Shiatsu works exceptionally well with animals,

particularly dogs, horses, and cats.

I have an affinity with animals and have worked quite often with dogs, with very good results.

In addition, I kept a much missed cat friend alive to age 22 with Shiatsu…..seriously!

I have recently worked with several Great Danes (wonderful creatures with, sadly a relatively short life span).  This came about through my being introduced to Jimmy Wood, a Great, feisty,  wee Scotsman, who heads up an organization called “Danes in Distress” see:Danes in Distress

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This clip I found on YouTube, gives a good sense of how dogs respond to Shiatsu

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Shiatsu’s Strokes Of Success At Derby – University of Derby.

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Links to Shiatsu Internationally:

Shin So Shiatsu International

Shiatsu Therapy and Japanese Shiatsu Sourcepoint Vancouver, B.C.

EAST-WEST College: Australia’s oldest Shiatsu and Massage school

The Shiatsu Therapy Association of Australia

Japanese Acupuncture and shiatsu

The Shiatsu Society U.K.

European Shiatsu Federation

American Organization for Body Therapies of Asia

Zen Shiatsu Society

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The major focus of Shiatsu is on improving health by restoring internal balance, rather than focusing on the symptoms of disease alone.

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Shiatsu Therapy is known to be effective in treatment of the following specific health issues:

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• Back pain & postural issues

• Whiplash injuries & neck stiffness

• Headaches & migraines

• Stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue

• Sports & work related injuries, (chronic and acute):

• R.S.I., carpal tunnel syndrome, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow…

• Arthritis, joint pain & reduced mobility, fibromyalgia…

• Women’s health issues:

• PMS, endometriosis / fibroids, menopause

• Digestive problems

• Neurological  issues:

• tri geminal and other neuralgia,

• multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease

• Respiratory complaints:

• asthma, bronchitis, aids recovery from colds and flu

• Detoxification & overcoming addiction

……and much more besides

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Posted in ...Is Shiatsu the Ultimate...? ]]> http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/03/27/shiatsu-is-effective-treatment-for/feed/ 0 robingrantshiatsu shi-atsu-japanese-characters1 14-masunagachart_caption_3 http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/03/10/shiatsu-at-work-power-pause/ http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/03/10/shiatsu-at-work-power-pause/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:46:35 +0000 Robin Grant http://whyshiatsu.com/?p=887 ]]> •

Shiatsu Therapy in the Corporate World

Stress Management Programs for Stressed Managers.

“Shiatsu Therapy for Corporate bodies”

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Posted in Shiatsu at Work... ]]> http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/03/10/shiatsu-at-work-power-pause/feed/ 0 robingrantshiatsu power-pause-header1 http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/02/28/reflexology/ http://whyshiatsu.com/2009/02/28/reflexology/#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:43:33 +0000 Robin Grant http://robingrantshiatsu.wordpress.com/?p=40 ]]>

Reflexology, like Shiatsu, works on the understanding that all parts connect to the whole.

Reflexology: The practice of manipulating points on the hands or feet to balance energy flow around the body, stimulating the body’s natural healing process. The points on the hands and feet are called reflexes and each reflex corresponds to a different part of the body, such as a gland, organ or other body part. When manipulated, the reflexes can trigger physical reactions in the corresponding body parts.

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“Sole Survival’”

50 minutes  ~  Focused on the Feet ~ Bliss!

“Head, Hands & Feet”

75 minutes   ~  A Head to Toes Treat.

Philosophy behind Oriental Medicine

The philosophy underlying most forms of Shiatsu comes from Taoism.

The Western viewpoint is that things, if left to their own devices, will get more chaotic. Taoism explores the way in which some systems naturally start to re-balance themselves when they move away from equilibrium.

The Western viewpoint is largely true for simple non-living systems, but living organisms are good at adjusting themselves, and therefore are better described by Taoist philosophy.

Western medicine focuses on intervention to push an organism back into balance. In contrast, Oriental medicine believes that by helping the organism to activate its capacity for self-balancing, the body will naturally find equilibrium. From this viewpoint, problems occur when the natural process is not working and so you are stuck in the imbalanced state.

‘Treatment’ in Oriental Medicine is therefore treatment of the body’s self-balancing systems, which the Japanese call Ki (in Chinese it is called Chi). The closest analogy in Western terms would be if doctors had a way of boosting the immune system instead of giving antibiotics. Shiatsu and other Oriental therapies focus on getting these Ki systems moving when they are stuck and boosting them when they are weak. Then the natural process of re-adjustment will start to work again.

So it is possible that Shiatsu treatment may slightly increase the symptoms in the short-term, going further into the condition, until the body has satisfied or exhausted this way of behaving and can start to transform of its own accord. The effect of this ‘natural transformation’ is believed to be more permanent than ‘transformation through intervention’ because the problem has completed it’s journey and is not just pushed under the carpet, waiting to reappear.

To be fair, most Western doctors believe the same thing. They are often reluctant to give antibiotics to children because they know that if they leave the child to get better naturally, it will strengthen the immune system and the child will be less likely to get that illness again.Returning the favour, Shiatsu therapists recognize the value of intervention if the organism has gone too far out of balance to adjust itself. They are trained to recognize when Western medicine may be more suitable and advise the client to seek medical help. In this case Shiatsu can be useful as an aid to the recovery process once the necessary intervention has been made.

Source:Why have Shiatsu?

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What are Yin and Yang?

Oriental medicine is based on the philosophy of Yin and Yang which is a way of understanding how the universe works and it is also a way of thinking.  It is cyclical, complementary and opposite; there are no absolutes, everything is part of the whole, objects and phenomena are seen in relation to the universe and to each other.

The original meaning of Yang was ‘the sunny side of the valley’; Yin was ‘the shady side of the valley’.  Yin therefore was associated with darkness, coldness, resting, and quietness. Yang was the opposite: light, heat, activity and movement.

Of course, everything changes, and so – the shady becomes sunny, and vice versa.

By the further association of Yang with Heaven, and Yin with the Earth, a whole series of qualities were assigned to each category. Yin and Yang mutually create each other; there can be no concept of hot without an idea of what cold is, there is no down without a concept of up, etc.

Calligraphy by Chungliang Al Huang

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What are the Five Elements or Phases?

The Five Elements or Phases represent a further classification of Yin and Yang into different forms of Ki, described by the qualities of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. These Elements are descriptions of Ki in different stages and processes of change.  Fire is the ultimate Yang; Metal is more solid, more structured, colder; Water is to do with fluidity and flexibility, it is cold and is the ultimate Yin; Wood is more active, creative. The cycle of the Five Elements shows how each element is constantly being transformed from one into another throughout the natural world. Water creates Wood, Wood creates Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth creates Metal and Metal creates Water. The names of the elements are convenient labels, or images to help us understand their function, but their meaning goes far beyond the label. In humans, for example, Wood energy is responsible for growth, decision-making and creativity, but if it is allowed to get out of balance it can lead to impatience, frustration and anger. Metal represents clarity, precision and incisiveness, but if unchecked it can lead to depression and grief. The five elements are interrelated in a complex way, so that an excess of one type of energy can over-control or deplete another: Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood and Wood controls Earth.

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Five Element Diagram

Five Element Correspondences

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Shiatsu Research

The following are some examples of the latest research being conducted in both Asia and the West into the efficacy of Shiatsu for treating a broad range of conditions.

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The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu

The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu has now been published. This Review was commissioned by the Shiatsu Society from the Centre for Complementary Healthcare and Integrated Medicine at Thames Valley University.

The Review critically appraises 5 scientific trials of Shiatsu and 41 trials of Acupressure, and details over 200 other trials in its appendices.

The Shiatsu studies provide very limited evidence on a diverse range of health issues (angina, low back pain, fibromyalgia, chemotherapy side effects/anxiety and inducing labour).

Studies on acupressure provided fairly strong evidence for its use in the treatment of pain. Evidence for acupressure for nausea and vomiting was inconsistent, with the strongest evidence for post-operative nausea. Weak evidence for renal symptoms and COPD/asthma was found. The remaining acupressure studies provided evidence of variable quality on psycho-social health issues and consciousness/anaesthesia.

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Shiatsu & AIDS /HIV

Shiatsu & Alzheimer’s

Shiatsu & Arthritis

Shiatsu & Asthma

Shiatsu & Back Problems

Shiatsu & Cancer

Shiatsu & Caregivers

Chronic Obstruct Pulmonary Disease

Shiatsu & Depression

Shiatsu & Digestive Problems

Substance/Alcohol Abuse/Hepatitis C

Shiatsu & Headaches /Migraines

Shiatsu & Heart Problems

Shiatsu & Hysterectomy

Shiatsu & IBS / Bowel Problems

Shiatsu & Insomnia

Shiatsu & Joint Problems

Shiatsu & Knee Problems

Shiatsu & Low Energy

Shiatsu & M.E.

Shiatsu & Menstrual Problems

Shiatsu & Mental Health

Shiatsu & Mulitple Sclerosis

Shiatsu & Musculoskeletal Problems

Shiatsu & Neck Pain

Shiatsu & Pain Management

Shiatsu & Palliative Care

Shiatsu & Panic Attacks

Shiatsu & Pregnancy

Shiatsu & Psychological Problems

Shiatsu & Raynauds

Shiatsu & Rheumatism

Shiatsu & Sciatica

Shiatsu & Shoulder Pain

Shiatsu & Stress

Shiatsu & Ulcerative Colitis

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•UK Shiatsu Society \”Research\”

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Shiatsu Research

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When Words Lose their Power

- Shiatsu as a Strategic Tool in Psychotherapy

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BioMed Central :More Science based research.

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The roots of shiatsu are ancient…

…however, in the twentieth century, with all manner of things in states of rapid change, there arose a need to define shiatsu in a way intelligible to western science, and as previously stated, Shiatsu was not fully accepted officially, until 1964.

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Tokujiru Namikoshi, the “father” of modern-day shiatsu.

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“The he♥rt of shiatsu is like mother’s love. Pressure of the finger causes the spring of life to flow.”

Tokujiro Namikoshi.

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As a boy, Tokujiro Namikoshi discovered that by using a simple thumb pressing technique, he was able to heal his mother of rheumatoid arthritis.

This experience sparked a life-long devotion to exploring, developing and refining his techniques.

He worked diligently, persistently, and long, to have Shiatsu officially acknowledged, in a culture which had turned away from traditional methods, which were seen as outdated and unscientific, towards the technology revolution.

Finally, in 1964 Shiatsu was officially defined, and at last accepted as a distinct form of therapy by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan.

Tokujiro Namikoshi was a smart man, a little man with well developed thumbs! who was also the president of the Laughter Club of Japan, and he realized that the only way to get through the official party line was to meet it where it lay.

He brought his son Toru to North America where he spent eight years working with B.J. Palmer, one of the major developers of the Chiropractic profession.

On his return to Japan, Shiatsu was presented as a neuromuscular therapy, and Shiatsu was accorded, at last, official recognition, having now been ‘scientifically’ verified.

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Tokujiro Namikoshi by Kensen Saito

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Asian Bodywork Therapies (Shiatsu)

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What goes around comes around…

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For an understanding of the ways in which Shiatsu has evolved, please see the following articles.

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Shizuto Masunaga, 1925-1981

The Legacy of Shizuto Masunaga

Homage to Masunaga

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Here is rare footage of a master at work (from a workshop in Toronto, Canada in the late 1970′s).

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Tetsuro Saito: Canada's "Father" of Shiatsu

 

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Tetsuro Saito: Canada’s “Father” of  Shiatsu

This is not the complete story.

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Shiatsu continues to evolve as consciousness expands.

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