JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE

TOYOHARI: translates as East Asian Medicine. Hari is the Japanese word for Acupuncture. Ironically this form of acupuncture has no penetration with the needles. The channel flow is regulated by "contact" needling which means a needle is held on the acupuncture point, which must be located very precisely by palpating the channel very lightly, and the Ki is sent through the acupuncturist to balance the yin and yang of the channels. Very nice for the needle shy person, as it does not penetrate the skin.

OKYU: Moxibustion, which is the burning of a herb, mugwort, to enhance the capillary circulation of the affected area of the body. Thread moxa - using the finest quality mugwort - is used on very stubborn muscular spasms. Other types of okyu are stick moxa, moxa cones and needle head. Moxa cones are good for breaking down adhesions, and needle head moxa is good for relaxing larger areas of tension.

SHIRAKU: Bloodletting with a very fine lancet, usually on the end points of channels to deobstruct the channel, or remove heat. It can be used for disc prolapse pain, migraines, toothache, fuzzy head and stroke. When used with cupping to relieve bad muscular spasms, it is called "ranchi cupping".

SHONISHIN: Japanese paediatric acupuncture.

JAPANESE NEEDLES: These are the finest quality needles and are very comfortable to receive. Insertion is very shallow. Usually treatment time is 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes with another set of points. Very few points are used at a time. Some people, as it is the case of chronic fatigue, may only receive 5 minutes of treatment.

SOTAI: A combination of different styles of structural balancing developed over 50 years by Hashimoto. It is very gentle and helps to balance the channels after acupuncture to improve the results of the treatment.

MERIDIAN THERAPY: This was perfected by the blind acupuncturists at a time in Japan when only blind people could practise. The imbalances in the channels are detected by the pulse, and points selected are felt by the touch. The abdomen is lightly brushed to affect a diagnosis in accordance with the pulse.

HARA DIAGNOSIS: The abdomen and body are palpated, applying a little more pressure to diagnose imbalances in the channels.

JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE: Has 4 parts to a treatment and can take an hour for a treatment. People usually have a light feeling of well-being, should feel energised and ready to face the day!