One of the many things I enjoy about Japanese acupuncture is the refinement of all my senses to gather information on a patient’s landscape, so to speak.
By palpating the abdomen, I can assess where there is excess accumulation by sensing the hard or hot areas.
If an area feels weak, like a deflated balloon, this means resilience is lacking. When I sense cold in an area this has clinical significance, as well, it needs to be warmed up.
Besides palpating the abdomen, we touch the chest to see if heat is stuck there.
The lungs and the heart serve to radiate heat from the body, similar to the radiator in your car.
If I sense too much heat in the chest, I already know my patient may be suffering from anxiety, asthma, insomnia or depression. In the face-up position, I palpate the arms and legs, to gather information on the meridians, then moving on to specific points on the meridians.
For example, while a patient is face down, if I feel tightness along the I.T. band (which is part of the Gallbladder meridian), this often points to hip, low back, ankle and knee problems, as well as possible migraines. We must relieve these areas of congestion, to restore healthy circulation, once again.
Often I feel mushiness on the side of the foot, below the big toe, I know this patient’s digestive energy is weak and their general vitality is lacking.
On the back side, I often see severe tightness in the traps, neck and scapular region, this gives rise to headaches, mental sluggishness, allergies or eye, ear, throat and nasal concerns.
Did you know your carpal tunnel syndrome or elbow pain may be originating from the stiffness in your traps and scapula? If we address the tightness in your low back we can treat help the plantar fasciitis you suffer from.
Both knee and low back pain can be cleared by treating the really hard, stiff areas behind your knee.
With my hands alone, I can diagnose a host of imbalances in the body.
