The Centre for Japanese Acupuncture

Toronto Ontario

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November 2018 Workshop

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Master Acupuncturist Mitsunori Seino from Tokyo, Japan
will be in Toronto for two days of seminars
November 17 & 18, 2018

Day 1 (Nov. 17, 2018): Foundation Course in the Seino System

This will be a day of lectures and discussion on the following topics:

  • History of acupuncture in Japan
  • Relationship between Japanese acupuncture and TCM
  • Japanese Moxibustion
  • Integration of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion with Western medicine

Day 2 (Nov. 18, 2018): Topics from the Basic Course in the Seino System

This will be a day of demonstration and practical study of the following topics:

  • Japanese needling techniques
  • Japanese moxibustion techniques
  • Case Studies

Dates:     November 17 & 18, 2018
Location: The Centre for Japanese Acupuncture (3189 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario)
Cost:      $200.00 each day or $350.00 for both days
Contact: (416) 551-2352
email:     cfjacupuncture@gmail.com
website:  centreforjapaneseacupuncture.ca

At this year’s workshop, Sensei Mitsunori Seino will be introducing his amazing Seino System to students and licensed professionals who have a basic knowledge of TCM, as well as to members of the public who would like to learn about Japanese acupuncture. Seino Sensei’s acupuncture protocol is based on 40 years of practice and study. With training in the Seino System, an acupuncturist can treat any patient and any illness. This is your opportunity to go deeper into your study and training to see first hand the true potential of acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a True Complimentary Medicine

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Acupuncture is a true complementary therapy, working well alongside many conventional medical treatments and serving as a support for patients receiving many types of medical care.

There are many ways that acupuncture can complement conventional medical treatments:

  • Acupuncture is a drug free therapy that will not conflict with prescription medication or create unforeseen drug interactions
  • Acupuncture can enhance the effectiveness of prescription medication by helping with absorption and elimination of medications, helping medications reach their target areas and reducing side effects of medications

Acupuncture can improve outcomes from surgical procedures by

  • preparing patients for surgery, strengthening immune and digestive functioning and calming a patient’s mental state
  • supporting patients post-surgery, reducing the risk of complications and infections, helping the body eliminate drugs used for anaesthesia, reducing pain and speeding up tissue repair

In addition:

  • Acupuncture can be done distally, so the placement of needles can be away from problem areas in the body, avoiding conflicts with local treatments, surgical scars, open wounds, inflamed tissues, broken bones and bandages
  • Acupuncture can be done when one is awaiting diagnostic testing or waiting to receive a medical diagnosis
  • Acupuncture can be of therapeutic benefit when a condition is deemed not serious enough to warrant a strong medical intervention
  • Acupuncture can treat symptoms even when the cause is unknown, or when there is no medical agreement on the diagnosis
  • Acupuncture can help reduce stress, which has been shown to improve medical outcomes

Many family doctors and medical specialists are open to patients receiving acupuncture alongside their medically prescribed treatments. Acupuncturists in Ontario are regulated health professionals who can communicate with a patient’s medical team, advising them on the nature of the acupuncture treatments being given and providing them with updates on their patients’ progress.

The Importance of Sleep

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Sleep is the body’s opportunity for healing and recovery. Many physiological processes take place during nighttime sleep that cannot take place at any other time of day. Without restorative sleep each night, daytime stresses easily build up and throw the body out of balance.

Insomnia and interrupted sleep are issue for many people all year around, but can worsen in springtime due to the shift to towards the Liver as a focus of the body’s energies. If poor sleep is an issue, there are various lifestyle and behavioural changes that one can make to improve one’s situation:

(1) Right preparation: The evening is a time that should be set aside for winding down and relaxation. Restorative sleep should be understood in the context of a 24 hour cycle of activity. Stimulating activities such as exercise, screen time and even showering should be carried out earlier in the day and avoided in the late hours of evening.

(2) Right position: The ideal position for sleeping for the human body is lying on the back (face up) on a firm mattress with a low pillow. In this position gravity can passively straighten the spine and relieve pressure on the hip, shoulder and vertebral joints.

(3) Right breathing: The general rule is that one should breathe through the nose whenever possible (unless one is eating or speaking). This is especially important at night time when the body’s defences are down and the respiratory tract more susceptible to the effects of cold and dry air as well as airborne pathogens. A trick one can use to guard against open mouth breathing while asleep is to place tape over one’s lips before one goes to sleep.

When behaviour and lifestyle changes are not enough to break the cycle of poor night time sleep, acupuncture can help. With acupuncture it is possible to relax tensions that accumulate as a result of stress. It can also help calm the heart (the Shen) and settle the hyperactive energy of the Liver. Any organ that is weak or exhausted can also disrupt the smooth rhythm of the body’s 24 hour diurnal cycle, causing imbalance and disease. Acupuncture is able to strengthen weak and exhausted organs and help return the body to a state of balance.

Case Study Evening Workshop

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On April 17, 2017 we were fortunate to see a live demonstration of the Seino-System approach by Takamasa Tsurusaki. There were many opportunities for explanations and Q & A, and those who attended were able to see the almost magical results that a short treatment with just a few points could produce.

The patient suffered from Ankylosis Spondylitis, a debilitating musculoskeletal condition that conventional medicine is unable to treat. Takamasa reviewed the various methods of diagnosis used to arrive at a treatment plan, which included pulse diagnosis and palpation of the abdomen, back and lower legs. He explained the basis for deciding whether to treat with needles or moxibustion, and demonstrated a non-insertion needling technique as well as the traditional Japanese method of Okyu moxa with controlling heat. The patient showed improved mobility in the cervical vertebrae after just 20 minutes of treatment!

Thanks to all who took part. We hope to make similar evening education workshops a regular event at the Clinic. If you wish to take part in future student and professional training events at the Clinic, you can request to join The Centre For Japanese Acupuncture Facebook group.

Staying Healthy In Springtime

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The three months of Spring are referred to in Japanese as 発陳(hacchin), a word meaning ‘to sprout and flourish’. During these months the days are getting longer, the temperature is warming up and things that were dormant and hidden during the winter months resurface and become active.

This is how it is in Nature, and also how it is in the human body. At this time of year our body temperature increases slightly and our Yang Qi is activated and comes to the surface. Yang Qi naturally wants to circulate, and we must be sure to not constrain this energy if we want to stay healthy through the spring and summer months. Waking up with the sunrise, moderate exercise, eating lightly (including some sour and fermented foods in our diet), avoiding stress and going to bed early are the basic principles for staying healthy at this time of year.

The dominant organ of the body during the spring season is the Liver. The Liver is easily disturbed by stress as well as excessive eating and drinking. The Qi of the Liver wants to be active and to circulate smoothly and freely. When its movement is constrained, feelings of irritability and depression can appear, and one might also experience various physical symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, skin problems, neuralgia and lethargy.

Some health conditions such as allergies and various chronic illnesses which may have been dormant during the winter months can resurface in springtime. It is therefore an excellent time of year to address these health concerns. Strengthening immune, respiratory and digestive functioning during springtime can lead to an improvement in overall health that can last well into the summer and autumn months.

Introduction to True Health Care

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Western medicine bases its treatments on an analysis of the type of disease and its stage of progress. Even the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment methods, however, do not address the true origin and cause of disease.

At every moment the body’s resources are being consumed just to maintain a basic level of functioning. Just being alive puts demands on the body, and these demands slowly drain the body of its strength and vitality over the course of one’s lifetime.

In Eastern medicine, disease is understood as the accumulation of the effects of one’s daily life. These effects start to accumulate the moment life begins, which means even before birth, when one is just a fetus in the womb.

Staying healthy is not just a matter of having a disease diagnosed early enough so that one can get the right medicine to treat it. If just being alive is the real cause of disease, then the only way to maintain one’s health and treat disease is to live properly and pay attention to one’s lifestyle. This is true health care, and this is why Eastern medicine places so much importance on such things as proper breathing, sleep, and diet.

Now that you have been introduced to this approach to health care, you can begin to address some of your own health concerns starting today.

Keeping Warm

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Keeping warm is a basic principle for staying healthy. In Canada, especially in the cold seasons, we need to make a special effort to maintain a properly elevated body temperature and avoid getting chilled.

One way that we can keep warm is by paying attention to the temperature of the foods we eat and drink. This is especially important when it comes to foods that come directly from the refrigerator or freezer. A refrigerator keeps food at a temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius, and a freezer keeps food at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile our body is working all the time to maintain its temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius. Cold food and drink might taste refreshing, but they cool the body and force it to expend extra energy on digestion and maintaining a normal body temperature. Just think of how much energy and heat is needed to melt ice cream that has come straight from the freezer. Even eating foods that are at room temperature (around 21 degrees Celsius) will cool the body a little bit.

Ingesting very cold foods and drinks also has the effect of weakening the organs of the digestive tract. When the stomach and intestines get cold, bacteria such as E.coli can grow more easily and spread throughout the body. At the cellular level, bacterial proliferation can interfere with mitochondrial functioning and impair cellular activity. Mitochondria are organelles found in every cell of the body. Each mitochondrion provides the cell with needed energy through a series of chemical processes called cellular respiration that converts nutrients into energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

When abnormal bacterial growth interferes with mitochondrial functioning, ATP production drops and metabolic processes within cells break down. The consequences of this can be widespread, since the health of every organ, gland and tissue in the body depends on strong metabolic functioning. For example, when metabolic functioning in the pancreas is weak, it can result in low insulin production. In the pituitary gland, production and secretion of hormones that regulate thyroid and adrenal functioning can be affected. In the brain, neurotransmitter production and metabolism of monoamines such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine can be affected. In many cases, severe disease can result.

What conditions can acupuncture successfully treat?

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Acute Conditions
Colds and flu
Recent injury
Migraine
Low back strain
Food poisoning
Gallstone attack
Kidney stone attack
Asthma attack
Severe pain
Seasonal allergies
Sinus infection

Special Treatment Plans
Quit Smoking
Facial Rejuvenation (Cosmetic Acupuncture)
Surgical Scar Reduction
Chemotherapy and Radiation Support
Immune Support
Preparing for Allergy Season
Stroke Recovery

Non-acute Conditions
Digestive disorders (IBS, constipation, diarrhea, ulcers, acid reflux, food sensitivities, nausea and vomiting)
Liver and gallbladder disorders
Insomnia
Headaches and migraines
Sinus infection
Respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia)
Low energy
Chronic fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Irregular menstruation
Infertility
Pregnancy-related conditions (morning sickness, breech presentation, hip and low back pain, induction of labour)
Post-pregnancy conditions (insufficient milk flow, mastitis, surgical scar reduction, excessive bleeding)
Back pain and stiffness
Knee, hip or shoulder pain and inflammation
Tennis elbow
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Repetitive strain injuries
Pain or disfunction anywhere along the spine
Neuralgia
Neck pain or stiffness
Whiplash
Sciatica
Low immunity
Dizziness
Urinary disorders (bladder infection, enlarged prostate, excessive urination)
Male sexual disfunction
Addiction and substance abuse
Circulatory conditions
Anxiety and depression
Hypertension
TMJ syndrome
Facial paralysis
Stress
Post-operative pain and recovery
Environmental sensitivities
Tinnitus

Is Acupuncture Appropriate for Children?

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Common childhood illnesses such as asthma, digestive disorders, allergies and immune deficiency respond very well to acupuncture. Acupuncture can also effectively treat problems with sleep, anxiety and attention in children.

When treating children fewer needles are used and the treatments tend to be short. The age at which a child can begin receiving acupuncture treatments depends largely on the child’s temperament, level of maturity, ability to understand the nature of the procedure, and the child’s willingness tolerate the needles. In some cases it may be appropriate to treat a child as young as five or six years of age with acupuncture.

Will Acupuncture Interfere with Medical Treatments that have been Prescribed by my Physician?

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In general acupuncture will not interfere with medically prescribed treatments that a person may be receiving. If you have concerns, however, it is advisable that you consult with a physician before beginning a course of treatments.

Acupuncture serves to activate the body’s own healing mechanisms and does not act in a direct manner to effect change in the body. As such the body’s own healing intelligence is allowed to decide whether a particular change is desirable or beneficial at a particular time. Unlike most forms of modern medical treatments, acupuncture does not demand anything of the body and will work gently in concert with other therapies rather than interfere with them.

It is more likely that acupuncture will complement rather than conflict with other medically prescribed treatments. It will do so by releasing blockages and relaxing the nervous system, thereby increasing the effectiveness of medically prescribed therapies. This is especially true for people undergoing physiotherapy, surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

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Acupuncture, when carried out by a properly trained clinician using clean-needle technique, is very safe. One-time use disposable needles are inserted into muscle tissue with the acupuncturist avoiding blood vessels and sensitive tissues whenever possible. Acupuncture needles are very thin, about one-third of the diameter of medical injection needles, and rarely cause bleeding when inserted or removed. A properly trained acupuncturist will ensure that needles are inserted at a safe depth in order to avoid penetrating organs or sensitive tissues.

Some people express concern that acupuncture relies on the blood’s clotting ability to avoid bleeding. If you are currently taking prescription blood-thinning medication you may wish to consult your physician before beginning a course of acupuncture treatments.

Can Acupuncture Work Preventatively?

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Acupuncture is effective as a preventative treatment for a number of conditions including:

  • seasonal allergies
  • colds and flu (low immune functioning)
  • asthma
  • headaches and migraines
  • fertility concerns
  • re-injury of old musculoskeletal problems including low back, knee and shoulder strain

If one has scheduled an upcoming medical procedure such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, a course of acupuncture treatments leading up to the procedure will strengthen immune, digestive, reproductive, kidney and liver functioning. Strengthening the body in this way will reduce the side effects of the medical procedure, lower the risk of complications and speed up recovery time afterwards.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

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Acupuncture involves the insertion of ultra-thin stainless steel needles into specific points on the body. These points have been identified as having special healing properties when stimulated and have been mapped out along the course of subtle energy channels that run just under the surface of the skin.

According to the traditional medical systems of Asia, illness arises as a result of blockages that begin within these subtle energy channels. Stimulating acupuncture points will produce energetic change along the course of their respective acupuncture channels, stimulating blood flow to targeted organs and regions of the body and awakening the body’s own mechanisms for self-healing.

Modern MRI studies have shown that stimulating acupuncture points with needles brings about changes in blood flow to certain parts of the brain. For example, needling a point on the small toe, a point which traditionally has been used to treat eye diseases, will result in a change in blood flow to the part of the brain that governs vision.

The theory that subtle channels of energy run along the surface of the body and communicate with the brain, nervous system, internal organs, muscles and connective tissues forms the basis for virtually all the medical practices arising in Asia over the past five thousands of years. Acupuncture was developed, refined and tested scientifically in the East by hundreds of generations of medical practitioners. Unlike modern pharmaceuticals which is comprise a relatively new form of medicine and whose long-term effects are largely unknown, acupuncture has been shown over millennia to be both a safe and effective methods of treating a wide range of diseases.

How Quickly Will a Condition Improve with Acupuncture?

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Many factors influence the rate and extent to which a condition will improve with a course of acupuncture treatments. The main consideration is the duration which one has had the condition. A recent injury or medical condition will improve relatively quickly as compared to one that has become chronic and lingering over several years.

Other factors that influence the rate of improvement include:

  • the presence of any other medical conditions
  • lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and sleep
  • family history
  • complications due to prescription medication

In general, one should expect to see some improvement within 4-6 treatments, and in some cases, immediately after the first treatment. In many cases a modest rate of improvement in the range of 5-10% with each treatment is a more realistic expectation.

The rate and extent of improvement can be difficult to predict as a person may see no improvement after several treatments, but then experience a sudden dramatic improvement even several months into the treatment course.

What is Japanese Acupuncture?

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Acupuncture has been practiced in Japan for over 1,600 years, having been passed down through the generations by an unbroken lineage of practitioners since it was first introduced in that country in 410 AD. Japanese acupuncture has continually evolved over the centuries to reflect the unique characteristics of that country’s climate, geography, culture and sensibilities of its population. As a result, Japanese acupuncturists established their own methods and traditions which in recent times have spread overseas and become standard practice in China, South Korea and other countries around the world.

Some unique features of Japanese acupuncture include:

  • the use of ultra fine needles for pain free needling
  • gentle needling techniques with shallow insertion
  • non-insertion contact needling
  • use of fewer needles
  • Oshide – left and right hand needling positions
  • subtle De Qi
  • contact and non-insertion needling techniques
  • the use of pure grade mugwort for direct and semi-direct moxibustion
  • an emphasis on hands-on diagnostic methods such as abdominal and pulse diagnosis

How Does Moxa Work?

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The use of needles to stimulate acupuncture points and channels dates back approximately 2000 years, to the time when metal needles were first invented in China. Before that, other methods of stimulating acupuncture points and channels were used, such as cupping, massage and the application of heat.

Modern day physiotherapy recognizes the therapeutic benefits of applying heat to injured parts of the body as a means of improving circulation and speeding up the healing process. Physiotherapists apply heat by various means including heat packs, laser and infrared therapy.

In Asia, from prehistoric times to the present day, the therapeutic application of heat was done by burning mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) either close to, or directly on, the skin. Mugwort, commonly referred to as moxa (or mogusha in Japanese) is a common weed that, when dried, processed and burned according to traditional methods, has special healing properties. According to modern research, moxa likely originated in Mongolia and was used for therapeutic purposed before Chinese medicine was developed.

Stimulating acupuncture points with moxa has different therapeutic benefits than stimulating the same points with needles. While needles have a harmonizing effect on the subtle energies of the body and the central nervous system, moxa stimulates tissue and organ repair and improves immune functioning through its effect on the blood.

Moxa can be applied in various ways, either in conjunction with needles or by itself. In Japan over many centuries, a technique was developed of burning tiny ‘threads’ or ‘cones’ of moxa directly on acupuncture points without burning or scarring the skin. This technique uses specially refined moxa that burns at a relatively low temperature, so it is safe and transmits a very pure quality of heat into the acupuncture point.