Japanese Acupuncture Study Group Reforms

Greetings and Salutations,

Last Saturday the first Gold Coast Japanese Acupuncture/Japanese Meridian Therapy/Traditional Japanese Medicine study group in 7 years was held.

Please allow me to apologize for the irregular activity on http://worldacupunctureblog.com over the last month or so.

I have been besieged my problems with my PC and finally relented this weekend handing the machine over to my tekkie for a heart and lung transplant.

Surgery should have taken place overnight but as can happen in the virtual world some 48 hours later, my machine is in intensive care and it is looking like I will have to re-install all programs.

Such is life but the outcome should be trouble free computing in the future and more regular posts.

Back to our first Japanese Acupuncture workshop in 7 years…….

A little history regards these study groups.

First established in 1994 when I was teaching at an undergraduate level and realized that my students were not getting sufficient practice in their degree course, the study groups were held on a monthly basis for the next 6 years winding down in 2002  as a result of burn out on my behalf.

The first visit to our shores by Edward Obaidey in 1995 provided much needed stimulus for these Study Groups, whilst Masakazu Ikeda sensei’s visit in 1996 turbo-charged our focus and desire to refine/develop our skills in the practice of Traditional Acupuncture.

A couple of months ago Takashi Furue a graduate of ACNM here on the Gold Coast approached me about the possibility of re-establishing the study group.

Takashi, Andy and Elvira

He had been in communication with Ikeda sensei and other leading lights in the development/refinement of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy in Japan and was encouraged by their positive feedback regarding ongoing study here in Australia.

One of the key factors of the cessation of the Study Groups in 2002 was the seemingly insurmountable communication and cultural differences between Australia and Japan limiting our ability to obtain appropriate feedback/support from Japan, the appearance of Takashi and his powerful focus and commitment for the practice of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture looks to have resolved these difficulties to some degree and provided the impetus to re-establish regular monthly study groups where senior practitioners and students of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture can gather to discuss, practice and refine this therapeutically dynamic modality.

So it was that we gathered last Saturday to discuss the direction that we would like to take in our studies and practice, 6 leading undergraduate students and 10 practitioners with an average 11 years clinical experience.

The Study Group Crew

For the 1st half of the study group we discussed the best direction to take with our studies and the decision was made to begin the translation of Masakazu Ikeda sensei’s latest work, a clinically based handbook/commentary on the ancient classical text the ‘Nan Jing’.

The primary responsibility for this daunting task falls to Takashi, as he translates the most relevant chapters of this timeless classic for the group, senior practitioners within the group will be doing their best to relate this invaluable information to their clinical practices.

The 2nd half of the study group was all practical with a number of practitioners including myself receiving much needed treatment from our peers, a rare privilege indeed.

As a recipient, Traditional Japanese Acupuncture never ceases to amaze me, the benefit I felt, especially the relief experienced from chronic neck and shoulder pain as a result of a serious motor vehicle accident some 2 1/2 years ago complicated by a whiplash injury incurred whilst surfing the previous day was outstanding to say the least.

A precisely applied Kidney root treatment complimented by needling of the affected meridians in conjunction with the application of astute tonetskyu/rice grain moxibustion on a number of relevant locations as determined by thorough palpation of the affected areas resulted in a feeling of well being, a a quality nights sleep, a pain free surfing session (paddling the board has been exacting painful retribution on my damaged shoulder and neck) and the smoothest practice session on the Golf Driving range the following day.

To say I am grateful for my treatment and remain astonished as to the efficacy of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture would be a massive understatement!

Videographer and enthusiastic undergraduate student Andrew captured much of the study group on film and the highlights will be available in the near future at http://worldacupuncture.com

Andrew Not Sweating Over his Canon

It was decided at the Study Group to throw the doors open, meaning that any interested student or practitioner of Acupuncture is welcome to attend, so if you are keen to refine and develop your practice of Traditional Acupuncture and physically able to attend, YOU ARE WELCOME.

If you are unable to physically get your body through the door, do not despair we will be recording highlights of each study group and publishing them at http://worldacupuncture.com and you will be able to ask all the questions you want on the forum.

Keiko Capturing the Moment

That’s about it for this post, my surfing buddy has just called and at this moment is scouring the Northern N.S.W coastline in an effort to find a wave due to unfavorable wind conditions at my home surfing break at Rainbow Bay.

The next Traditional Japanese Acupuncture/Meridian Therapy study Group will be held at Miami on the Gold Coast on 10th October 2009, 2pm – 6pm, at this point we have determined a charge of $10 per workshop to cover rental of the premises and equipment, I hope you can make it, if not remember that video highlights of the study groups will be available at http://worldacupuncture.com.

All the Best,

Alan

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted in the vicinity of 30 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at
http://www.WorldAcupuncture.com