NAJOM Editorial July 2019
The Qi has Gathered
The closing remarks for NAJOM’s Silver Celebration had been given, and after three intensive days, the conference room doors were flung open. But nobody left. An hour passed, then another, and still the room was full of participants reluctant to say goodbye. The first 11 pages of this issue are devoted to those who could not attend this historic gathering of NAJOM’s global family – and to those who came, but couldn’t leave.
In his keynote presentation, Stephen Birch said, “Timing is everything. When the qi has gathered, you insert the needle.” Post-celebration, the NAJOM community is more cohesive, more potent, and has a greater global reach than ever (our lengthy new members list this issue offers a hint of this). We will meet each other again at seminars and humanitarian missions around the world. And this journal, along with our website and new personal connections spanning continents, will be our virtual conference room as we collectively decide how and where to insert our needles.
In this issue, for example, our focus is on dementia, which affects 50 million people worldwide; the number is rising by 10 million a year and its incidence is greater in poorer countries. If we can reassure our patients at all, it’s to say that the rise in numbers of people with dementia reflects the rise in the relative population of older people who are mainly affected by it. So, the good news is, we are living longer. New diagnostic methods and medical coding systems are also raising this official figure. The percentage of people with dementia, according to some sources, may actually be on the decline, along with many of its risk factors such as cardiovascular disease.
All this to say, in our clinical practices we will be seeing many more patients, and their families, caught in the rising tide of degenerative brain disease.
Perhaps no disease better brings together the intricate knowledge of classical Oriental medicine and modern brain science. Cynthia Quattro and Ashley Crutchfield use the languages of east and west to provide us with a clearer image of the “brain” and the causes of dementia: invading proteins, inflammation, “brain gu,” jaki, qi and blood stagnation. Other contributors draw from their clinical experience, sharing time-tested and gentle approaches. They admit more research is needed.
For now, our greatest potential lies more in prevention and patient care than cure. Mizutani Junji shares the simple and inspiring dementia prevention program he began piecing together as a young man. Fukushima Tetsuya describes his innovative program of public classes in Tokyo. Occupational therapist Armstrong Chiu reminds us of the importance of treating the whole patient: he explores the “Kawa method” developed by Japanese and Canadian rehabilitation specialists to reconnect elderly people with their life story. As we were unable to include his article in this issue, Mr Chiu has generously shared it with us online (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pSl9TLS4nLuI6hPj8J9sdTXXf1Vdkg7w/view?usp=sharing). For more on this, see www.kawamodel.com/download/KawaMadeEasy2015.pdf.
Traditional Japanese medicine offers a mind-boggling and ever-expanding array of approaches to address disease of whatever magnitude. In this issue alone, we are exposed to the fundamentals of Toyohari Meridian Therapy, Funamizu’s teishin style, Sawada-style acupuncture, Mizutani-style moxibustion, Fukaya-style bamboo technique, Shakuju Therapy, Takahashi’s dashin technique, Shudo Sensei’s super-rotation technique, Fukushin abdominal palpation, Sotai, channel palpation, and prickling neuro-stimulation technique.
In our upcoming November issue, we will see the organic beginnings of what we hope will become, issue by issue, an “encyclopedia” of the many approaches taught and practiced by NAJOM’s members, and which, together, define Traditional Japanese Medicine (TJM).
Our aspiration is to create a useful tool for our community and all Oriental medicine practitioners, as well as the general public. We welcome proposals (please send them now), especially from teachers and senior practitioners, and ask that you to read our website and emails for details on content and format. The deadline for the first installment of this “Getting to Know Traditional Japanese Medicine” series is September 10 (the series will continue over time and be posted onto our website). The deadline for our March issue focusing on diabetes (metabolic syndrome) is also September 10.
The Silver Celebration is over, but its success lives on in our day-to-day work as a community. We cannot express our gratitude enough to everyone who gave their time, energy, and resources. To our 38 new members: welcome!
Cheryl Coull, editor
The Qi has Gathered
The closing remarks for NAJOM’s Silver Celebration had been given, and after three intensive days, the conference room doors were flung open. But nobody left. An hour passed, then another, and still the room was full of participants reluctant to say goodbye. The first 11 pages of this issue are devoted to those who could not attend this historic gathering of NAJOM’s global family – and to those who came, but couldn’t leave.
In his keynote presentation, Stephen Birch said, “Timing is everything. When the qi has gathered, you insert the needle.” Post-celebration, the NAJOM community is more cohesive, more potent, and has a greater global reach than ever (our lengthy new members list this issue offers a hint of this). We will meet each other again at seminars and humanitarian missions around the world. And this journal, along with our website and new personal connections spanning continents, will be our virtual conference room as we collectively decide how and where to insert our needles.
In this issue, for example, our focus is on dementia, which affects 50 million people worldwide; the number is rising by 10 million a year and its incidence is greater in poorer countries. If we can reassure our patients at all, it’s to say that the rise in numbers of people with dementia reflects the rise in the relative population of older people who are mainly affected by it. So, the good news is, we are living longer. New diagnostic methods and medical coding systems are also raising this official figure. The percentage of people with dementia, according to some sources, may actually be on the decline, along with many of its risk factors such as cardiovascular disease.
All this to say, in our clinical practices we will be seeing many more patients, and their families, caught in the rising tide of degenerative brain disease.
Perhaps no disease better brings together the intricate knowledge of classical Oriental medicine and modern brain science. Cynthia Quattro and Ashley Crutchfield use the languages of east and west to provide us with a clearer image of the “brain” and the causes of dementia: invading proteins, inflammation, “brain gu,” jaki, qi and blood stagnation. Other contributors draw from their clinical experience, sharing time-tested and gentle approaches. They admit more research is needed.
For now, our greatest potential lies more in prevention and patient care than cure. Mizutani Junji shares the simple and inspiring dementia prevention program he began piecing together as a young man. Fukushima Tetsuya describes his innovative program of public classes in Tokyo. Occupational therapist Armstrong Chiu reminds us of the importance of treating the whole patient: he explores the “Kawa method” developed by Japanese and Canadian rehabilitation specialists to reconnect elderly people with their life story. As we were unable to include his article in this issue, Mr Chiu has generously shared it with us online (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pSl9TLS4nLuI6hPj8J9sdTXXf1Vdkg7w/view?usp=sharing). For more on this, see www.kawamodel.com/download/KawaMadeEasy2015.pdf.
Traditional Japanese medicine offers a mind-boggling and ever-expanding array of approaches to address disease of whatever magnitude. In this issue alone, we are exposed to the fundamentals of Toyohari Meridian Therapy, Funamizu’s teishin style, Sawada-style acupuncture, Mizutani-style moxibustion, Fukaya-style bamboo technique, Shakuju Therapy, Takahashi’s dashin technique, Shudo Sensei’s super-rotation technique, Fukushin abdominal palpation, Sotai, channel palpation, and prickling neuro-stimulation technique.
In our upcoming November issue, we will see the organic beginnings of what we hope will become, issue by issue, an “encyclopedia” of the many approaches taught and practiced by NAJOM’s members, and which, together, define Traditional Japanese Medicine (TJM).
Our aspiration is to create a useful tool for our community and all Oriental medicine practitioners, as well as the general public. We welcome proposals (please send them now), especially from teachers and senior practitioners, and ask that you to read our website and emails for details on content and format. The deadline for the first installment of this “Getting to Know Traditional Japanese Medicine” series is September 10 (the series will continue over time and be posted onto our website). The deadline for our March issue focusing on diabetes (metabolic syndrome) is also September 10.
The Silver Celebration is over, but its success lives on in our day-to-day work as a community. We cannot express our gratitude enough to everyone who gave their time, energy, and resources. To our 38 new members: welcome!
Cheryl Coull, editor
Other Sample Articles from the pages of NAJOM
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Perspective on Ho-sha and kyo-jitsu
by Stephen Birch |
Questions to Senior Acupuncturists
|
The Characteristics and Essence of Japanese Acupuncture
|
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Acupuncture & Moxibustion for Depression
|
The Potential of Head as a Treatment zone
|
Bamboo Tube Moxibustion
|