NAJOM Editorial March 2020
An Amazing Story is Unfolding
and We are In It
Despite the startling statistics presented in this issue by C Leslie Smith on the growing number of people affected by diabetes worldwide, it is
surprising how little response our call for articles on this topic has received.
More than 30 percent of the population lives with diabetes or pre-diabetes, and among certain groups that number spikes to 80 percent.
Importantly, of those diagnosed with diabetes, 90 to 95 percent are of the more preventable type 2. And, as our contributors aptly demonstrate,
traditional Japanese medicine is incredibly well equipped to face the epidemic of type 2 diabetes and its grim complications. Our time-tested
protocols are simple, inexpensive, and portable; moxibustion is an especially potent ally; and the provision of advice on diet, exercise, and self-
treatment – vital to the prevention of diabetes and the mitigation of its symptoms – is central to our practice.
So, why then has this topic received an underwhelming response? There is at least some evidence to suggest it’s because the patients we see
are not the ones who are or will become diabetic. In other words, the majority of our patients belong to that class of health-conscious
consumers less prone to developing what is statistically a disease of the poor and disadvantaged. Our patients are, in many ways, healthier
than the general population before they become our patients, and are more so afterwards. We simply don’t have many diabetic cases to report.
If this is indeed the case, we must accept the challenge and opportunity that awaits us: to reach beyond the doors of our day-to-day clinical
practices; much as Moxafrica has heroically done, to carry our medicine to those not currently receiving it, whether they live in Africa, Nepal, Up
North, or next door.
This capacity to continuously and ingeniously refine our medicine and apply it where it is most needed is part of our nature, it’s what we do, as
evidenced in our two concurrent series: “The History of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion,” and “Getting to Know Traditional Japanese
Medicine,” gradually itemizing the many styles we practice.
In the former, Shimayama Naoko picks up the historical timeline where we left off in our last NAJOM issue, more than a thousand years ago, at
the end of the busy Nara period. Now in the Heian Period (794-1185), there is more stability and structure in the field of medicine; the tools are
very familiar; some of their applications not so. The evolution of comfortable, compassionate treatment is the subtext here, as it is in Fujimoto
Shinpu’s major article on the dashin (or tapping-needle). His fascinating and detailed account follows this unusual tool from the 13th century to
the present day.
Our collection of profiles on the many TJM styles is ever expanding, with seven more to add to our “encyclopedia” along with an enticing
selection of in-depth profiles under Methods and Approaches and Seminars/Reports.
Behind the scenes, NAJOM helpers are expanding our opportunities to network, and we will be able to update you soon. Meanwhile, if you are
drawn to lend a hand, we are especially in need of translators (please email us at najom@shaw.ca).
Our July 2020 issue (deadline May 10) is well underway. Our theme: “Insights we have achieved when facing our own serious medical
challenges.” Also, send your proposals for our ongoing “Getting to Know TJM” series (see details and guidelines at www.najom.org), or let us
know what you think, by writing a “Letter to the Editors.”
Best wishes,
Cheryl Coull, Editor
An Amazing Story is Unfolding
and We are In It
Despite the startling statistics presented in this issue by C Leslie Smith on the growing number of people affected by diabetes worldwide, it is
surprising how little response our call for articles on this topic has received.
More than 30 percent of the population lives with diabetes or pre-diabetes, and among certain groups that number spikes to 80 percent.
Importantly, of those diagnosed with diabetes, 90 to 95 percent are of the more preventable type 2. And, as our contributors aptly demonstrate,
traditional Japanese medicine is incredibly well equipped to face the epidemic of type 2 diabetes and its grim complications. Our time-tested
protocols are simple, inexpensive, and portable; moxibustion is an especially potent ally; and the provision of advice on diet, exercise, and self-
treatment – vital to the prevention of diabetes and the mitigation of its symptoms – is central to our practice.
So, why then has this topic received an underwhelming response? There is at least some evidence to suggest it’s because the patients we see
are not the ones who are or will become diabetic. In other words, the majority of our patients belong to that class of health-conscious
consumers less prone to developing what is statistically a disease of the poor and disadvantaged. Our patients are, in many ways, healthier
than the general population before they become our patients, and are more so afterwards. We simply don’t have many diabetic cases to report.
If this is indeed the case, we must accept the challenge and opportunity that awaits us: to reach beyond the doors of our day-to-day clinical
practices; much as Moxafrica has heroically done, to carry our medicine to those not currently receiving it, whether they live in Africa, Nepal, Up
North, or next door.
This capacity to continuously and ingeniously refine our medicine and apply it where it is most needed is part of our nature, it’s what we do, as
evidenced in our two concurrent series: “The History of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion,” and “Getting to Know Traditional Japanese
Medicine,” gradually itemizing the many styles we practice.
In the former, Shimayama Naoko picks up the historical timeline where we left off in our last NAJOM issue, more than a thousand years ago, at
the end of the busy Nara period. Now in the Heian Period (794-1185), there is more stability and structure in the field of medicine; the tools are
very familiar; some of their applications not so. The evolution of comfortable, compassionate treatment is the subtext here, as it is in Fujimoto
Shinpu’s major article on the dashin (or tapping-needle). His fascinating and detailed account follows this unusual tool from the 13th century to
the present day.
Our collection of profiles on the many TJM styles is ever expanding, with seven more to add to our “encyclopedia” along with an enticing
selection of in-depth profiles under Methods and Approaches and Seminars/Reports.
Behind the scenes, NAJOM helpers are expanding our opportunities to network, and we will be able to update you soon. Meanwhile, if you are
drawn to lend a hand, we are especially in need of translators (please email us at najom@shaw.ca).
Our July 2020 issue (deadline May 10) is well underway. Our theme: “Insights we have achieved when facing our own serious medical
challenges.” Also, send your proposals for our ongoing “Getting to Know TJM” series (see details and guidelines at www.najom.org), or let us
know what you think, by writing a “Letter to the Editors.”
Best wishes,
Cheryl Coull, Editor
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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