How did this come to pass?

In my practice of Japanese acupuncture I am invariably accompanied by a student/assistant during treatment.

There are three good reasons.

1. Most important being that the patient benefits from the students/assistants focus and intention.

2. The student/assistant has a wonderful opportunity to observe an experienced practitioner in action, learn the medicine in a clinical setting and most importantly witness the clinical outcomes.

3. As a senior practitioner it gives me a wonderful opportunity to pass on some of the invaluable clinical experience accumulated over more than 25 years of practice.

Sylvia, my Chilean student/assistant and now practitioner has worked in my clinic a lot over the past 3 years and as a result of a visit to her family in Santiago she found herself in a position to help some victims of the devastating Chilean earthquake earlier this year.

Following is the how, why and when she was able to do so, hope you enjoy!

To start I wish you a warm welcome  from Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast, Australia.

Sunset and Play at Rainbow Bay, Australia

Sunset, Rainbow Bay, Australia

More Play at Rainbow Bay

I have one ear on the US Masters golf championship that is currently coming to life on my television.

I cannot help but marvel at the incredible skill of these competitors.

Having played a lot of golf in my life I can truly appreciate the incredibly refined skill that these talented athletes have at their disposal.

Skills that are continually honed by much focused practice and competition in elite tournaments of which the US Masters along with the British Open rank supreme.

The mental acumen and emotional balance required to compete successfully at this level must be extraordinary.

In Japanese acupuncture we pride ourselves on continually developing and refining our clinical skills whilst expanding our understanding of the diagnostic protocols that have proven to be clinically effective for over 3000 years.

‘Perhaps practicing refined Japanese acupuncture can be likened to playing professional golf, in that the more focused the practice, the more often the practice, the more specific the treatment, the more relaxed the practitioner and patient, the more likely a successful clinical outcome.’

This is very different to bunging in a needle with gay abandon and little understanding of the incredibly intricate energetic network into which we are plugging, the human being!

Sylvia’s story about her work with victims of the Chilean earthquake is especially uplifting for me and confirms a strongly held belief that teaching can go hand-in-hand with clinical practice not only to the benefit of those present during treatment but as students/assistants create their own practices they have a significant head start in their understanding and application of Japanese Acupuncture to the ultimate benefit of the patients.

Here is Sylvia’s story:

Dear Alan,

It was so good too see you this Tuesday, I love going to Clinic!!

Well as you know I went to Chile this last December, unfortunately or fortunately depending on one’s perspective I had to live the big experience of a huge Earthquake!

The massive amount of energy coming out of the earth moved our lives into introspective questions of what really matters in this life.

3 days after the earthquake, having had huge repercussions (after shocks) every single day, my good friend of Maria Cecilia Huerta and I have the fantastic idea to help people with FREE JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE!!!

Cecilia found a location down in the Gym area of her building, so we set up one massage table and 3 mattresses on the ground.

Everything was looking great but we were in need of patients.

Thanks to the lovely public relations of my friend Cecilia we treated 15 people a day for 3 days.

The majority of the treatments where to do with sleeping disorders, feeling extremely scared, panic attacks, muscle aches, headaches and stomach disorders.

My colleagues will be happy to learn that I was assisted by my young cousin in much the same manner as we help Alan in Clinic.

Everyone loved their Japanese Acupuncture treatment and to a man, woman and child said they felt so much better.

I used lots of Tonetskyu (rice grain moxa) for people with sleeping disorders and in the majority of cases we did both front and back treatments.

Root treatments changed depending upon the patient’s primary deficiency and related excess/es, lots of Liver def. and excess in the Pericardium and Stomach meridians.

The main thing is that all the people we treated with Japanese Acupuncture loved it!!!

I’m so happy that I could help with my small knowledge and I know that will grow with the years beside Alan in clinic.

Thanks Alan for being the medium as I prayed for your presence to be with me through those days, also big thanks to these beautiful studies from the classics.

My experience in Santiago in February this year proved to me and the recipients that Japanese Acupuncture is not only magic, there is logic behind the medicine and thousands of years of clinic experience to help us became better practitioners.

Thanks for your time, to hear this story, and I hope that everyone is smiling!!!
Lots of love,

Sylvia

Alan Jansson, Sylvia Flores Larrain and Adam McIntosh

Sylvia’s story is yet another reason why I love what I do with a passion!

All the Best,

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

Robyn has been dependent upon nausea medication for some time, so I was delighted to find out that she had been able to go some days without medication and experience no nausea at all.

The pitting edema that had been present in Robyn’s lower legs was still greatly improved and she was able to have a big weekend with her children and grandchildren, some of whom had returned from overseas to spend time with her.

This successful clinical outcome encouraged me to continue with a Spleen root treatment with some minor variations.

Although she was tired upon my arrival as a result of extending herself, Robyn was delighted to be feeling much better, relatively pain free, more energetic, pretty well nausea free, able to spend some quality time with her loved ones and laugh.

The ascites that Robyn self drains has contributed to a prolapsed bowel and she was subsequently experiencing great difficulty in passing a motion.

She is taking medication to minimal positive effect.

Treatment:

Root Rx :

Tonify Pe.7 – Sp.3, Shunt St.44 – Liv.3 – GB.34

Back Shu Points.

Bl13 – 17 – 18 – 20 – 23 – 40 – 57

Follow up treatment 4 days later:

Ascites increasing, regulated by self draining, nausea ebbing and flowing but still improved, bowels working relative to the level of ascites.

Pulse: strident

Rx:

Tonify: Pe.7 – Sp.3 – Ki.2 – 7

Shunt: Pe4 -  St.44 – Liv.3 – GB.41

Back Shu Points.

Bl13 – 17 – 18 – 20 – 23 – 40 – 57

Next treatment is this morning, last treatment it was patently obvious that Robyn’s Kidney complex was under extreme pressure.

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

Robyn

A grandmother in her late 60s who has been sadly diagnosed as suffering from stage 4 ovarian cancer.

The symptoms include extreme ascites that necessitates regular drainage, overwhelming lethargy and as a result of chemotherapy, diabolical nausea, body aches, poor appetite and over the last few days the significant increase in pitting edema of the lower legs.

Her daughter’s best friend and client of mine strongly recommended treatment in an effort to relieve some of the debilitating symptoms as a result of her declining health.

Neither Robyn, her family nor friends are any illusion regarding the serious nature of the condition, she has been diagnosed as suffering terminal illness and has only been given months to live.

My role as a practitioner is primarily to relieve the overwhelming nausea and help make what remains of her life as comfortable as possible.

Since Robyn is unable to attend clinic, home treatments are necessary.

1st treatment.

Due to the nature of her discomfort it was impossible to treat her laying face down, as a result treatment was confined to the anterior aspect of her body.

As an aside Robyn also suffered from breast cancer some five years ago resulting in a mastectomy and chemotherapy, she has also had extensive abdominal surgery and has a tube inserted in her abdominal cavity to help drain the fluid from the abdominal cavity to relieve her extreme ascites.

Palliative care in my opinion involves one goal and one goal only, to help make the patient as comfortable as possible.

The extreme of nausea is the most debilitating of the symptoms she is experiencing.

Treatment.

Whilst not abandoning the principles of Meridian therapy/Japanese acupuncture, my clinical experience dictated that I use my accrued knowledge of point function to expedite a positive clinical outcome as quickly and comfortably as possible.

My goal was to achieve a positive clinical outcome in a totally painless manner, as such I retained .14mm needles in an extremely judicious manner.

Her pulse was floating and full especially in the liver, heart and stomach positions.

Following are the points that I used in this initial treatment.

All needles were left in place as in an orthodox TCM treatment.

Ki. 2 to control the heat affecting her heart.

SP.6 to build the yin qi to counteract the enormous amount of heat generated by chemotherapy

Liv.8 to relieve the stagnation in her abdomen.

ST. 43 and LI.10 to relieve the heat accumulating in the Yang Ming meridians resulting in body aches, lethargy and debilitating nausea.

CV.4 – ST.25 – CV.12 to assist the transformation and transportation of nutrients.

Liv.14 front mu point of the liver and extremely reactive touch, I use this point to work in conjunction with Liv.8 to relieve some of the stagnation and discomfort in the liver.

Pe.6 a specific point to relieve the nausea and calm the shen.

Yintang was used also as a calming agent.

Treatment outcome.

Within 12 hours Robyn experienced a big improvement in her general well-being and the nausea was significantly relieved.

Her appetite improved to a level that inspired her to eat her first solid meals in a long time.

In her own words she felt the best she had felt in months.

To quote Robyn’s daughter’s message to me the following day.

“Oh Alan, she ate some dinner last night and breakfast this morning.

We are so very grateful, mom said that the nausea is not overwhelming her, which is great!”

For mine this is a satisfactory clinical outcome regardless of the means used to achieve it.

Treatment will be ongoing, more than likely twice-weekly.

I will continue to refine treatment in an effort to achieve positive clinical outcomes with a more specific diagnostic and treatment protocols.

2^nd treatment.

As stated her overall condition, nausea and appetite had improved significantly, however there was a significant increase in pitting edema of the lower legs.

KI. 8 specifically for the pitting edema around the ankles

St.44 more specific me to relieve that the accumulating in the Yang Ming meridians since the body aches had improved significantly.

CV.4 -  ST.25 – CV.12 to assist the transformation and transportation of nutrients.

Liv.3 -14 to relieve the stagnation in her abdomen.

Ki. 2 to control the heat affecting her heart

Pe.6 a specific point to relieve the nausea and calm the shen.

Yintang was used also as a calming agent

I am continually inspired by the courage and fortitude of many of my patients, especially in this instance.

Robyns positive attitude and concern for others sets the behavioral bar very high, whilst the situation is ominously similar to that of my late wife’s some 20 years ago and definitely has the potential to rattle the bars of my cage, Robyn demonstrates many of the finest qualities of being human, making my situation so much more tenable.

3^rd Treatment

Robyn’s condition had stabilized, the nausea remained but at a subdued level.

Her pulse had also settled down demonstrably.

As a result of the amelioration of the symptoms I decided to revert to a more classical/Meridian therapy approach to treatment and for the first time I administered back shoe points in conjunction with a specific root treatment.

As a result of albumen supplementation and acupuncture treatment the pitting edema had also subsided.

Also after consultation with her oncologist and family members it was decided she would seek no further orthodox medical treatment or chemotherapy.

Treatment

Spleen root treatment Tonify Pe.7 – Sp.3, shunt St. 44 – Liv.3 –GB.34

Back Shu points Bl.13-17-18-20-23-40-58

I will be making another home visit this morning on my way to clinic and I am hoping further improvement as a result of being more specific in my approach.

Experience tells me that there is often a significant change in condition of the patient who has undergone chemotherapy after the first treatment but there is a tendency to plateau with incremental improvement after subsequent treatments.

I trust his blog post will be of  some benefit to both you and your patients should you have the opportunity to administer palliative care.

All the best,

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

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-v-dry-needling http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-v-dry-needling#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:03:02 +0000 Alan http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/?p=1873 I write this post on this significantly wet winter morning, the ocean
continues to rage with wind torn waves and whitewater exploding randomly, relentlessly pounding the foreshore.

This week I presented two very different workshops, one for the
physiotherapists with whom I work in Brisbane, the other for a select
group of students.

The first  workshop, for the physiotherapists presented a unique challenge.

How to best communicate to my physiotherapy colleagues the unique and
skill-based nature of  Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, whilst not
arousing the ire of my Acupuncture colleagues for giving away the
so-called secrets of the practice of Traditional Acupuncture ?

The situation here in Australia regarding physiotherapists and the
practice of Acupuncture is ambiguous to say the least.

The popularization of dry needling amongst a variety of modalities,
especially physiotherapy in recent years is perceived by many
acupuncturists as a direct threat to our profession.

I believe that the profession’s inability or unwillingness to stand
up and be counted in the public eye as a beneficial and legitimate
healing modality has left the door wide open for every man and his dog
to lay claim to the practice of Acupuncture merely because they have a
needle in hand.

In Australia the general public has precious little knowledge
regarding the clinical efficacy and flexibility of Traditional
Acupuncture.

A majority believing that Acupuncture might be effective in some cases
for the relief of musculoskeletal pain, headaches or perhaps a less
invasive way of inducing childbirth.

The full potential of Traditional Acupuncture is not so easily
recognized within our profession let alone by practitioners of Allied
modalities and the general public.

For over 20 years my ever evolving version of Traditional Acupuncture
(including Moxibustion) has been my sole form of treatment in clinic.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion on the efficacy of
other allied healing modalities such as herbal medicine, chiropractic,
osteopathy, physiotherapy, vitamin and mineral supplementation,
massage, homeopathy etc, etc.

This singularity of clinical approach has much to do with my affinity
with the underlying philosophy and tactile inclination of Traditional
Acupuncture.

The depth of clinical expertise and knowledge available to me as a
practitioner of this extraordinary healing art/science is virtually
inexhaustible; I doubt there will ever come a time where I will feel I
have completed my studies or fully evolved as a practitioner.

The accumulated sensory information gleaned through a truly tactile approach to Acupuncture can be formidable; imperative to our growth as practitioners is the framework within which we place this information.

For instance, a physiotherapist whilst fundamentally using the same diagnostic instrument as practitioners of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture will translate the information received through their fingers in an entirely different manner to the Traditional Acupuncturist; as such any diagnostic conclusions they come to and all therapeutic action that they might take will be interpreted in an entirely different manner to that of a practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy/Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

A practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture will naturally interpret this information based on their knowledge of meridian
pathways and the intricate energetic interactions between each of the
pathways, their associated organ and the interdependence between each
of these meridian/organ complexes.

This will obviously be a very different clinical picture to the one
that a physiotherapist might find.

A vast philosophical and therapeutic chasm exists between physiotherapy and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, a chasm that is bridged in some way by our mutual reliance upon tactile sensitivity.

The diagnostic and therapeutic approaches used by Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and dry needling are very, very different.

‘One is exclusively musculoskeletal in approach and mechanical in execution, the other, combines both musculoskeletal and energetic
perceptions and is primarily energetic in its execution.’

Both can achieve beneficial clinical outcomes.

Traditional Acupuncture, especially Traditional Japanese Acupuncture
has far more diverse therapeutic and diagnostic applications than purely muscular skeletal.

It is up to our profession to demonstrate and educate our colleagues in Allied modalities, the general public and indeed our fellow Acupuncturists regarding the clinical efficacy of meridian based Traditional Acupuncture.

I attempted to do this with some degree of success last week.

This one hour practically based presentation was all about demonstrating the clinical efficacy and diverse therapeutic skills of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture to my physiotherapy colleagues not about what they should or should not do!

Three courageous physiotherapists volunteered for treatment, none
suffering from any specific problem, all highly stressed!

Watched by several intrigued colleagues, each of my three volunteers
were treated differently as demanded by their individuality and I did
my best to explain the difference between the treatments.

This short video will show some of the needling skills employed during a Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment,

None of the volunteers experienced any pain or discomfort.
All attested to the efficacy and strength of treatment and how relaxed and revitalized they felt after their short 20 to 30 minute treatments.

The Acupuncture profession in Australia will go nowhere fighting physiotherapists about the validity of dry needling.

There is a vast difference between the therapeutic application of acupuncture needles in dry needling and meridian based Traditional
Acupuncture.

A very thick gauge needle versus an extremely thin gauge needle in
conjunction with a very mechanical application versus energetic
application of very fine needles are but two examples of the polar opposites from which these two modalities operate using similar instruments.

Although philosophically and theoretically more aligned with Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, practitioners of  the point-based practice of TCM Acupuncture with its dependence upon thicker gauge needles and their mechanical stimulation might have a much tougher time convincing other modalities that there are major discrepancies in the therapeutic application of Acupuncture and dry needling.

All the Best, 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 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

This short video may help you to navigate your way through the 21st Century with less anxiety and stress.

I have posted this video mainly for the benefit of my patients but I hope that all readers might benefit.

This extremely simple breathing technique was taught to me some years ago by Qi Gong master Dr. Bisong Guo to whom I remain extremely grateful.

Practicing  this breathing technique will definitely help you to navigate through the craziness leading up to Christmas.

All the best,

Alan

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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 WorldAcupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: WorldAcupuncture.com

I hope you and yours are enjoying good health and soaking up some of our new found spring warmth.

Have you or do you know someone who has been suffering with or struggling to recover from a bout of the flu?

If Traditional Japanese Acupuncture is effective for elite athletes under immense physical, mental and emotional pressure then it stands to reason that there could be significant benefit available for us mere mortals.

We are well into spring 2008 and it appears that life has not slowed down at all.

The rate of change, the extraordinary amount of information and seemingly endless possibilities available to us, the climate, the extreme events on the economic front, sporting heroes/ antiheroes, footy finals, babies popping up everywhere, it is all happening!

If we have insufficient energy/inspiration to maintain the cracking pace of life in the 21st century, instead of being pleasurable, life can become stressful and tiring, more of a struggle than an adventure, resulting in a subtle/not so subtle decline in our health and well-being.

Recharging our batteries through Traditional Japanese Acupuncture can optimize our ability to enjoy life to its fullest!

Last Tuesday I finally managed to get myself from ‘Behind the Clinic Curtain’ to the other side, receiving an extremely rejuvenating Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment from my talented colleague and former number one clinical assistant, Efrat Sudai.

‘My sore and tender throat, dull nagging sinus pain, aching and lethargic body, upset tummy were greatly improved after one 45 minute session of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.’

The change in how I felt as a result of this treatment was nothing short of extraordinary and had me singing the praises of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and the skill of Efrat with renewed vigor.

A big thank you to Efrat for her timely assistance in restoring my health and well-being, in the process reinforcing my awareness and understanding of the power of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture from the other side of the clinic curtain!

I am extremely grateful to have a practitioner of Efrat’s skill and expertise available for treatment and have already booked in for my next session!

During my 25 years in practice I have witnessed 100’s of positive treatment outcomes for patients suffering from low immunity, repeated doses of colds and flu with the subsequent lingering performance affecting afflictions, including sinus, cough, lethargy, achiness, headaches, general malaise or a feeling of ‘unwellness’ that settles upon us like a cloud, drastically affecting our sense of well – being and enjoyment of life.

Former Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski, former Brisbane Lions AFL star Alastair Lynch, newly appointed coach and former premiership captain of the Brisbane Lions, Michael Voss, current Brisbane Lions stars including Jonathan Brown,  Daniel Merrett and Daniel Bradshaw, AFL veteran and Brownlow medalist Jason Akermanis and Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden have all used Traditional Japanese Acupuncture to maintain or recover their health and well-being, re-charge their batteries, improve their performance and lengthen their careers.

If Traditional Japanese Acupuncture is effective for elite athletes under immense physical, mental and emotional pressure then it stands to reason that there could be significant benefit available for us mere mortals.

Using the underlying treatment rationale of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture a skilled practitioner can work with the Wei Qi (defensive energy/immune system) and Gu Qi (ingestion, assimilation, nourishment and conversion to nutritive energy), influencing the energetic core of our bodies known in an extremely beneficial way.

After commencing regular Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment, Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski went from suffering repeated viral and bacterial infections that were threatening his ability to compete at the 2000 Olympic Games and compromising his swimming career to enjoying robust good health and a blemish free record not suffering one incident of flu or viral infection during the final three years of his career.

To view the video of a short interview with Daniel just click on this  image.

We all have our own personal Olympics on a daily basis, so much to do in so little time and the constant effort of maintaining this cracking pace is definitely taking a toll on the overall health and well-being of many of us in the 21st century.

Practitioners of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture are trained to harmonize and balance the bodies’ energy with the aim of reinforcing improved health.

This gentle and refined style of acupuncture is not only effective in treating pain and discomfort; it can be an enormously powerful treatment for stress relief and strengthening our immune systems.

Many patients have reported a sense of rejuvenation, increased vitality, improved cold and flu resistance, enhanced sleep and better digestion as a result of treatment.

As astute practitioners of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture your improved health and well-being is our number one treatment priority!

A VERY SPECIAL WELCOME TO EFRAT SUDAI

www.efratsudai.com

After 10 years of traveling to Brisbane to avoid a debilitating overdose of the Coolangatta to Brisbane peak hour commute, I have revised my schedule and invited Efrat Sudai to practice from my rooms at the Queensland Sports Medicine Centre on Tuesday mornings.

Efrat has been an outstanding student of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture since the beginning of the century.

After several years of study, intensive on the job training and clinical practice, she has evolved into a fully accredited, extremely talented and highly skilled practitioner.

Allowing Efrat to treat me is extreme testimony to her skill and proficiency, I am massively particular about who practices Acupuncture on me!

Specializing in Pre-and Post Natal Care, Pediatric Acupuncture, Natural Fertility and IVF patient support programs, Efrat is totally committed to the health and well being of her clients.

Her recruitment is a wonderful plus for the center, as yet another talented practitioner joins the awesome team at the Queensland Sports Medicine Center.

This change will mean increased longevity in practice for me, extended appointment times and more treatment options for you.

I will continue to be available for treatment Tuesday afternoons, all day Thursdays and Saturday mornings.

Efrat will be available for treatment Tuesday mornings from 8:30 a.m.

Click on this image to the view the video of a complete Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment for severe flu symptoms that I performed on Efrat a few weeks ago.

How sweet it is that Efrat was able to return the favor as  described above.

Sunday night and as darkness falls, lightning is cracking and thunder rolling as an early spring storm rolls in.

Thanks for reading,

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 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 WorldAcupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: 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.

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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.

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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