Shiatsu

Not to be confused with Shih Tzu.

Shiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure;" it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques. There is scientific evidence proving that shiatsu, due to its effects on the nervous system, is effective in treating several health problems and disorders. Unfortunately, the research was carried out by Japanese universities, and as such, it was only published in Japanese.There are two main Shiatsu schools: one incorporating elements of western anatomical and physiological theory, and the other based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Shiatsu is traditionally performed on a futon mat, with clients fully clothed.

Evidence base

There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu is effective at treating any disease.

In 2006 a large scale systematic review was carried out by the Shiatsu Society UK in association with Thames Valley University. The review found that studies generally lacked controls or blinding, and concludes that "there was insufficient evidence both in quantity and quality on Shiatsu".

The European Shiatsu Federation funded a report in 2007 which highlighted that the sampled clients viewed their practitioners as being listening and being accepting of the client. The practitioner was also perceived as trustworthy, skillful and warm. Clients also reported feeling relaxed, calm and better able to cope with things. A statistically significant improvement in self-reported symptoms was reported across a large number of participants, with stress levels and muscular/joint problems showing the most improvement.

History

Shiatsu ((指圧) Japanese from shi, meaning finger, and atsu, meaning pressure), as well as Teate (手当て, pronounced te-a-te) originated in Japan. There were many hands-on therapies called Teate before traditional Chinese therapies such as Acupuncture and Tuina (called Anma in Japan) were introduced to Japan around 1000AD. The practice of this massage was a semi-mystical activity performed by women and the blind. The term shiatsu may have been first cited in a 1915 book, Tenpaku Tamai's Shiatsu Ryoho.

Tokujiro Namikoshi founded the Japan Shiatsu College in 1940 and systematised a form of shiatsu therapy based on Western anatomy and physiology. In Japan, Namikoshi's system enjoys special legal status, and its adherents often credit him with the development of shiatsu; the story is told that at age seven, Tokujiro Namikoshi developed a technique of pressing with his thumbs and palms as he tried to nurse his mother who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Shizuto Masunaga, originally a student and then teacher at the school, and professor of psychology at the Tokyo University, opened his own school (Iokai Center of Shiatsu) and taught what has become known as the Zen style of Shiatsu based on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Other styles of shiatsu exist; adherents of the Namikoshi school generally contend that these are derived from the work of Namikoshi and refer to them as Derivative Shiatsu. However, Namikoshi's school was (and continues to be) devoted to reconciling the ancient massage arts of Japan with Western medicine in line with the efforts Japan made since the turn of the 20th century to 'westernise' certain elements of its culture, and it ignores traditional Chinese medicine and its systems of channels. Masanuga, on the other hand, was intent on reconciling the massage arts with traditional Chinese medicine, and went back to early texts (such as the Huang-Di Nei Jing - The Yellow Emperor's Essentials of Medicine, a compilation of Taoist theory and a text book of acupuncture) which influence most Shiatsu styles today. Some of the various styles are listed as follows:

• Tadashi Izawa established Meridian Shiatsu, incorporating Meridian Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into his shiatsu therapy.
• Shizuto Masunaga’s book, called Zen Shiatsu in English, popularised Zen (or Masunaga) Shiatsu in North America and Europe.
• Kiyoshi Ikenaga, in his book Tsubo Shiatsu, elucidates from an anatomical and physiological point of view, how meridian points (or tsubo) are useful in shiatsu therapy.
• Bill Palmer and David Ventura have developed Movement Shiatsu, which specialises in working with chronic conditions through specific experiments and exercises.
• Yuichi Kawada's Yoseido shiatsu puts much importance on stretching eight imaginary "meridians" through exercise and also on exercising the eight regulating points of these meridians.
• Zen-Touch Shiatsu incorporates unique methods that address assessment, recommendations and shiatsu techniques for Body Mind Spirit are included in this form.
• Arturo Valenzuela developed Shiatsu Yasuragi based on the 'NO PAIN' principle, and a systematic approach to treating health conditions and illnesses.

Mention should also be made of Tansu, a shiatsu style using Indian Tantric practices, and of those who combine the principles of Feng Shui with the energy field studies of Semyon Kirlian, Robert Beck, John Zimmerman and others in their practice of Shiatsu.

Timeline

• 1912: Tokujiro Namikoshi found his own therapy by treating his mother with only his thumbs and palms. He first named this therapy Appaku then later changed it to shiatsu.
• 1919: Tenpeki Tamai published his book The Shiatsu Method (???, Shiatsu-ho). This is believed to be the first use of the term shiatsu.
• 1925: Namikoshi opened his first clinic for shiatsu therapy.
• 1940: Namikoshi opened the first school of shiatsu therapy in Tokyo. (Now this school is known as the Japan Shiatsu College.)
• 1940: Namikoshi established first association for shiatsu therapy. (Now this association is known as the Japan Shiatsu Association.)
• 1945: After World War II, traditional Japanese forms of medicine were outlawed by the MacArthur occupation government, after returning POWs told stories about being stuck with needles and burned with moxa when they fell ill. The ban caused much protest. Because there were still many blind shiatsu/Anma practitioners, Helen Keller interceded with the American government. The ban was rescinded.
• 1950: Toshiko Phipps becomes the first qualified shiatsu therapist to teach in the U.S.
• 1953: Namikoshi and his son Toru invited to the Palmer College of Chiropractic to introduce shiatsu to the U.S.
• 1955: Shiatsu therapy first recognised by Japanese government but only in conjunction with Anma and massage.
• 1956: In a famous incident that greatly increased the reputation of shiatsu and of Namikoshi Tokujiro, Namikoshi treated Marilyn Monroe after she fell gravely ill while visiting Japan and failed to respond to conventional treatment.
• 1957: Shiatsu officially recognised by Japan as a separate and distinct therapy.
• 1964: Shiatsu officially defined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan.
• 1979: Rudy Palombini opens the first European Shiatsu school in Rome.
• 1980: Shizuto Masunaga's students teaching in the U.S. and Britain, most notably Pauline Sasaki and Wataru Ohashi.
• 1999: First Shiatsu Yasuragi school opens in Madrid.
• 2004: First time Shiatsu Yasuragi volunteers give shiatsu to Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) sufferers at the Spanish Association's (AHUCE) annual Congress.
• 2005: The Group Namikoshi Shiatsu Europe was formed with the aim of unify, manage and spread the Namikoshi Shiatsu style in Europe. Since then the Group has organized seminars and congress in some European cities as the one celebrated in Rome on November 2007, in which Namikoshi and Masunaga styles were compared.
• 2009: In the Congreso Internacional de Shiatsu, held in Madrid in May 2009, organised by the Asociación Internacional de Shiatsu with the presence of Matsuko and Takashi Namikoshi, grandson of Tokujiro Namikoshi, the European Alliance of Shiatsu Schools was established, for the dissemination, education and creation of unified international qualifications of shiatsu.

Definition

According to the Japanese medical department of the Ministry of Welfare (current Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare):

Shiatsu technique refers to the use of fingers and palm of one's hand to apply pressure to particular sections on the surface of the body for the purpose of correcting the imbalances of the body, and for maintaining and promoting health. It is also a method contributing to the healing of specific illnesses.

— December, 1957

The characteristic of shiatsu as defined by Namikoshi is to apply pressure using only the fingers, palms and especially the thumbs on points that have been related to the central and autonomic nervous systems. Masanuga, who identified reflections of the acupuncture channels in the arms and legs, considered that shiatsu should a) involve the whole body, b) require a focused practitioner sensitive to the energy distributions of the body, and c) provide an extra dimension of connection and support (using both hands where one 'listens' and the other acts). In both styles, however, the essence of shiatsu is "Diagnosis and Therapy combined."

"Diagnosis and Therapy combined" is the claimed ability of the shiatsu "practitioners" to use their sensory organs (palms, fingers, and thumbs) to detect disharmonies in the energetic components of the body, (such as stiffness or slackness at or within its surface), and to perform routines to correct these problems. This blurring of the boundaries between diagnosis and treatment is a defining difference between shiatsu and Kampo medicine (also known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture and moxibustion).

In Zen Shiatsu, the diagnosis proceeds through several stages. The practitioner first looks for signs in the subject's superficial appearance and odor, in the sounds he or she makes and in the sensations felt by touch. The practitioner also examines the principal pulses in the wrists (there are others in the body) and the appearance of the tongue, and interprets how the subject answers questions about his or her health and particular problem. The practitioner will also feel for "energy imbalances" related to the internal organs in and around the abdomen and view signs of these in the back. In TCM, illness is believed to be caused by an invasion of external factors and/or from emotional disharmonies within. External factors may eventually penetrate to the interior of the body and cause serious illness, just as internal factors move to the exterior and cause problems at the surface of the body and in the subject's behavior. Thus similar symptoms may have different causes.

Regulation

Shiatsu originated in Japan. Certification in some parts of the world is a basic 3 year course, with clinical practice and both written and live examinations, and which may include elements of evidence-based medicine as well as TCM. In other areas a two year degree is standard, and still other areas where vocational certification is accepted.

In Japan, anyone who practises shiatsu therapy must be licensed with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Shiatsu practitioners are required to study at least three years/2200-hour educational programme of shiatsu therapy in the universities or colleges in Japan, which are authorised by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and pass the national exam to be licensed.

While shiatsu therapy is recognised in Japan, and where the words "healing" and "illness" are included in its description, it is not readily accepted by other health authorities. In some European countries, it is illegal for treatments like Shiatsu to use words implying healing, curing or treatment. While Shiatsu was one of the eight disciplines named in the Collins Report adopted by the European Parliament in 1997 (European Parliament 1997) which called for steps to regulate complementary therapy practice, the same report also called for more research into their efficacy.

"Shiatsupractor" is the name given to a recently proposed international standardized shiatsu license. By the end of 2003, in some regions of North America (United States, and Canada), and a few countries in Europe (member nations of the EU), the use of Shiatsupractor was officially protected as a registered trademark. In Japan, shiatsu practitioners are called shiatsushi, and the educational standard for their approval corresponds to that of the licenses for Anma, Massage, and shiatsu practitioners.

In Canada, shiatsu has not been regulated as of yet and the name "Shiatsupractor" is only used to explain the style and hours of training received. Some specific schools in British Columbia, Canada teaching the Tokujiro Namikoshi style of shiatsu have adopted this term as their graduate standard. However, other schools may differ in the styles of training (i.e. Tokujiro Namikoshi style, Zen Shiatsu style and Shinso Shiatsu, etc..).

In the UK, many practitioners are on the professional register of one of the professional associations: Shiatsu Society (UK), Shiatsu International and Zen Shiatsu Society (UK). The umbrella regulating body for complementary therapies - the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) was set up c2010 and provides a recognised register.

See also

• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Anma
• Equine Shiatsu
• Kiyoshi Ikenaga
• Meridian Shiatsu
• Movement Shiatsu
• Nihon Kaifuku Anma

• Onsen
• Reflexology
• Shiatsu Yasuragi
• Shizuto Masunaga
• Tadashi Izawa
• Tokujiro Namikoshi
• Tui Na
• Zen Shiatsu

External links

• American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia
• European Shiatsu Federation