ancient healing modality.

Whilst most people are aware that acupuncture has the potential to help with neck, back, shoulder, knee, hip and ankle injuries and pain, headaches etc, most have little or no idea of its clinical diversity in the hands of an experienced and competent practitioner.

Alan

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted more than 40 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at : http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

In response to a question posted on the http://worldacupuncture.com forum I am re running this blogpost in an effort to distinguish the difference in the application of Japanese Acupuncture and TCM.

Although each of these styles has merit, Japanese Acupuncture is unique in it’s ability to promote well-being in patients such Sarica, the subject of the video in this blogpost.

I believe the results speak for themselves and maintain that heavy duty needling could deflate a patient in such a tenuous energetic position.

25 years of clinical experience definitely confirms for me that judicious Japanese acupuncture can provide huge impetus towards better health in people of all ages.

There are many examples and in some cases video on this blog of positive clinical outcomes for children of all ages and adults of all shapes and sizes.

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/clinical/pre-and-post-natal

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/infant-acupuncture

According to Traditional East Asian medical physiology and philosophy, from conception to birth the child or children require an enormous amount of energy and nourishment from the mother to go from being a twinkle in the eye to a fully mature fetus.

In Traditional East Asian medicine the energetic impetus for this growth is provided by what we call the mothers Kidney energy and in some instances, depending upon her constitution, lifestyle and general health this scenario can cause a significant energetic imbalances in new mums.

In Traditional East Asian medical physiology the Kidneys provide the energetic basis upon which all metabolic and physiological functions depend.

In addition once the child is born a majority of mothers provide the sole nourishment, keeping production up to speed is the responsibility of Spleen/Pancreas meridian/organs.

Hence when there is an imbalance as a result of a combination of any of the above factors the affect can be extremely diverse and widespread.

Often appearing to be totally unrelated from an orthodox Western medical perspective, the symptoms are often intimately related when viewed from an Traditional East Asian medical perspective

In my experience most mums presenting with post natal health difficulties suffer from a significant imbalance in either or both of these functions, an imbalance reflected by various symptoms .

Including:

Post Natal Depression of varying degrees and severity.

Exhaustion.

Irrational fits of anger and an extremely short fuse.

Lactation difficulties, both quality and quantity.

And the list goes on‚

Regarding the suitability of   Japanese Acupuncture for infants and children, my experience has shown that our medicine can provide an extremely effective adjunct to orthodox medical care, in many cases providing essential relief where orthodox medical applications are hamstrung in their ability to do so without the use of powerful and sometimes unsuitable medication.

I am not saying that acupuncture can replace pharmaceuticals only that in many instances there is huge potential to reduce dosage and dependence.

I believe all questions are most appropriately answered via clinical outcomes.

The ability to walk the talk not just talk the talk is of the utmost importance.

Certainly any modality that can reduce our culture’s dependence upon long-term medication for behavioral problems has to be a positive!

Below is a video of a significant portion of a Japanese Acupuncture Treatment for Post Natal Depression and Spinal Surgery.

Watch Acupuncture for Post-Natal Depression in Educational |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Many thanks to Tatania Rubio who specializes in treatment for pregnancy, childbirth and infant acupuncture, for making her clinic space available for this treatment and some excellent camera work!

I recommended Sarica pursue a consistent and committed daily to thrice weekly treatment regime tonifying Ki.3 – Liv.3- GB.40 plus 7 – 9 cones of Tonetskyu or Rice Grain Moxa on ST.36 for the next 6 months.

Below is an email I recently received from Sarica.

I love her dedication and also the power of Japanesel acupuncture to significantly help folk in her situation.

hi there, alan,
so good to hear from you…you’ve been big on my mind, as i’m deep
with appreciation for your help, care and guidance, so i appreciate
your checking in on me. i’ve been faithful with the self-treatment,
including the moxa, and the biggest thing i’ve noticed is that my
brain and spirit are returning. i’d really been struggling with
fighting negativity, and that has improved tremendously. also, my
energy is more sustained, though i’m not pushing too hard with
exercise–just doing about half of what i think i can, and that keeps
me from feeling shaky and overdrawn afterward. finally, i feel like
i have a lot more control over my frustration and anger–i’m not
owned by it as i was, and that is improving my relations with and for
the kids day by day. honestly, i can’t thank you enough .
how are you? so looking forward to seeing you again–that was too
short! and i do hope to practice with you next time around…
you take care, now!
love,
Sarica

Warning!!! Not every Post Natal Depression patient presents with Liver Yang Deficiency Syndrome in the same way that not every Liver Yang Deficiency Patient presents with Post Natal Depression.

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted more than 40 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at  http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

]]> http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-and-tcm/feed 0 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-infants-new-babies-dolphins-and-the-beach http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-infants-new-babies-dolphins-and-the-beach#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:33:54 +0000 Alan http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/?p=2159 Hi There,

Today’s Japanese Acupuncture post is primarily pictorial.

Images of infant patients, new born prodigy of existing patients, dolphins at play, the beach and the ocean were all captured in the last week.

I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Wishing you prosperity and peace,

Alan

6 day old Laird resting easy whilst mum has a Japanese Acupuncture treatment

Japanese Acupuncture for dad and bub, mum and bub's twin sister also enjoyed treatment for the flu.

We were lucky enough to be given permission to film the Japanese Acupuncture treatment of both of these delightful infants.

The full video of treatment will soon be added to our growing audio-visual library at http://www.worldacupuncture.com

Fishing, the human version

Fishing, the mammal version

Water Qi/Ki as the ocean meets the land

Lot's of Qi/Ki in this image

The first of a lush sequence of a surfing dolphin

Whoa, dolphin hitching a ride on a very nice lil wave

Dolphin, maximum projection n full speed ahead

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted more than 40 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at  http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

She had been suffering from with this potentially dangerous condition since the previous Sunday, unable to keep fluids or solids on board she was becoming increasingly dehydrated in spite of her best efforts to compensate by ingesting extra quantities of these essential elements.

The situation was delicate to say the least, especially in light of her being in the latter stages of her pregnancy and being sleep deprived as a result of her constant diarrhea.

As a long standing patient she had experienced many successful outcomes for a vast variety of health issues in the previous 5 years, as such she had no reservations about the potential of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture to help her to recover.

Upon questioning it became increasingly obvious she was suffering from what we know in Traditional Japanese Acupuncture as Spleen Deficiency Yang Deficiency syndrome.

Using a silver needle with a very light superficial insertion I tonified the Spleen and Pericardium meridians via the points Sp.3 – Pe.7 in addition to tonifying the Stomach meridian via ST.36.

The insertion depth for all these points was no more than 1 mm and there was absolutely  no mechanical stimulation of the needles whatsoever.

This root treatment was followed by insertion of the back shu points Bl.14 – 18 – 23 – 58 and 9 cones of tonifying tonetskyu/rice grain moxibustion was applied to the points Bl.20 and GV.3 (Du.3).

After treatment was performed on my way back from clinic I was served a delicious meal and some fine wine before arriving home at 11pm.

Definitely a long day at the coal face.

Next day Jackie let me know that the diarrhea had completely stopped and she was left with slight nausea only.

I remain astounded regarding the efficacy of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and it is experiences such as the above that continue to inspire me in my efforts to communicate this efficacy to those interested in continuing to refine their practice of acupuncture and assist their patients in an optimum fashion.

All the Best,

Alan

At sensei’s clinic in Imabari, Japan, conversation was at a premium, a direct result of my diabolical Japanese literacy levels.

Ikeda sensei’s teaching was almost exclusively in the doing and my learning was in direct proportion to my awareness.

It was imperative that my focus be on song and I put aside all egocentric tendencies and share the common ground of patient welfare, positive intent and focused awareness.

Observing Ikeda sensei delivered a size 10 energetic boot to my backside, I have absolutely no room for complacency and much room for development.

Development in any ‘hands on’ field does not occur simply by thinking about it.

The level of awareness and willingness to do the hard yards are essential components of our successful development as skilled practitioners, opening the door to the highly refined and therapeutically potent ‘Art’ of Traditional Acupuncture.

No one said it was easy and a real devotion to the refinement of our skills is required for us to deliver increasingly powerful and effective acupuncture treatment.

I was and remain inspired by the impressive willingness of the Japanese students to continually develop and refine their skills through practice.

Their commitment to cellular learning in conjunction with the development of intellectual understanding and acceptance that skill comes from practice seems so balanced, a logical extension of the philosophy upon which this medicine is traditionally based.

I remain in awe of Ikeda sensei’s capacity to molecularly mould to the patient with his left hand, his seriously honed/forged needling and palpation skills, clarity of focus and purpose are inspirational.

As a result I have increased the use of my left hand dramatically through extended abdominal and meridian palpation.

I am also doing my best to ensure that tactile preparation of meridians and points is done with an increased awareness and sensitivity of the potential for energetic change in the patient.

Greater awareness of my left hand and the subsequent information received from and signals sent the patient have become top priority as I seek to implement my learning.

In a subtle, almost osmotic way, some of the powerful sense of serenity and purpose that resonated throughout Ikeda sensei’s clinic has found its way into my molecular fabric.

I trust that my patients feel the difference.

Sincerely,

Alan

PS.

Some lush images of Imabari, Japan follow.

Gambling, Japanese style. You can being able the feeling of my ecstasy. It is beginning an origin of the enchantment that always enchants you. I making also wish me more feeling. Enough reward bounces if the ecstasy thing can be done me.

Night Lights of Imabari

Imagine……

Win, lose or draw they will always love you??? Now can you be won?  There is tomorrow even if fallen. Are not you decisively turning ahead and fighting? I will always be waiting with PAO. It is good though always comes

HARD OFF, BOOK OFF, OFF HOUSE

Rice paddy, just minutes away from Ikeda sensei’s clinic.

More agricultural endeavor.

New Homes and Gardens, Japanese-style.

Emphatic symmetry

Simply awesome.

Tantalizingly textual.

Maximum utilization of arable land.

Manhole cover, every picture tells a story.

Do the right thing….

Some of the first cherry blossoms.

A MacMuffin disappears down the hatch.

Ohyo Gazaimus?

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted in the vicinity of 30 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at http://www.Worldacupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

Here a few more images of my visit to Japan.

I stayed at the  ‘New Osaka Hotel’ just a stones throw from Shin- Osaka station, where I eventually boarded the  ‘Shinkansen’ to Okayama.

A very reasonable rate of US$70 including breakfast was available through ‘Hotel Travel.com‘ and there was an awesome restaurant just up the road.

I am very grateful to  Keiko for taking the time and making the effort to meet me at Kansai airport.

Her assistance in purchasing my rail tickets was absolutely invaluable and helped make  my arrival in Japan a real pleasure.

Hope you enjoy the images, I sure enjoyed taking them.

Lotsa,

Alan

6th Floor please, Keiko to the rescue

Keiko heading off after a late night feast at a local restaurant

Late night reconnaissance at Shin-Osaka station

Yike, my illiteracy comes to the fore!

Phew….

Enough of this reconnaissance stuff, it’s time to hit the sack

Home for the night

Just press the button

Grand Entrance New Osaka Hotel, pretty impressive for the price.

Guess Who?

Almost home

Compact but comfy

Tardus bathroom

Mmmm….having cleansed my posterior as per instructions it was good night and good luck.

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted in the vicinity of 30 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at http://www.Worldacupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

Your post ‚More On Acupuncture, Pregnancy and Childbirth‚ is interesting.

As you may recall, at Serono we were aware that Acupuncture was quite helpful for infertile couples in many cases. It seems to me that the pregnancy array - from not being pregnant all the way to giving birth is really the place for Acupuncture.

Would you say that many women would also benefit from Acupuncture for stress relief plus many other reasons past the birth event?

While raising a newborn, infant, child, and teenager ‚etcetera? Is Acupuncture a missed opportunity for women in general and part of the continuum of care for health and wellness?

Or is that saying too much at this point in time and too simplistic??

Thanks again, Alan!

Talk soon‚ Joel

Thanks heaps for your insightful reply and very relevant questions Joel.

25 years of clinical experience definitely confirms for me that judicious traditional acupuncture can provide huge impetus towards better health in people of all ages.

There are many examples and in some cases video on this blog of positive clinical outcomes for children of all ages and adults of all shapes and sizes.

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/clinical/pre-and-post-natal

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/infant-acupuncture

Your question regarding acupuncture and stress relief for new mothers using Japanese acupuncture is extremely tantalizing, however, I will do my level best to keep the answers relevant and concise.

According to Traditional East Asian medical physiology and philosophy, from conception to birth the child or children require an enormous amount of energy and nourishment from the mother to go from being a twinkle in the eye to a fully mature fetus.

In Traditional East Asian medicine the energetic impetus for this growth is provided by what we call the mothers kidney energyand in some instances, depending upon her constitution, lifestyle and general health this scenario can cause a significant energetic imbalances in new mums.

In Traditional East Asian medical physiology the kidneys provide the energetic basis upon which all metabolic and physiological functions depend.

In addition once the child is born a majority of mothers provide the sole nourishment, keeping production up to speed is the responsibility of spleen/pancreas meridian/organs.

Hence when there is an imbalance as a result of a combination of any of the above factors the affect can be extremely diverse and widespread.

Often appearing to be totally unrelated from an orthodox Western medical perspective, the symptoms are often intimately related when viewed from an Traditional East Asian medical perspective

Keeping in mind that I am doing my level best to keep the answers relevant and concise, I will not extrapolate to the enth degree regarding these functions, suffice to say. that in my experience most mums presenting with post natal health difficulties suffer from a significant imbalance in either or both of these functions, an imbalance reflected by various symptoms .

Including:

Post Natal Depression of varying degrees and severity.

Exhaustion.

Irrational fits of anger and an extremely short fuse.

Lactation difficulties, both quality and quantity.

And the list goes on‚

Regarding the suitability of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture for infants and children, my experience has shown that our medicine can provide an extremely effective adjunct to orthodox medical care, in many cases providing essential relief where orthodox medical applications are hamstrung in their ability to do so without the use of powerful and sometimes unsuitable medication.

I am not saying that acupuncture can replace pharmaceuticals only that in many instances there is huge potential to reduce dosage and dependence.

As always I believe all questions are most appropriately answered via clinical outcomes.

The ability to walk the talk not just talk the talk is of the utmost importance.

Certainly any modality that can reduce our culture’s dependence upon long-term medication for behavioral problems has to be a positive!

Sarica’s Story So Far.

Part.1 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/debilitating-lower-back-dilemmawhat-would-you-suggest-to-this-patient

Part 2. http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/youve-gotta-know-when-to-hold-and-when-to-fold

Part 3. Japanese Acupuncture Treatment for Post Natal Depression and Spinal Surgery.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Many thanks to Tatiana Rubio who specializes in treatment for pregnancy, childbirth and infant acupuncture, for making her clinic space available for this treatment and some excellent camera work!

I recommended Sarica pursue a consistent and committed daily to thrice weekly treatment regime tonifying Ki.3 – Liv.3- GB.40 plus 7 – 9 cones of Tonetskyu or Rice Grain Moxa on ST.36 for the next 6 months.

Below is an email I recently received from Sarica.

I love her dedication and also the power of gentle traditional acupuncture to significantly help folk in her situation.

hi there, alan,
so good to hear from you…you’ve been big on my mind, as i’m deep
with appreciation for your help, care and guidance, so i appreciate
your checking in on me. i’ve been faithful with the self-treatment,
including the moxa, and the biggest thing i’ve noticed is that my
brain and spirit are returning. i’d really been struggling with
fighting negativity, and that has improved tremendously. also, my
energy is more sustained, though i’m not pushing too hard with
exercise–just doing about half of what i think i can, and that keeps
me from feeling shaky and overdrawn afterward. finally, i feel like
i have a lot more control over my frustration and anger–i’m not
owned by it as i was, and that is improving my relations with and for
the kids day by day. honestly, i can’t thank you enough .
how are you? so looking forward to seeing you again–that was too
short! and i do hope to practice with you next time around…
you take care, now!
love,
Sarica

Warning!!! Not every Post Natal Depression patient presents with Liver Yang Deficiency Syndrome in the same way that not every Liver Yang Deficiency Patient presents with Post Natal Depression.

Hope all is good with you.

I have spent much of this week uploading, downloading, editing and rendering video of Adam Gries treatment of Joe who is recovering from a severe spinal cord injury.

Stay tuned for that one, both Adam and Joe are writing accompanying pieces to go with the video.

Debra Bett’s http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/ has asked me a few very relevant questions regarding Traditional Japanese Acupuncture for childbirth and I have done my best to answer her questions.

Hi Alan
Thanks for the positive write up !
Have tried to find the breech moxa but stumbling around on your website – would like to put the list your site and how to get to the breech part on a powerpoint slide – if thats ok with you can you send instructions – I did find the nausea moxabustion – very interesting – will try that with the next stubborn case – I take it that its five rice grain moxa’s per foot – or do you diagnostic criteria for when to use or how many rice grain moxas to use ?
Great to meet you and thanks again for the kind words
Debra

Hello Debra,

It appears that I have led you up the garden path re breech moxa video, having 40 odd published videos I can become a little confused about what is published and what is not.

I believe I do have video of the scarring moxibustion for breech babies but will have to search my video library to find it, my apologies.

However the technique is not dissimilar to that used for nausea and morning sickness except we are using BL.67 instead.

Re Nausea I have found the extra point on the sole of the foot below ST-44 to be quite good, however you will notice that in the following excerpt Ikeda sensei recommends alternative points.

I often use up to 20 cones of moxa on this point but that is just my experience.

Re breech rice grain moxa on BL 67 I believe Ikeda sensei is referring to expediting a relatively normal birth when he mentions 3-5 cones of moxibustion.

In clinic I often use many more cones when the baby is in breech position and the Gynecologist is putting the heat on the mother to have a C-section.

I believe it is important for the mum’s psychological well – being to stimulate the movement of the baby ASAP .

Takes a lot of the pressure off, indeed with Megan this was the case especially since she was carrying a big baby weighing in at 10lb 8 oz.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Here is an excerpt from Ikeda sensei’s brilliant book

THE PRACTICE OF JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION

Classic Principles in Action

IKEDA MASAKAZU

Translated by

EDWARD OBAIDEY

EASTLAND PRESS • SEATTLE

Treatment

It is said that scarring moxibustion at M-LE-1 (ura nai te/li nèi ting) is good for morning sickness, but I have not found it to be particularly useful. I have found that it more effective to treat hard points located just lateral to BL-58 until they soften.

I also personally do not treat points on the upper body if there is nausea, as I believe that these disperse the yang qi, which is a very precious commodity for pregnant women.

However, Fukaya, the master of moxibustion, recommended scarring moxibustion at GV- 11, GV-10, CV-18, and CV-17.

As a preventive measure against miscarriage, salt moxibustion is recommended at CV-8.

This is done by burning moxa cones on a bed of salt that has been packed into the navel until the patient feels the warmth. The treatment can be done either before conception or during the pregnancy.

Edema during pregnancy can be treated by scarring moxibustion at SP-6; however, I find that KI-8 is more effective.

Colds during pregnancy are treated as a pattern of Lung deficiency/yang deficiency/heat.

After the root treatment, contact needling should be administered on the upper back and shoulders.

At the same time, tonifying LU-5 and shunting LI-4 will also deal with the stiff shoulders that develop secondary to a cold during pregnancy.

Applying scarring moxibustion at SP-6 is a well-known technique for nourishing the fetus and encouraging the health of the mother.

To my knowledge, the first person to present this publicly in modern times was Ishino Shinyasu, a doctor who published an article on this subject in the Journal of the Japanese Oriental Medical Society in 1960.

It was also mentioned in Edo period texts.

The technique should begin in the third month of pregnancy. If the mother feels good during the treatment, 30 to 50 moxa cones can be safely burned. However, if the point location is incorrect, the treatment can feel very hot to the mother. This is a sign to stop and relocate the point again.

This is true for moxibustion in general during pregnancy.

Scarring moxibustion at SP-6 is also effective for lower back pain, constipation and hemorrhoids during pregnancy.

If the hemorrhoids do not respond to the treatment, then administer scarring moxibustion on LU-6 instead;

If the constipation does not respond to the treatment, then administer scarring moxibustion on SI-4 instead. The pattern that is commonly seen in cases of lower back pain is Liver deficiency/yin deficiency/heat. In

addition to the root treatment, contact needling and heat perception moxibustion over the

local area, plus needling to BL-58 and BL-59, should be performed.

During pregnancy, I do not retain needles in the lower back.

If the birth looks as if it is going to be delayed, I usually recommend that the mother take leisurely walks, as this helps the fetus to descend and encourages a safe birth.

If this ineffective, the fetus is either in a breach position or this is the mother’s first baby, both of which can result in a difficult birth.

Scarring moxibustion using three to five moxa cones at BL-67 should be administered to facilitate the birth.

I hope this post helps with some of the treatment issues regarding acupuncture and moxibustion during pregnancy and childbirth.

Have a good one,

Alan

Greetings and salutations on what is a cold, windy day on the Gold Coast.

The surf is not quite good enough to entice this body out there today.

Having had 2 sessions totalling 3 1/2 hrs yesterday and being rather stiff and sore I have decided to pull the pin on todays session.

Today’s post includes an extremely generous offer from Joel Fellman of http://www.altmd.com/ for readers and subscribers of this blog.

PLUS

I was reading Debra Bett’s book, ‘Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth‘. and I came across this pertinent and very topical¬† excerpt from the preface.

My initial introduction to the use of acupuncture in pregnancy was a personal one, finding myself pregnant during the final year of my acupuncture studies.

At the time I found very little information apart from the standard treatments for morning sickness, the use of moxa to turn breech babies and some studies on using ear acupuncture for pain relief during birth.

Several pregnancies later, and after more than fifteen years of clinical practice specializing in pregnancy care, including implementing acupuncture courses specifically designed for midwives, my intention now is to offer the practical information I was then seeking.

Acupuncture is an ideal form of treatment as it offers women drug-free relief for a multitude of problems that can arise during pregnancy and childbirth. Its use for conditions often regarded as part of a normal pregnancy for example morning sickness, sciatica and symphysis pubis pain can not only improve a woman’s quality of life but also prevent them from becoming serious enough to necessitate medical treatment.

Prebirth acupuncture can enhance the prospects of an efficient labour, and the teaching of acupressure to a woman’s partner or support people can make a great difference to the levels of pain experienced during labour.

During labour, acupuncture can play a role in actively reducing the level of medical interventions such as inductions, forceps deliveries and caesarean sections. Midwives have found that acupuncture can provide effective treatment for disorders such as pregnancy-induced hypertension and posterior presentation (prior to and during labour), and can help induce labour, allowing women to achieve natural childbirth.

Throughout this text I have assumed that non-medical acupuncturists will be working alongside the woman’s caregivers whether her midwife, doctor or specialist. This is imperative to offer women safe and effective care.

To order this excellent publication just click on this link.

http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Book-order.aspx

Hot off the press.

http://www.altmd.com/ is a great health and wellness site with tons of information about Acupuncture http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Search/Acupuncture and over 100 other wellness specialties and over 400 common health conditions.

Joel Fellman of the above site has made a very generous offer to US. readers and subscribers of  worldacupuncture.com

If you have any friends (very optimistic) in Acupuncture in the US, I would be pleased to give them an upgraded Premium Level Listing on altMD as a professional courtesy – with both our compliments.

To avail yourself of this outstanding opportunity to claim your complimentary listing and get in on the ground floor of this comprehensive directory you can contact Joel at joel@altmd.com.

Joel has also informed me that  http://www.altmd.com/ is going global and will be available to the rest of us in the not to distant future.

I found Joe extremely personable and highly recommend this directory if you are looking to build your public profile.

Hope all is well in your world,

Alan

Hope all is well in your world.

Most definitely busy in mine.

Firstly the¬† Romi and Megan stories, as 2 full term mums put the heat on acupuncture to induce the delivery their babies ‘NOW !’

Secondly the ‘Debra Betts Pregnancy and Childbirth Workshop‘ held in Brisbane over the weekend and a couple of images from down the coast last weekend.

Next Saturday afternoon 2nd August 2-5pm will be the 3rd in a series of workshops that I am presenting on the ‘Clinical Application of Japanese Acupuncture’ as part of my mentoring program.

The Romi Story in Brief.

2 weeks of acupuncture, in this case 4 treatments and Romi and Trent are now the proud parents of twin daughter’s, weighing in @ 6lb. 12 ozs ea. the 3 girls did it ‘Naturally’ in 7 hours, No drugs.

Phew…..sometimes?

Full Warrior Status for Romi!

( An Extra13lbs.10ozs in that Tummy )

A few days earlier and Megan rang me from the labor ward advising me that she was cancelling her appointment due to the imminent birth of her daughter, Sophie weighed in at a whopping 10lb. 8 ozs.!!!

This interview was recorded 2 days after Megan’s 1st treatment ( Moxa needle SP6 and rice grain moxibustion BL67, for 2nd Treatment I added BL32,33,34 with deeper needling ).

A couple of days later Sophie was born.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

No wonder Megan was cracking the whip during the treatments.

Mega congratulations to 2 very powerful and strong willed mothers.

Ewes are Awesome!

On the weekend Debra Betts presented a lucid and very important workshop on Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Whilst focusing on Acupuncture, Debra managed to convey much of her vast experience as a mid wife and acupuncturist to a captive audience.

Make no mistake, this was an important workshop if you come anywhere near expectant mothers.

Debra’s immense knowledge and experience were obvious and the concise, matter of fact way in which she communicated with us only enhanced the presentation.

Her clinical insights garnered over so many years of practice were gold and I am positive that all who attended left feeling ‘armed and dangerous’.

Thanks Debra,  for the inspiration and a very rewarding and illuminating weekend.

All the best for Sydney and Melbourne.

To get more info just click on this link

http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Seminar-Future.aspx

Thanks must also go to John Deare, eminent practitioner of Acupuncture and burgeoning entrepreneur, for putting the yolk around his broad shoulders and hosting such a well organised and smoothly run event.

Some great resources are available on Debra’s site

Including educational brochures for patients and reams of valuable content. Highly recommended

http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Default.aspx

Debra Explains the Meaning of Supportive Care during Pregnancy.

We Had A Good Weekend.

Hamish Seeks Consolation Following the All Blacks(New Zealand) loss to The Wallabies(Aust) in the Rugby.

The Brains Behind The Brawn.

Pleasant Decor…..

Meanwhile not 200 meteres away………………..

Obscured by Cloud, Northern NSW.

In Clinic last week,

Efrat, my trusty assistant;

Ruby, self treating infant patient.

Grandma, simply the ‘catch of the season’ when she snatched Ruby mid air, only inches from crashing to the floor after she toppled off the table whilst attempting to catch a balloon.

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