Single-blind, randomized, pilot study combining shiatsu and amitriptyline in refractory primary headaches

Une étude scientifique, menée en milieu hospitalier, sur l'efficacité du shiatsu, seul ou en combinaison, avec un médicament, pour les patients souffrants de maux de tête récurrents et publiée dans la revue scientifique Neurological Science (2017) 38:999–1007.

"METHODS:

We tested the efficacy and safety of combining shiatsu and amitriptyline to treat refractory primary headaches in a single-blind, randomized, pilot study. Subjects with a diagnosis of primary headache and who experienced lack of response to ≥2 different prophylactic drugs were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive shiatsu plus amitriptyline, shiatsu alone, or amitriptyline alone for 3 months. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients experiencing ≥50%-reduction in headache days. Secondary endpoints were days with headache per month, visual analogue scale, and number of pain killers taken per month.

RESULTS:
Shiatsu (alone or in combination) was superior to amitriptyline in reducing the number of pain killers taken per month (p < 0.05). Seven (19%) subjects reported adverse events, all attributable to amitriptyline, while no side effects were related with shiatsu treatment.

Shiatsu is a safe and potentially useful alternative approach for refractory headache"


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Shiatsu in the hospital

The abstract of the research paper 'Relieving pressure – An evaluation of shiatsu treatments for cancer and palliative care patients in an NHS setting' was published in the August issue of the European Journal of Integrative Medicine.

https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S1876382016301354?returnurl=http:%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1876382016301354%3Fshowall%3Dtrue&referrer=http:%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS1876382016301354

European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2016-08-01, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 589-590, Copyright © 2016

Introduction: The study investigated the effectiveness of Shiatsu therapy in relation to the management of health and wellbeing concerns of cancer and palliative care patients in an out-patient clinic.

Method: Patients are referred to the service for symptom management, particularly stress and anxiety, but also other symptoms such as nausea or insomnia. Data was collected following use of the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) questionnaire, which was designed for evaluating supportive care interventions.

Results: Mean changes in post-intervention MYCaW scores were highly significant ( p < 0.001), demonstrating considerable improvements in both presenting symptoms and perceptions of wellbeing. Based on a significance level of 0.05, both the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and the two-tailed t -test indicated that post-treatment ranks and means were statistically significantly lower than pre-treatment ranks and means in the three categories.

Conclusion: Anxiety, stress management and pain scores were the most improved. Wellbeing scores also improved, on average, by two points on the Likert scale. Patients have stated that ‘being listened to’ and ‘being heard’ were important factors when describing how Shiatsu had helped.

We suggest that a study using larger numbers is necessary in order to provide more robust evidence rather than emerging trends. In view of the results, we consider Shiatsu to be a relatively safe and effective therapy in cancer and palliative care settings. 

Neil Browne, Fernando Cabo, Donatella Gabrielli, Yumiko Ishii, Diego Robirosa, and Rita Serra

Shiatsu for the disabled

Fernando Cabo, le directeur de la Professional Shiatsu School
vient de nous présenter une nouvelle et magnifique vidéo sur le travail que réalisent des étudiants en shiatsu bénévoles dans un centre de Rome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfLOh-NuGjM

The heart of shiatsu is like pure motherly love. Pressure of the hands makes the spring of life flow. These are the words of Namikoshi, a japanese psychiatrics, who in the last century, codified shiatsu to export it to the West.
In a centre in the heart of Rome, two afternoon a week, for 20 years, 40 professional volunteers  have been taking care of the disabled, giving 1000 shiatsu treatments every year.
Over two thousand nerves impulses are stimulated in one hour. It's a full body treatment from head to toes with over 2000 pressure points  with activate impulses sent to the cerebral cortex and the cortex processes the information and sends the processed information back to our physiological systems.
Shiatsu affects our five systems : muscular, articular, circulatory, lymphatic and nervous. This means it balances the hormonal system.

The japanese word shiatsu consists of shi : finger and atsu : pressure; It is a gentle technique which consists on pressure on the skin to correct internal dysfunctions to preserve or improve our health and to treat specific diseases. Shiatsu has been legalised in japan and a few other countries but it has not been recognised in  Italy at the legislative level.

"I have multiple sclerosis late-onset sclerosis because it appeared when I was 49. Not as aggressive as early-onset sclerosis and to tell you the truth, I was so sceptical when I first came. I only had the idea of conventional treatment, I didn't think about alteranative therapy but gradually, I became a regular visitor.
I know the benefit is not immediate, because I don't feel any different when I leave the centre but I do feel worse when I miss a session."

" I suffer from right spastic hemiplegia and I find it very beneficial because my condition causes pulled muscles and pinched nerves and after the treatment I am much more relaxed"

"I have a boy who is unable to talk but who makes himself understood; Is is very rare for him to miss one session; We come regularly on wednesdays.
- What are the benefits ?
- it calms him down a lot and even his mobility and joins are much improved "

"I have Parkinson's disease and what I have noticed since coming here is that the disease has not progressed. It is a degenerative disease as everyone knows but it seems to have stabilised. the dosage of the medication has not increased, I'm all right, I have a very acceptable quality of life and so I say thanks to shiatsu, thanks to all the volunteers who not only give us a hands-on treatment but also a smile. We spend a peaceful, serene hour, with them, the relationship is light hearted and pleasant "

The training lasts three years and according to experts, its effects are not only felt in the back, the musculoskeletal system, the peripheral nervous system and the internal organs but also on a psychological and emotional level.

"I used to bring a disabled boy to the centre, I saw the positive effects so one day I deceided to take the course."

"I was a patient here because I had personal problems. I was about to retire so I seized the opportunitiy, I have finished the first year. I am here as an apprentice. When I come here, I feel joy because I see people in need of being -as I put it -  pampered ; after one and a half hours with us when the treatment is finished, they are happier, more serene, you see them smile and that makes you very happy"

Postnatal shiatsu with refugees

Suzanne Yates a partagé avec nous les travaux de Ségolène Cadet sur les shiatsus qu'elle pratique sur les migrantes enceintes ou jeunes mamans. Vous pouvez retrouver l'article en intégralité en line ici : https://wellmother.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/postnatal-shiatsu-with-refugees/
et en voici un extrait :

(...)
What happens in the shiatsu session?

During these shiatsu sessions, the women lie on their front and present their back to me. They suffer from all kinds of back pain, including the neck and shoulder because they are always carrying their baby and because of all their anxieties and accumulated tension. The women always breastfeed their babies and there are often problems of milk flow and engorgement.
Their energy is often quite dispersed, especially in their legs and feet. The African women have a lot of tension in their back, shoulders, neck and legs.

I always starting working with their Qi and include Bladder and Gall Bladder. I include some GB stretches and then one or two deeper connections to enable them to come into connection with their Jing (Essence). The women like shiatsu or oil massage on their back, shoulder and neck as it helps them release some of their tension.

I find the work on their legs and feet is difficult because it is here that I find the energy most dispersed. I relate this to their connection with the Earth, the land they left behind which was insecure and often violent and the land that has welcome them but is still insecure, uneasy and emotional. I always work here with care and sometimes I only make a light connection such as 26 GB with GB41 or the sacrum with Kidney 1.

The Extraordinary Vessels

The energy of the Extraordinary Vessels for these exiled women is often very scattered. They do not always allow me to connect with it. I have to prepare well with work on the level of the Qi and by gaining the woman’s trust. When the woman is ready, I can work in certain areas of the Extraordinary Vessels, like Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai) or Governing Vessel (Du Mai). Work with the Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai) and Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) is often hard to access. I think because it is linked with the Land, but also with Blood, Xing their core identity and their breath.

I think this is the heart of their issues of Exile and why they often have Caesareans. I often work with Dai Mai to gather their energy to their centre, to their hara to give it a sense of direction.
Dai Mai work also helps to reduce the backache and tonifies the energy of the pelvis, which is often weak. The Kidney Uterus connection also supports the Dai Mai and the mother when she is tired.
I have just begun to include the Heart Uterus connection with HC6. I work a little with Chong Mai around the breasts, but sometimes this is too much for the women. I think that the women are beginning to get to know me now and trust me but this has taken time. Now they speak more openly about their homeland and the violence they have suffered. I am more able to work with the Yin and I can include a little more the Chong Mai in the postnatal period. I do not always find it is appropriate to include the branch of the Chong Mai in the legs because their connection to the earth is not very stable. I prefer to work Spleen and Stomach and include Spleen 6 and Stomach 36.

The women do not always come that regularly. I do not always offer them massages but let them know about the Shiatsu space. I allow things to unfold as I see the base is the relationship they build in the open space and when they are ready then they chose to come for a massage.

I often work with the babies and they enjoy this time with their infant. I ask them to show me how their mothers, grandmothers and women in their family massaged their babies when I feel they are open to talk about this. This way they can connect more with their culture, remember these members of their family connect with their identity, their culture, and regain confidence in themselves.

In this space, I think they find some comfort and support, well-being, relief from pain and tension in their body, due to constantly carrying their children.

Sometimes they trust me enough to talk about their family and culture but it is rare. They like to show me their newborn. I feel that maternity shiatsu helps support this mother child link even in these difficult and uncertain conditions.
(...)

Too few or too much? Back to balance with shiatsu

AShinmon Shiatsu article

 

How to get rid of bad habits thanks to Shiatsu

 

In a previous article we discussed the bad effects of sugar on health. In the meantime National Geographic (August edition) published an article « Sugar : why we can’t resist it », describing the bad effects of sugar consumption and also… production (on environment, life of local people….). Always a pleasure to share thoughts :-).

Sugar is but one thing in our lives in which we overindulge. We can also name tobacco, alcohol, coffee…There are food imbalances like too much salt, too much meat, too many desserts…. But also physical imbalances through sport, laziness, sexual addiction… Emotional and mental imbalances as well.

Pyramide de Maslow

 

Lack is typical for humans, and the answer is excess. I am not talking about the basic needs of the Maslow pyramid which have to be fulfilled to survive (eat enough, sleep enough…). But it goes like this, once the basic needs are fulfilled. If we don’t have a house, we want one, and when we have one, we want two, and so on, endlessly, with things, relationships, feelings. That makes me think of imbalances on shiatsu meridians. You have KYO/Empty/lack of energy somewhere and then JITSU/Full/Excess on some other part. So, if we apply that energetical principle on us, can we use shiatsu techniques for more satisfaction and less excesses? Most certainly.

Let’s observe how it works. In the first place, you are lacking something. Lack comes from “the inside” and cannot be satisfied with things from “the outside”. If you are desperate about being loved, even thousand partners won’t help you. Projections to the outside world create a fertile soil for that process to settle. Lack leads to excess. And excess leads to lack again, for instance in the case of sugar (see previous article)

How can we transform that vicious circle into a virtuous circle? There are lots of methods, hundreds of books have been written on that topic… What can we do with shiatsu, just by putting our hands on someone?

The way of the Mind

Before you put your hands, there is a whole life frame going together with shiatsu. People practicing shiatsu (giving and receiving) think and live in a different way. Let’s try.

It is said : it’s more important to work on KYO/Yin/lack of energy than on JITSU/Yang/symptoms. When a symptom disappears, we have a point but healing is effective when Yin/hidden things/lack has been solved. Excess then fades away and lack is fulfilled.

Eastern practices are influenced by Buddhism and often use the Middle Way. So we will have to work on excess and on lack, knowing lack must disappear at the end.

Here are some possible ways to do that:

1. Become conscious of what is not good for you, observe yourself, gnôthi seauthon. In case of food addictions the body knows what’s good or no good for it. How do I feel when I exaggerate ? What is exaggeration in your case ? A regular shiatsu practice cleans the body and makes it sensitive to excess, whatever.
2. Don’t feel guilty. Guilt is a Western concept and it only makes symptoms worse. When we « sin », let’s hope we enjoyed it. Seeing how this process works can help avoiding it.
3. Decide and start immediately. This is a strategy to catch the mind telling us that we will start tomorrow (and tomorrow after tomorrow, meaning “never”)? There has to be a clear start and a strong sign. Dispose of the addictive things, for instance.
4. Reduce progressively : stopping everything immediately means getting unhappy and only makes temptation stronger. By working progressively, you make progress. At the end, the lack has gone and you haven’t even noticed.
5. Frugality and simplicity as a lifestyle. Being always a little empty is a way to get energy. Saturation makes heavy. Being frugal can also mean eating better quality and smaller amounts. Buying more expensive things, you might be obliged to consume less.
6. Break habits. Lots of addictions come through bad habits that have become automatisms. Going to the coffee machine during breaks is one of those social habits. Change your habits, but remain social.
7. Identify lack and breathe. Lack has also a time dimension, fear for tomorrow and compensation for yesterday. While reading this, for instance, you are lacking nothing, just sitting, breathing, feeling safe… Living in the present moment, we are not lacking anything. Meditation can give such insight.

The way of the body: work on meridians
That’s when you think of methods to bring balance back in your daily life, applying a shiatsu (or Eastern) background. Then you can also practise shiatsu and work on lack and excess, by pressing some meridians. This will reduce or suppress the imbalances and the needs. Sugar is related to Spleen/Pancreas, thoughts as well, salt to Kidneys, each organ has its emotion… Diagnostic is the only way to know, as everybody is unique. Every lack and excess will have its meridian(s) with specific points to treat. So have a shiatsu to get rid of bad habits.
That will work as a whole as well. Feeling good, relaxed, deeply connected to life energy makes you more quiet and joyful. Shiatsu brings balance back and connects us to joy through Heart energy. From then on you are lacking nothing, every day, every minute is a satisfaction.

Adrenal Burnout Healed Through Shiatsu

Hello everybody ! Bonjour à tous !

For all my english customers, I propose you now some english written articles.

I propose you to discover this Mihael Mamychshvil's article, copy courtesy of the author.

Pour tous nos amis de langue anglaise, je vous propose désormais une rubrique d'articles dans cette langue.

 Adrenal Burnout Healed Through Shiatsu

The kidneys are considered to be the energy force of the body in Shiatsu and traditional Chinese Medicine. It is also "the furnace" that keeps us warm and distributes heat and energy throughout. Together with the bladder they are an important part in detoxifying the body of waste and impurities.
In the winter (which is the season for Kidneys) the cold has an observable effect on the kidneys and bladder. Since we sweat less we urinate more. Therefore it is vital to keep the "furnace" of the body nice and warm. Not exposing our lower backs (where the kidneys are located) to the cold when working, or in action. Many people experience lower back pain in the winter for this reason.
Your two adrenal glands are small, triangular-shaped endocrine glands located on the top of each kidney. Each adrenal gland is approximately 3 inches wide and a half inch high. They are part of the endocrine system which helps normalize hormones.
When the adrenal glands are not functioning optimally, you can have a condition that is known as adrenal fatigue, or adrenal exhaustion. Adrenal fatigue often develops after periods of intense or lengthy physical or emotional stress, which leads to over stimulated glands that are unable to meet the body's needs.

Common causes that stress your kidneys and adrenal glands are:
Emotional and physical stress over time
Excess alcohol
Excess caffeine
Exposure to pollutants
Trauma
Bacterial infections
Fear
The Cold
Excess Salt/Sodium
Excess sexual activity

Things to remember when you have Adrenal Burnout
Don't overdo it – stick with moderate, consistent exercise to build energy reserves and to help start shedding excess weight, two to three times a week.
Don’t detox - save detoxing for when your body is ready and willing, not when you kidneys are already taxed.
Keep your lower back warm - heating pads, baths, saunas. Keep shirts tucked in and rub your low back vigorously in circular motion to generate heat and circulation.
Get treatments - Shiatsu therapy can help boost the body's energy system and is known to improve mood and help a person cope with physical and emotional stress.
Things to remember when you have Adrenal Burnout:
Don't overdo it – stick with moderate, consistent exercise to build energy reserves and to help start shedding excess weight, two to three times a week.
Don’t detox - save detoxing for when your body is ready and willing, not when you kidneys are already taxed.
Keep your lower back warm - heating pads, baths, saunas. Keep shirts tucked in and rub your low back vigorously in circular motion to generate heat and circulation.
Get treatments - Shiatsu therapy can help boost the body's energy system and is known to improve mood and help a person cope with physical and emotional stress.
Here are some Shiatsu acupoints you can use to alleviate Adrenal Fatigue:

Boost energy and immunity: Use four of your fingers to apply pressure from the lateral edge of the knee bone close to the bone which is the most tender point.

photo:

- See more at: http://www.vancouverlifestyles.com/health-and-fitness/health/adrenal-burnout-healed-through-shiatsu?sthash.cWCpHPNr.mjjo&goback=%2Egmp_128795%2Egde_128795_member_262631064#sthash.cWCpHPNr.aw3HdIha.dpuf

Mihael Mamychshvili RST
www.angelhands.ca