World Acupuncture - Videos, DVDs, Face to Face Workshops, Mentoring Programmes

Last Monday week an innocuous incident saw me dropped by a severe case of lower back pain.

Years of pre-acupuncture physical toil, harvesting potatoes and picking fruit has taken it's toll on my body, leaving me with a susceptible lower back.

For the last 5 years regular acupuncture treatment and heightened awareness of no can do activities has kept me relatively pain free n easy.

However whilst taking off my wetsuit on this fateful day, I casually used my foot rather than my hands to drag down the leg of said suit.

Big mistake!

I knew I was in trouble straight away but hoped that my severe lower back pain would resolve quickly.

Alas, days end saw me bent over like an old man and unable to straighten without significant pain and discomfort, severely compromising my ability to get in and out of my vehicle.

In addition I found it impossible to sit for more than a few minutes at a time, severely disrupting my ability to publish blog posts, write emails and update http://www.worldacupuncture.com product pages as promised.

Ugh, not a pretty site.

The following day was an unofficial public holiday in Australia for the running of a horse race, known as the 'Melbourne Cup'.

Phew, no clinic enabled me to gingerly travel to the residence of my long time assistant and resident tonetskyu (rice grain moxibustion) expert Andrea.

She generously applied tonetskyu  and inserted some intra-dermal needles close to the most painful points.

I experienced some relief and was able to get a better nights sleep and travel to work the next day, where my colleague Nick then applied acupuncture as pictured below in conjunction with a Kidney root treatment.

Again I enjoyed sufficient relief to complete a very busy day in clinic.

The situation was complicated by the fact that my daughters and I were to  travel some 300 km on Friday to visit  old family friends on their property in the hills behind Coff’s Harbour on the mid North Coast of New South Wales.

Of more immediate concern was my ability to travel 200 km to and from my rooms in Brisbane not to mention being able to treat the many patients booked in for treatment on the Thursday as a result of the aforementioned unofficial public holiday on Tuesday.

Fortunately my assistant on the Thursday morning Andrew, an accomplished student who had been diligently practicing his traditional acupuncture skills throughout the year gave me another treatment.

Utilizing the marks that I had asked Nick to make on the previous day; Andrew skillfully administered an identical treatment.

Suffice to say that I made it through the day and got home in one piece, albeit slightly bent.

My daughters arrived that night and we awoke on Friday morning to the news that our destination, Coff’s Harbour had experienced a massive deluge of rain overnight and flooding was rampant.

o complicate matters the intense low pressure system that was contributing to such an extraordinary rainfall was going nowhere and the rain was forecast to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours making our planned journey more than a little perilous.

Add to that my extremely suspect lower back condition and we were experiencing some degree of trepidation, a situation not remedied by a phone call from my close friends in the eye of the storm strongly suggesting that we abandon our journey.

Our friends communicated some significant concerns about our safety, especially gaining access to their property.

This assessment was based on the fact that at the time of the phone call access to and from the property had been cut off by rising floodwater's.

Nevertheless, my daughters and I rarely have exclusive time together and decided to cast caution to the wind and make the trip.

Thankfully all went well and we had a fabulous although extremely wet weekend.

The moral of the story is that fortune favors the bold and traditional acupuncture was incredibly effective, resolving my pain and discomfort sufficiently for me to travel such a distance and negotiate some hair-raising creek crossings, enjoy a wonderful party and arrive home in much better shape than when I departed.

To cap it off, I went for my first surf since injuring my back yesterday enjoying some pristine conditions at my local break at Rainbow Bay a little over a week after suffering from an extremely nasty dose of acute lower back pain, from my perspective as a patient a very good result indeed!

I hope all is well with you and yours.
Kind regards,
Alan

PS.

The following images should give you some idea of our adventurous weekend in addition to showing me on the treatment table for a change.

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

One of the great pleasures of practicing Japanese Acupuncture is the amazing diversity of application of this modality.

I never cease to be amazed by the clinical efficacy of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy.

Last week Tessa, Zoe and Isla, grandmother, mother, granddaughter/daughter attended clinic together to enable Zoe to receive treatment.

3 generations, Tessa,Isla and Zoe

Tessa was on hand to look after her granddaughter whilst her daughter received treatment.

During our preamble, Tessa revealed that her five month old granddaughter, Isla had been suffering from constipation for more than a week and that both mother and grandmother were becoming increasingly concerned about Isla’s condition.

As a result of that conversation I volunteered to give Isla treatment whilst her mother rested during the second phase of her treatment when the back-shu points were in place.

 

Shonishin instruments, they look harsh but are applied with great gentleness and sensitivity

Using my hands and shonishin instruments as pictured I applied gentle vibration primarily along the gallbladder meridian from the buttocks to the ankle, secondarily along the stomach meridian on her leg. I also applied a very gentle kneading technique to her tiny buttocks.

To balance these very gentle dispersive techniques on the gallbladder and stomach Meridian's, I used the palm of my hand to warm the yin aspect of her lower leg.

Two days after the treatment I received this message from Tessa.

‘ Hi Alan, just to let you know that Isla has been to the loo several times since her visit!’

Therein lies yet another reason why I love going to work, I consider it a great privilege to practice Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy and I remain extremely grateful to Masakazu Ikeda sensei for his inspiration, commitment and guidance regarding the clinical diversity and power of Traditional Acupuncture.

Hope all is well in your world.

Kind regards,

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

Cameron presented in clinic about 4 weeks ago having been medically diagnosed as suffering from acute glandular fever.

He was experiencing overwhelming lethargy, aching limbs, diabolically disturbed  sleep pattern and severe headaches.

This condition can derail an athletes career for anywhere between 3 to 12 months or more in some instances.

Orthodox medicine usually recommends rest, very good advice, and appropriate medication, depending upon the severity of symptoms.

What can be an inconvenience for some becomes a career threatening speed bump for others.

Over the past 10 years I have treated a number of people diagnosed with this debilitating condition.

My clinical experience indicates that glandular fever may be a precursor to chronic fatigue syndrome, an all too familiar scenario for many elite athletes.

A few who have responded positively to Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment for a compromised immune system include Olympic gold, silver and bronze medal swimmer, Daniel Kowalski, Current Brisbane Lions AFL star, Daniel Merrett for sequela of glandular fever and Australian Rules football legend, Alastair Lynch.

To this end Daniel M. has maintained a regular treatment schedule for a number of years and up until a recent hamstring injury late in the 2009 season he had not missed a game since cementing his position in the team.

Back to Cameron....................
An elite 1500 m swimmer, he must train intensively to fulfill his undoubted potential.

The ability of  elite athletes to break through the pain barrier , hit the wall and drive straight through it is a vital part of the regime required to achieve ultimate success in the sporting arena.

The downside is that an athlete is often unaware that,  in some extreme circumstances they are compromising their immune systems, a scenario that all too frequently occurs as a result of an incredibly intense physical and mental training regime  robbing their systems of the vital energy required to maintain solid immunity against viral infection.

Glandular fever can leave the athlete exhausted and bewildered, their performance in the sporting arena is seriously compromised and until correctly diagnosed, this insidious malady leaves them wondering as to why their form has dropped off so severely.

This was indeed the case for Cameron when he found it just about impossible to swim at the Australia national championships in August, let alone compete successfully.

In severe cases glandular fever can derail an athletes training and competitive schedule for many months and for us mere mortals this condition can deleteriously affect our work and lifestyle for similar or even longer periods.

Diagnosis:
In Cameron's case diagnosis was pretty well clear cut.

Spleen Yin deficiency Liver excess fever syndrome fitted the bill admirably.
In addition to an excessive amount of heat present in the liver there was also a significant amount of deficient heat present in the Yang Ming meridians.

The pathology for this condition is described beautifully by Masakazu Ikeda sensei in chapter 8 of his outstanding textbook  ‘The Practice of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion’.

http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Japanese-Acupuncture-Moxibustion-Principles/dp/0939616432

Treatment:
Tonify Spleen Yin; Tonify Pe.7 – Sp.3
Disperse Liver; Disperse Liv.2
Cool Yangming Meridians;  Shunt St.44 or 43, LI.3 or 11
Back Shu points as appropriate; Bl 13 or 14, 18, 20, 23, plus Bl.40 to assist moving the heat out of the body.
If the headaches are severe, the addition of appropriate GB points may be beneficial.
I have found GB.41 to be quite useful in these circumstances.

Cameron agreed to undergo a course of treatment to support his recovery and we established a base of three treatments per week.

At the end of the 2nd week of treatment we had been able to completely eliminate Cameron's headaches.

Emboldened by this occurrence, I eliminated the dispersion of Liv. 2 from his Saturday morning treatment only to have him come back in again on the following Tuesday revealing the headaches had returned on the Sunday.
He did have a late-night following his treatment, I believe this was a factor in his relapse.

Regardless, I immediately resorted to my previous strategy of dispersing the wood point of the Liver, Liv. 2.

Cameron has not had a headache since!

I ceased to disperse Liver 2 only after he had been headache free for 10 days, unwilling to take the risk of their recurrence affecting his recovery.

Over the last two weeks he has gradually increased his training regime, ever mindful of how his body is responding.
That translates into taking it very, very easy for the first 3 to 4 training sessions, gradually increasing the load.

The athlete must be hyper aware of their level of fatigue and their recovery from these sessions must be monitored closely.

Cameron was feeling well last Thursday after a couple of stronger training sessions earlier in the week and we agreed that he should put 'pedal to the metal' during his Friday training session and return  for follow-up treatment on Saturday morning, which it showing no obvious ill effects.

Cameron's recovery appears to be  on track and I will continue to monitor his progress with great interest and respect.

The point of the matter, excuse the pun, is the speed of Cameron's recovery, a little over one month into his course of treatment and he is very close to resuming full-time training.

A satisfactory outcome, you might ask?
Considering the severity of Cameron's symptoms when first diagnosed, I think so.

However his ability to maintain a powerful training regime and translate that into competitive results is the bottom line.

In the meantime Cameron will maintain regular weekly or twice-weekly treatments if necessary to assist his recovery  thus enhancing his sporting performance.

Video of the complete treatment is being edited now and will be available shortly. To view this and many other clinically relevant videos  join us at http://www.worldacupuncture.com

Our video library is expanding by the week and I believe that the audiovisual presentation for learning Japanese acupuncture is complementary to and in some cases a superior method of teaching/learning than text only.

For the keen student, nothing can replace mentoring/assisting/observing in a more experienced practitioners clinic but for many their ability to do so is compromised by family, financial, personal and geographical reasons.
I have you enjoyed reading this post and will be able to use my experience to you and your patients benefit.

Take advantage of the 50 odd videos in our  library already, learn as we learn and become part of a worldwide community dedicated to understanding more about traditional Japanese acupuncture and most importantly how to apply our understanding where it matters most, in clinic.

Join us at  http://www.world acupuncture.com today and enjoy your learning more.

A few Images from Rainbow Bay for your viewing pleasure

Friendly neighbours

Looking South Towards Byron Bay from Hastings Point

FIRE!

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.Worldacupuncture.com

Greetings and Salutations,

Last Saturday the first Gold Coast Japanese Acupuncture/Japanese Meridian Therapy/Traditional Japanese Medicine study group in 7 years was held.

Please allow me to apologize for the irregular activity on http://worldacupunctureblog.com over the last month or so.

I have been besieged my problems with my PC and finally relented this weekend handing the machine over to my tekkie for a heart and lung transplant.

Surgery should have taken place overnight but as can happen in the virtual world some 48 hours later, my machine is in intensive care and it is looking like I will have to re-install all programs.

Such is life but the outcome should be trouble free computing in the future and more regular posts.

Back to our first Japanese Acupuncture workshop in 7 years.......

A little history regards these study groups.

First established in 1994 when I was teaching at an undergraduate level and realized that my students were not getting sufficient practice in their degree course, the study groups were held on a monthly basis for the next 6 years winding down in 2002  as a result of burn out on my behalf.

The first visit to our shores by Edward Obaidey in 1995 provided much needed stimulus for these Study Groups, whilst Masakazu Ikeda sensei's visit in 1996 turbo-charged our focus and desire to refine/develop our skills in the practice of Traditional Acupuncture.

A couple of months ago Takashi Furue a graduate of ACNM here on the Gold Coast approached me about the possibility of re-establishing the study group.

He had been in communication with Ikeda sensei and other leading lights in the development/refinement of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy in Japan and was encouraged by their positive feedback regarding ongoing study here in Australia.

One of the key factors of the cessation of the Study Groups in 2002 was the seemingly insurmountable communication and cultural differences between Australia and Japan limiting our ability to obtain appropriate feedback/support from Japan, the appearance of Takashi and his powerful focus and commitment for the practice of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture looks to have resolved these difficulties to some degree and provided the impetus to re-establish regular monthly study groups where senior practitioners and students of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture can gather to discuss, practice and refine this therapeutically dynamic modality.

So it was that we gathered last Saturday to discuss the direction that we would like to take in our studies and practice, 6 leading undergraduate students and 10 practitioners with an average 11 years clinical experience.

For the 1st half of the study group we discussed the best direction to take with our studies and the decision was made to begin the translation of Masakazu Ikeda sensei's latest work, a clinically based handbook/commentary on the ancient classical text the 'Nan Jing'.

The primary responsibility for this daunting task falls to Takashi, as he translates the most relevant chapters of this timeless classic for the group, senior practitioners within the group will be doing their best to relate this invaluable information to their clinical practices.

The 2nd half of the study group was all practical with a number of practitioners including myself receiving much needed treatment from our peers, a rare privilege indeed.

As a recipient, Traditional Japanese Acupuncture never ceases to amaze me, the benefit I felt, especially the relief experienced from chronic neck and shoulder pain as a result of a serious motor vehicle accident some 2 1/2 years ago complicated by a whiplash injury incurred whilst surfing the previous day was outstanding to say the least.

A precisely applied Kidney root treatment complimented by needling of the affected meridians in conjunction with the application of astute tonetskyu/rice grain moxibustion on a number of relevant locations as determined by thorough palpation of the affected areas resulted in a feeling of well being, a a quality nights sleep, a pain free surfing session (paddling the board has been exacting painful retribution on my damaged shoulder and neck) and the smoothest practice session on the Golf Driving range the following day.

To say I am grateful for my treatment and remain astonished as to the efficacy of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture would be a massive understatement!

Videographer and enthusiastic undergraduate student Andrew captured much of the study group on film and the highlights will be available in the near future at http://worldacupuncture.com

It was decided at the Study Group to throw the doors open, meaning that any interested student or practitioner of Acupuncture is welcome to attend, so if you are keen to refine and develop your practice of Traditional Acupuncture and physically able to attend, YOU ARE WELCOME.

If you are unable to physically get your body through the door, do not despair we will be recording highlights of each study group and publishing them at http://worldacupuncture.com and you will be able to ask all the questions you want on the forum.

That's about it for this post, my surfing buddy has just called and at this moment is scouring the Northern N.S.W coastline in an effort to find a wave due to unfavorable wind conditions at my home surfing break at Rainbow Bay.

The next Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy study Group will be held at Miami on the Gold Coast on 10th October 2009, 2pm - 6pm, at this point we have determined a charge of $10 per workshop to cover rental of the premises and equipment, I hope you can make it, if not remember that video highlights of the study groups will be available at http://worldacupuncture.com.

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.WorldAcupuncture.com

Jackie contacted me last Thursday, almost 8 months pregnant with her 3rd child she had contracted a debilitating virus that was causing constant diarrhea and nausea.

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

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.WorldAcupuncture.com

Today I would like to discuss the Japanese acupuncture treatment of one of my patients who is recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia.

The patient presented in clinic about two weeks ago having completed her third course of antibiotics for this condition.

Her major complaint was a continual, incessant, energy sapping cough in conjunction with overwhelming lethargy and tiredness.

It is in situations like these that I am extremely grateful to the practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.
I always administer treatment with the best intentions, however this is no guarantee that I make the correct diagnosis and administer the appropriate treatment on my first attempt.

Upon taking the pulse of my patient and questioning her thoroughly about her symptoms I decided to administer a Spleen root treatment.

After this initial treatment she returned again couple of days later, sadly there had been no improvement in her condition.

I re-examined her and once again came to the conclusion that she was Spleen deficient and this deficiency had led to a Lung excess resulting in her incessant coughing.

Again I treated her for Spleen deficiency and excess heat in the lung.

Returning for her third treatment in a week she once again reported no improvement at all.

She was becoming increasingly desperate, as she had been given the best treatment that orthodox medicine was capable of with little or no benefit and had not responded at all to my Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment.

It was at this point in the treatment that the brilliance of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and the classical Chinese medicine principles at its theoretical core came to the fore.

I was either, ineffectively applying the correct treatment or I had misdiagnosed her condition.

I chose the latter option and decided to replace the Spleen root treatment with a Liver root treatment.
That is,  I replaced my previous root treatment Pe.5 - Sp.5 with Ki.7 - Liv.4, the rest of the treatment was basically the same and included the shunting of Lu.6 and administering the appropriate back - shu points.

The result was nothing short of miraculous, the patient called and left a message that went something like this.
" Your treatment on Saturday was wonderful, I have hardly had a cough since, it is simply amazing!"

She rebooked and I naturally used the same root  treatment, suggesting that if needed to,  she could come back in a few days.
She didn't need to come back in a few days time, once again leaving a message that her improvement had maintained and she was feeling much, much better.

The 'magic' of Traditional Acupuncture lies in the ability to ascertain the fundamental deficiency.
This is absolutely vital in securing positive treatment outcomes, especially in acute and severe conditions such as my patient was experiencing.

A decade ago on one of my visits to Masakazu Ikeda sensei's clinic in Japan, he had me take pulse of several patients and asked me for my diagnosis.

I got five of the seven diagnoses wrong.

I was mortified, I had been practising my beginner's version of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture for three years and had failed to get even half of the diagnoses correct.

At the end of that day in clinic I suggested to Ikeda sensei that I should probably quit acupuncture and move on to another career more suited to me.

He laughed and then made the comment that turned my psyche and career around.

Ikeda sensei suggested that it was veritably impossible to learn Traditional Acupuncture without making mistakes and it was foolish/egotistical to expect instantaneous perfection.

The key to evolving as a practitioner lay in acknowledging and learning from my mistakes, unless I approached clinical practice in such a way I would stagnate in a pool of ignorance and frustration.

These words of advice have been invaluable and allowed me to continue to evolve as a practitioner and a person over the past decade.
I remain extremely grateful to Ikeda sensei for his patience, understanding and wisdom.

I trust that this post will help you to evolve and prosper through the astute practice of Traditional Acupuncture

All the Best,
Alan

PS.
If you would like to know more about the practice of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and discover more about the long and winding road to clinical prosperity you are welcome to join as at http://WorldAcupuncture.com


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.WorldAcupuncture.com

This post concerns Japanese Acupuncture treatment for Tennis/Golfer's Elbow and assisting Sarica to accelerate her patients recovery.

Sarica is a graduate of  PCOM (Pacific College of Oriental Medicine) in San Diego, has settled in Arizona, USA, been in practice for several years and is extremely keen to refine and develop her acupuncture repertoire.


She originally posted her questions on the WorldAcupuncture Forum @ http://worldacupuncture.com

Please read what  Sarica has to say about her membership with worldacupuncture.com

Just wanted to send on a heartfelt thanks for the work on the site...being able to see and listen to the videos and lessons is a tremendously helpful endeavor...i get at least one in a day, and it really sets me right for seeing patients--gets me in the right frame of mind, helps me maintain focus and inspiration throughout my treatments.  i knew i'd get much from this, but i didn't reckon how much, and it just means a lot to me.  so, thank you!
hugs from az.!
sarica

Here is her case history with my commentary, we will be going one step at a time,  if you would like to follow her progress and many other case histories, video's and tutorials you are welcome to join us at http://worldacupuncture.com

50 yr Male Golfer

Unilateral epicondylitis for the last 7 or 8 weeks

2 treatments so far………..

    * 50 yrs. male, thinnish build, big eyes, rather copious body hair,
    * thinning head hair, even, calm voice.
    * high cholesterol, hypertension, both handled with medication
    * sinus allergies, Claritin medication
    * calm, works 50+ hours a week
    * cold hands and feet, craves spicy then sweet and salty
    * wakes once in the night to urinate
    * fatigue after a hard day , energy level otherwise is very good
    * inflammation near UB43 on the right, outward rotation and with flexing his elbow on a horizontal plane, pain SI8 pain (dull, constant, sometimes shooting, and sore to the touch—feels like a bone bruise)
    * pain radiates upward towards his occipital region
    * ice and rest help the elbow pain
    * played 18 holes after feeling relief from his first treatment, pain came back in a big way after golf.
    * will pull back from golf until the end of September

First treatment

Pulse

LU weak, LIV tight ,

Abdomen

felt empty at LU1 bilaterally, tight right and left of the navel

RX.

    * LU9 - SP5 root treatment
    * SJ5 left - ah shi points on the SI/SJ/ LI channels right
    * needle head moxa lateral to LI10 right
    * added LIV8 and GB34 on the left when I didn't find much change in the pulse
    * Sawada-style direct moxa to tonify his energies
    * back shu UB11, 15, 18, 20, 58 plus KI3
    * needle head moxa at SI11 on the right

Summary

Constitutionally deficient in the LU, with deficient heat in the LIV

Alan J. Commentary

It sounds as though it is appropriate that this individual should have a weak lung pulse from his copious body hair, indicating a lung deficient constitution.

In many cases  athletic people born with a lung deficient constitution the propensity to becoming kidney deficient as they approach middle age is widespread.

It is for this reason in addition to his chronic sinusitis, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels that I believe you will find that he has become primarily kidney deficient.

This part of diagnosis is vital in achieving outstanding clinical outcomes.

I believe it is very possible that your patient has become lung deficient liver excess, a syndrome that naturally insinuates kidney deficiency.

To confirm this I suggest that you palpate his abdomen to establish patterns of tightness and discomfort on both his left and right sides.

The classical abdominal pattern for liver excess syndrome will show has extra ordinary tightness pain and discomfort on the right side of his abdomen, especially around the lower border of the rib cage, directly above the liver.

Please let me know the results as they will determine where to go from here.

The Liv.8 and GB.34 that you added after there was no discernible change in his pulse would have helped him considerably more than your original treatment of Lu.9 – Sp.5.

Your diagnosis of lung deficient with deficient heat in the liver is somewhat problematical.

However, according to the theoretical principles of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture it is possible that the heat from kidney deficiency has passed into the liver and created a liver excess blood stagnation syndrome especially along the medial border of the right scapulae.

If this is the case then the shunting of Liv.8 or in milder cases GB.34 along with the root treatment of Lu.5 - Ki.10 may be a better way to go.

CAUTION!

Before shunting the liver, you should be very sure that this is indeed a liver excess blood stagnation pattern.

To confirm this please perform an abdominal examination as previously suggested and get back to me with the results.

We can talk more about local treatment a bit later but I think you are on the right track with your moxa needle on places that you have outlined above.

Second treatment

Pulse

LIV and KI very weak

Abdomen

Pulsation REN 12.

More tired than the first treatment, happy to lie down and cool off, it has been very hot here,  Arizona, USA.

RX

    * LU1, KI7 - LU5 root treatment
    * LI channel on the right, using ah-shi from LI15 to LI4
    * Direct moxa, Moxa needle or Rice-Grain? with the needles - lateral to LI10 right, tissue was very lax, deficient feeling, no   heat or tension felt.
    * Added KI 10 on the left.
    * Back Shu UB11, 17, 20, 22, and 23 plus right side GB21 - anmian needle head moxa at SI11 and UB46,
    * Needle or moxa-needle right side UB58, K3 and GB40 ?
    * All the points listed retained with a 44 gauge, very shallowly which points?
    * Tui na to invigorate on his upper right back and forearm.

Summary

His arm felt markedly better at the end of treatment.

I checked with him today, pain still there, and he's going to start p.t immediately.

Alan J. Commentary

Please confirm the type of moxa and on what points that you used it on in this treatment.

Also can you confirm the use of Ki.3 – GB.40 and let me know the technique that you used on these points and why you used them?

Last but not least can you provide me with the metric diameter of a 44 gauge needle?

For instance the most common needle size that I use in treatment is .14  millimetre in diameter and for moxa needle .22  millimeter.

Stay posted there is more to come, you are welcome to join us as we will follow her patients progress with great interest at http://worldacupuncture.com

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.Worldacupuncture.com

When I first launched the Japanese Acupuncture Education website http://worldacupunctureblog.com in November 2007 I envisaged a resource, information and networking blog that might assist practitioners and students from all corners of the globe, especially those isolated from regular contact with like-minded individuals, to refine and develop their skills in the practice of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

To some degree that goal has been achieved as evidenced by the current list of countries represented by subscribers to this blog.
United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Malaysia, Romania, India, Philippines, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden, Hong Kong, France, Spain, South Africa, Denmark, China, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, Israel, Japan, Italy, Germany

I am sure you will agree that this list certainly embraces a significant chunk of the planet but we want to do better both in our coverage and our service, to achieve our new goals the team at World Acupuncture have revamped and reformatted our membership site at http://worldacupuncture.com.

Over my 25 years of practice and especially the last 13 years during which I've traveled the globe extensively presenting workshops and networking, I have become aware that many practitioners/students simply do not have the time nor the financial resources to regularly attend live workshops.

The recent global financial downturn has significantly heightened the above impositions upon those individuals practicing in isolation at the many Acupuncture frontiers of the planet.

It is for these reasons that have taken Japanese Acupuncture Education to another level with http://worldacupuncture.com.

For those courageous individuals working in isolation and their worthy colleagues in the better serviced metropolitan areas who for one reason or another have difficulties attending live workshops we want to give you the best opportunity we can to Explore the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st Century thus improving your skills, knowledge, treatment outcomes and YOUR PROSPERITY!

As willing,  dedicated practitioners/students of Traditional Acupuncture and members of the World Acupuncture community you will be rewarded with an endless stream of clinically relevant insights into the depth, flexibility and potency of this timeless healing art.

At the end of the day we all want the same thing... for our patients to get better.

There are a few things that will help in the journey toward more positive clinical outcomes:

    * continual refinement of our practical skills (needling, moxibustion, palpation, questioning, observing etc)

    * taking responsibility for negative outcomes (rather than blaming the medicine or the patient)

    * accumulated hours of clinical experience (doing/observing treatments)

You too can benefit from the many training videos designed to help you refine and develop the essential practical skills required to deliver potent acupuncture treatments and the positive clinical outcomes required to build a Successful Practice.

    * Learn how to turn a negative treatment outcome into a positive by utilizing the extraordinary theoretical depth and classically based logic of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

    * Follow the case histories of REAL patients as we negotiate the many roadblocks that can appear in practice and learn from our experience as well as your own.

At http://worldacupuncture.com we are dedicated to providing you with the best virtual opportunity possible to learn more about the PRACTICE of Traditional Acupuncture.

Join us and become a member of a global network of enthusiastic students/practitioners dedicated to providing powerful positive outcomes for our patients thus generating  sustained and expanding prosperity for you, their practitioner.

JOIN TODAY and enjoy the benefits of the many video tutorials and networking opportunities by clicking on the link below now.

http://www.worldacupuncture.com/public/10.cfm

Thanks for your interest and commitment, hope you have an awesome week.

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

Welcome,

I'm writing this post on a pristine winters morning at Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast, Australia.

I traveled south seeking surf on the weekend and was fortunate enough to pick up a few relatively deserted waves at Broomes Head on Sunday and followed that up with a few quiet ones on the south side of Cabarita, small but sheltered from the prevailing northerly winds as I returned home on Monday afternoon.

I never cease to be grateful to live where I live,  at one of the prime wave locations on the east coast of Australia, albeit one of the most crowded waves in the world, however when things get too hectic here I have access to literally hundreds of kilometres of sparsely populated coastline to the south.
Veritably the best of both worlds.

Today's post includes a short video put together by Andrew that I believe demonstrates, at least partially, the fine art of rice grain moxibustion or Tonetskyu.

Please click on this link http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-and-the-fine-art-of-rice-grain-moxibustion to view this two-minute video and hopefully wet your appetite for exploring the art of acupuncture in the 21st century.



You are welcome to join us at http://worldacupuncture.com and learn more about rice grain moxibustion and the refined needling skills that make up the clinical repertoire of the practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

I hope the forthcoming week brings good fortune and prosperity for you.

Kind regards,

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

Last Saturday's Japanese Acupuncture workshop was one of the most successful that I have participated in.

Colleagues/students from Finland, Israel, Japan, Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Brisbane and an Aussie expatriate practicing in India were all present and well n truly accounted for.
For those unable to physically attend the workshop, we have the video and it will be edited and posted on the worldacupuncture website in due time.
You can virtually attend each workshop, observe treatments in clinic, participate in skills tutorials and network on a global basis by joining http://worldacupuncture.com today.

Last Friday I had the great pleasure of spending an hour on Skype with one of my ex-students, now a practitioner of Acupuncture in Eastern Europe.

As a member of worldacupuncture she is in the unique position of being able to discuss her difficult patients with me to gain greater insight into generating the most positive treatment outcome possible for her patients and refine her practice of Traditional Acupuncture with the guidance of a senior practitioner.

Acupuncture practice and the importance of concise clinical records.
Several times in the last 25 years I have received requests from the legal representatives of patients who have been injured through no fault of their own and are endeavoring to gain compensation for their injuries.

Last week I received such a request from lawyers in Seattle in the United States who are assisting one of my patients in a manner.
To obtain appropriate compensation it is absolutely vital that my patient have access to accurate clinical records to substantiate his claim.

Many students fail to understand how important this aspect of Acupuncture practice is!

The tendency to use unique hieroglyphics in an effort to lighten their workload in recording treatment details is alarmingly widespread.
It is imperative to keep accurate clinical records not only for situations as above but to enable other practitioners, in particular those performing locum to clearly and comprehensively understand the preceding treatments thus enabling them to provide the best possible treatment for the patient.

If we have our patient's best interests at heart, as practitioners we should habitually maintain accurate clinical records and in my case insist that the students responsible for recording treatments do so in a professional manner.

As the director/founder of worldacupuncture.com I am becoming increasingly excited about seeing my dream transformed into reality.

For students and practitioners who are geographically isolated I believe this service will be especially valuable.

For Renata in Eastern Europe, Sarica in the middle of the desert in Arizona, David in Thailand, Johnathan and Jeni in Goa, India, Simon in South America and the not so isolated such as, Adam in San Diego, Andy in New Jersey, Ray in Los Angeles and the many other colleagues/students from all corners of the globe http://worldacupuncture.com is about decreasing  isolation, increasing their access to important information, providing them with another perspective on treatment and unifying them with a group of like-minded individuals on a global basis.

This educational/networking/skills orientated and clinically biased website has been five years in the making and I am extremely grateful for the invaluable assistance and support provided by the many students/colleagues who have participated and continue to participate in this groundbreaking evolution in Traditional Acupuncture education.

This service is specifically for practitioners/students of Acupuncture who want to continue to refine and develop their practice of this amazing healing Art. This service is provided by practitioners/students of Acupuncture, as such we are all about the clinical practice of Traditional Acupuncture.

Join us today at http://worldacupuncture.com and become a part of a truly global network of practitioners/students focused on Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st Century.