Acupuncture Needling - an Example of One Possibility… (Video)

Many people wonder what the experience of Acupuncture might be like.  As explained elsewhere on this site, Acupuncture is practiced in lots of ways by people of many traditions, and the experience of any individual in any given treatment is unique.  Acupuncture treatments from practitioners from diverse traditions can be very helpful for your health concerns.

Acupuncture needles are used in a lot of different ways, and used for different purposes at different points.  Even at a given Acupuncture Point, the effect could be different depending on the intended result of the treatment, and on the technique used.

I was trained in a tradition where using an acupuncture needle for a therapeutic treatment is considered to be a very serious thing, and a big responsibility.

This video shows an example of a needling treatment for a very specific purpose, in the context of treating someone for a certain complex of symptoms.  This is excerpted from a long video describing the entire treatment, so is not intended as a teaching tool or a prescription for using a certain point for any given condition - merely an example of what the experience of receiving an acupuncture treatment might be like.  This does not at all demonstrate the whole of the treatment, but it is a good example of the experience of receiving a treatment.

This person is very articulate in describing her experience.  What she is talking about is called, in Chinese, “Deqi” - simply stated that means the sensation that someone receiving an acupuncture treatment feels when an acupuncture point is stimulated effectively.

As an Acupuncturist, when I am using a needle to treat someone, I am using it to feel a sensation called “Hibiki” (From the Japanese language).  The word “Hibiki”, in this context, refers to the sensations that I feel when needling that tell me if I am reaching the acupuncture point I am looking for, and affecting it in the way that I intend to.  Hence the name of this website.

Thanks for watching - I will be posting more videos soon.  Check back if you like what you see.

Please contact me if you think you or your students might like to learn more about these kinds of therapies.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

What You Can Learn with a thorough Manual Evaluation (Video)

When evaluating a person to decide on a course of treatment, or someone with a complicated medical history, it is very helpful to do a complete palpatory exam.  Manual Therapy is an effective treatment in itself for a lot of conditions (for some things it is the treatment of choice), and a method of finding out information that can help create a very thorough treatment plan.

Sometimes in the course of doing this kind of evaluation, you can discover information that may not have come out during a medical history, or even information that your client may have forgotten about or does not realize is important.

Nakazono-Sensei, during my training in this form of Manual Therapy, liked to say that “In Oriental Medicine, Diagnosis and Treatment are the same - you should treat someone as if you are diagnosing, and diagnose as if you are treating them.”

When you are touching someone in a therapeutic context, you are affecting them at the same time that you are discovering things about their condition.  Sometimes you can find out some surprising things…

Please contact me if you think you or your students might like to learn more about these kinds of therapies.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

Body Mechanics for Bodyworkers (Video)

As Manual Therapists, Bodyworkers, and Massage Therapists, we use our hands and bodies to work on our clients.  This can be very physically demanding work, and if we are going to do it over a long period of time (as a career), we need to know how to use our bodies to exert the necessary force, repeatedly, without hurting ourselves.

Martial artists have the same concern, and because Martial Arts (on a practical level) is largely about exerting force with one’s body, martial artists have become quite sophisticated in their approach to body mechanics.  I have developed a series of classes based on Principles of Body Mechanics drawn from a number of different martial arts. These classes are designed to train Bodyworkers in how to use their bodies to exert force in their work in ways that will keep them from being injured and insure that they can have a long, productive career doing the work that they love.  I have used these strategies throughout my 25-year career as a Manual Therapist and Acupuncturist.

This is a video montage of a class I taught in Seattle, WA, a few years ago.  This is a sample of the kinds of things I like to talk about in this context, and is excerpted from a 4-hour class that includes principles of pushing, pulling, using your hands to exert force, using balance, leverage, and other strategies to prevent injuries.  It is a fun class with lots of simple exercises to demonstrate the principles and help to build them into your muscle memory and nervous system, so that they become automatic habits.  The principles taught in this class also apply to martial arts, yoga, dance, and other athletic or work situations that might put someone at risk for injuries.

Please contact me if you think you or your students might like to learn more about these kinds of subjects.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

I look forward to hearing from you.

Martial Arts and Medicine - the Sinew Channels (Video)

Usually, in the US, when you hear about the relationship between Martial arts and Asian Medicine, you hear about Taiqichuan or Qigong.  That is because most Acupuncture practitioners in the US come from Chinese traditions.  There is a rich history of martial arts medicine from other cultures, too.  My first teacher of Japanese Medicine, Masahilo Nakazono, was an Aikido teacher - you can watch some video of him here:

I also spent many years training in a Korean martial art, and it helped me to expand my understanding of what I had learned from Nakazono-Sensei.

Nakazono-Sensei always said that “Martial arts and medicine are the same.” I have been curious about that ever since, and my study of that has taken me to a lot of different places.  Here is a video that addresses one of the things that I learned from my explorations…

I will be creating several educational products and teaching classes about the sinew channels, and how that relates to the treatment of injury with Oriental Medicine.  Acupuncturists, massage therapists and other bodyworkers, and people from other fields of therapy could benefit from a deeper understanding of this aspect of Asian medical theory, I think.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)