NAJOM Editorial March 2022
Forget Self, Serve Others
What do the Ukraine invasion, COVID Pandemic, climate change, and our traditional Japanese medicine all have in common? In this NAJOM issue, our contributors answer this question.
In our call for papers on the topic of “homework for our patients” we weren’t expecting to hear solutions to three threats to human welfare on a scale never seen in our lifetime, all happening now.
What we did hope for, and received, was an enthusiastic sharing of clinical experiences – gems that would seed a larger compilation of home treatments for broader distribution: a resource and inspiration for ourselves and our pandemic-weary patients, to support our wellbeing on an individual, immediate level.
Your submissions encapsulate the wisdom and efficacy of traditional Japanese medicine as it has evolved over centuries, increasing its potency by increasing access to it by way of home treatments. Through protocols that are simple, safe, affordable, and that allow for frequency of treatment, your “homework” addresses critical flaws in our modern clinical model. And you remind us of the importance of putting prevention first: it is easier to “maintain wellness rather than cure disease” as Eric Michaelson writes in his “Lessons from the Yojokun.”
But your homework for patients impacts far more than our personal health. At this precipitous moment in human history, you are not only offering home remedies for stomach pain and urinary disorders, but remedies that address the root causes of wars, global pandemics, floods and heatwaves – overconsumption, greed, pride.
You advise your patients to sleep well, eat wisely, drink in moderation, and apply moxa. But a careful reading of your instructions reveals a more profound assignment. “A practitioner should encourage patients to utilize only what resources they absolutely need,” writes Michaelson, drawing from the text of a 17th-century samurai. He asks us and our patients to live modestly and practice humility.
Michaelson, like contributor Katai Shu-ichi, points directly to the exchange of money for medicine as an obstacle to healing. Martin Hermann’s “pillar in treatment” is the cultivation of yangsheng or care of life, a kind of “walking with the Tao” that he believes “reflects a society’s cultural level.” Mizutani Junji and Merlin Young, who exemplify selfless dedication in their lives and practices, have made it their mission to deliver to virtually every corner of our ailing planet the mighty okyu – rice-sized moxa cones which are made from mugwort that grows everywhere, can be used by anyone, and cures nearly everything.
Shudo Denmei’s motto “Forget Self, Serve Others” is the most concise summary of the homework that we and our patients are being asked to do. Shudo Sensei, who celebrated his 90th birthday February 17th, continues to live up to these words himself in remarkable ways, treating 20 patients a day (down from 50), sharing his lifetime of knowledge without reserve, and supporting NAJOM.
Of course “forget self” does not mean “forget to look after yourself.” We must be healthy in body, mind, and spirit to serve others well. Toward this, we encourage you to read every word of Shudo Sensei’s five-part series “Sunlight Through the Trees,” and then every other article in this issue.
And please share any further “homework” you may have, for publication in NAJOM and for a compilation we can share with patients, family and friends.
Moving forward from the pandemic, and to help our patients suffering from a lack of exercise, the focus for our July 2022 NAJOM issue will be: “The musculoskeletal system: is it more than the sum of its parts?” This is an opportunity to share powerful methods that address both local issues and those that work holistically. Perhaps you have been exploring “alternative anatomical systems” such as the tendinomuscular meridians. Email your proposals as soon as possible. The final submission date for articles is May 10, 2022.
And finally, in keeping with “Forget Self, Serve Others,” NAJOM, published in both Japanese and English, is in great need of translators. We would love to have you on our team.
In gratitude to our volunteers and contributors,
Cheryl Coull, Editor
March Issue's Table of Contents
Editorial Cheryl Coull 2
Home Treatments that Work
Lessons from the Yojokun Eric Michaelsen 3
Believing in the Power to Heal Katai Shu-ichi 5
Patient Homework – A Pillar in Treatment Martin Hermann 6
Wearing Masks and the Pitfalls of Mouth Breathing Komatsu Hiroaki 8
What I Recommend to My Patients Mizutani Junji 10
Health Restoration is a Participatory Activity Thomas Duckworth 12
Clients’ Self-Help Strategies Pamela Ferguson 14
Acupuncture and Self-Care for Type 2 Diabetes Bart Walton 15
Home Treatment for Glaucoma Ton Van Huffelin 16
Three-Needle Method and Exercises for Frequent Urination Ikai Yoshio 18
Home Moxibustion for Alveolar Pyorrhea Fujikawa Naotaka 19
New NAJOM Members 19
Home Moxibustion for Stomach Pain: A Case Study Tanida Yasuhiro 20
Dietary Regimen to Increase Acu-Moxa Effects Menjo Yuki 21
Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Self-Care for Menstrual Pain Takahashi Masako 22
The 100-Day Homework Challenge for Long COVID Merlin Young 24
Methods and Approaches
Sunlight Through the Trees – Part 5 Shudo Denmei 26
Beth Hazzard on Pauline Sasaki and Quantum Shiatsu Bob Quinn 30
Saam Acupuncture and its Relation to Channel Theory Philip Suger 34
Systems Biology Approach to COVID-19 – Part 4 Yamaoka Denichiro 36
Bulletin Board 38
PNST Pin-Point Treatment – Part 7 Nagata Hiroshi 39
Introduction to Shakuju Therapy – Part 20 Takahashi Daiki 40
Auricular Acupuncture – Part 4 Fujikawa Naotaka 43
Holistic Treatment for Migraine Faruk Şahin 44
Observations of the Body Surface Kobayashi Shoji 46
Getting to Know Traditional Japanese Medicine
The History of Acupuncture in Japan – Part 5 Kahata Satoko 48
The Roots of Shiatsu: Shiatsu-ho and Tamai Tenpeki – Part 6 Stephen Brown 50
Forget Self, Serve Others
What do the Ukraine invasion, COVID Pandemic, climate change, and our traditional Japanese medicine all have in common? In this NAJOM issue, our contributors answer this question.
In our call for papers on the topic of “homework for our patients” we weren’t expecting to hear solutions to three threats to human welfare on a scale never seen in our lifetime, all happening now.
What we did hope for, and received, was an enthusiastic sharing of clinical experiences – gems that would seed a larger compilation of home treatments for broader distribution: a resource and inspiration for ourselves and our pandemic-weary patients, to support our wellbeing on an individual, immediate level.
Your submissions encapsulate the wisdom and efficacy of traditional Japanese medicine as it has evolved over centuries, increasing its potency by increasing access to it by way of home treatments. Through protocols that are simple, safe, affordable, and that allow for frequency of treatment, your “homework” addresses critical flaws in our modern clinical model. And you remind us of the importance of putting prevention first: it is easier to “maintain wellness rather than cure disease” as Eric Michaelson writes in his “Lessons from the Yojokun.”
But your homework for patients impacts far more than our personal health. At this precipitous moment in human history, you are not only offering home remedies for stomach pain and urinary disorders, but remedies that address the root causes of wars, global pandemics, floods and heatwaves – overconsumption, greed, pride.
You advise your patients to sleep well, eat wisely, drink in moderation, and apply moxa. But a careful reading of your instructions reveals a more profound assignment. “A practitioner should encourage patients to utilize only what resources they absolutely need,” writes Michaelson, drawing from the text of a 17th-century samurai. He asks us and our patients to live modestly and practice humility.
Michaelson, like contributor Katai Shu-ichi, points directly to the exchange of money for medicine as an obstacle to healing. Martin Hermann’s “pillar in treatment” is the cultivation of yangsheng or care of life, a kind of “walking with the Tao” that he believes “reflects a society’s cultural level.” Mizutani Junji and Merlin Young, who exemplify selfless dedication in their lives and practices, have made it their mission to deliver to virtually every corner of our ailing planet the mighty okyu – rice-sized moxa cones which are made from mugwort that grows everywhere, can be used by anyone, and cures nearly everything.
Shudo Denmei’s motto “Forget Self, Serve Others” is the most concise summary of the homework that we and our patients are being asked to do. Shudo Sensei, who celebrated his 90th birthday February 17th, continues to live up to these words himself in remarkable ways, treating 20 patients a day (down from 50), sharing his lifetime of knowledge without reserve, and supporting NAJOM.
Of course “forget self” does not mean “forget to look after yourself.” We must be healthy in body, mind, and spirit to serve others well. Toward this, we encourage you to read every word of Shudo Sensei’s five-part series “Sunlight Through the Trees,” and then every other article in this issue.
And please share any further “homework” you may have, for publication in NAJOM and for a compilation we can share with patients, family and friends.
Moving forward from the pandemic, and to help our patients suffering from a lack of exercise, the focus for our July 2022 NAJOM issue will be: “The musculoskeletal system: is it more than the sum of its parts?” This is an opportunity to share powerful methods that address both local issues and those that work holistically. Perhaps you have been exploring “alternative anatomical systems” such as the tendinomuscular meridians. Email your proposals as soon as possible. The final submission date for articles is May 10, 2022.
And finally, in keeping with “Forget Self, Serve Others,” NAJOM, published in both Japanese and English, is in great need of translators. We would love to have you on our team.
In gratitude to our volunteers and contributors,
Cheryl Coull, Editor
March Issue's Table of Contents
Editorial Cheryl Coull 2
Home Treatments that Work
Lessons from the Yojokun Eric Michaelsen 3
Believing in the Power to Heal Katai Shu-ichi 5
Patient Homework – A Pillar in Treatment Martin Hermann 6
Wearing Masks and the Pitfalls of Mouth Breathing Komatsu Hiroaki 8
What I Recommend to My Patients Mizutani Junji 10
Health Restoration is a Participatory Activity Thomas Duckworth 12
Clients’ Self-Help Strategies Pamela Ferguson 14
Acupuncture and Self-Care for Type 2 Diabetes Bart Walton 15
Home Treatment for Glaucoma Ton Van Huffelin 16
Three-Needle Method and Exercises for Frequent Urination Ikai Yoshio 18
Home Moxibustion for Alveolar Pyorrhea Fujikawa Naotaka 19
New NAJOM Members 19
Home Moxibustion for Stomach Pain: A Case Study Tanida Yasuhiro 20
Dietary Regimen to Increase Acu-Moxa Effects Menjo Yuki 21
Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Self-Care for Menstrual Pain Takahashi Masako 22
The 100-Day Homework Challenge for Long COVID Merlin Young 24
Methods and Approaches
Sunlight Through the Trees – Part 5 Shudo Denmei 26
Beth Hazzard on Pauline Sasaki and Quantum Shiatsu Bob Quinn 30
Saam Acupuncture and its Relation to Channel Theory Philip Suger 34
Systems Biology Approach to COVID-19 – Part 4 Yamaoka Denichiro 36
Bulletin Board 38
PNST Pin-Point Treatment – Part 7 Nagata Hiroshi 39
Introduction to Shakuju Therapy – Part 20 Takahashi Daiki 40
Auricular Acupuncture – Part 4 Fujikawa Naotaka 43
Holistic Treatment for Migraine Faruk Şahin 44
Observations of the Body Surface Kobayashi Shoji 46
Getting to Know Traditional Japanese Medicine
The History of Acupuncture in Japan – Part 5 Kahata Satoko 48
The Roots of Shiatsu: Shiatsu-ho and Tamai Tenpeki – Part 6 Stephen Brown 50
Information on COVID 19
Below are the official communications from the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO)
| guidelines_on_acupuncture_and_moxibustion_intervention_for_covid-19__second_edition_.pdf |
| recommandations_sur_lutilisation_de_lacupuncture_et_de_la_moxibustion_dans_le_traitement_du_covid-19.pdf |
| pautas_sobre_el_uso_de_acupuntura_y_moxibustión_para_tratar_el_covid-19.pdf |
| 新型冠状病毒肺炎诊疗方案试行第七版中医方案部分diagnosis_and_treatment_protocol_for_covid-19_chapter_of_tcm_.pdf |
| 新型冠状病毒肺炎针灸干预的指导意见（第二版）.pdf |
NAJOM’s Global Community Working Together
Here are some of the responses NAJOM members have sent in on dealing with the Coronavirus.
Here are some of the responses NAJOM members have sent in on dealing with the Coronavirus.
| Member_responses_handling_the_coronavirus.docx |
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