2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,500 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 25 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Sex, Neurochemicals and the Loving Tao

A lovely friend popped by the other Valentine’s Day. Sitting in my airy kitchen with a glass of pink bubbly she popped the question:

Do all men separate love and sex?

If the laddish antics of the inmates at Tool Academy were the male norm, the answer would be yes, but even these 21^st century Neanderthals show remorse when confronted by images of their crass infidelity. So why do certain lads (and laddettes) think with their balls and ignore the heart’s wisdom? The answer, as Enigma so lyrically suggested, lay in the Principles of Lust.

When I first stepped out of my cabin on to the yoga deck at the Sivananda ashram in California 4years ago, I was treated to the testosterone-arresting sight of an oriental yogini performing downward dog in bootilicious jog pants. The progress of my dopamine-fuelled lust was dampened by the Swami’s opening admonition to focus on yoga and not on finding a mate! No toothless bark this but a strategy to create sattva – a state of peaceful acceptance achieved through diet.

All stimulants including onions, garlic, caffeine, chilli &c were absented from the mouth-watering meals lovingly prepared from the Ranch’s gardens. Within days I felt released from predatory hormones to a soul awash with oxytocin – one who appreciated the beauty in people, whatever their sex.

Both men and women fall prey to courtship ‘overheating’ when arousal is ignited by dopamine.  Pupil dilation, flushing, mucosal release and engorgement accompany a frenzy of tactile, visual and olfactory stimuli rushing headlong to orgasm. While genitally-centric, the cocktail of neurochemicals released in procreation suffuse the body with endorphins, opiates, oxytocin and other delights which can lead to addiction.

Perversely, this dopamine high is followed by a post-orgasmic prolactin low, typified by the post-coital cartoon-male’s disinterest: turn over, fart and snore (apologies to all you sensitive lovers out there!). Shamefully un-reconstructed, our lovers commit a fatal mistake – instead of increasing the love chemical oxytocin by maintaining eye contact and tactile stimulation, they choose to pursue orgasm, after the refractory period abates, to counterbalance the prolactin-low. In the case of both men and women, jing is irrevocably lost from the kidneys in this exhausting round of bi-polar erotic yo-yo. The goal of sexual release replaces the experience of sensual pleasure.

Jing is a form of sexual energy – body chi stored for gradual release into the extraordinary meridians. It enters the foetus at the quickening as pre-heavenly essence and accumulates during gestation to a finite level giving us our constitutional strength at birth – the number of ‘amp-hours’ in our renal accumulator. Like any other battery, if we withdraw too much, too fast then we will go flat. This flatness is aggravated by the prolactin low and causes all sorts of relationship problems.

Jing as sexual energy is circulated in the chong mai or Penetrating Vessel which rises up the spine to the crown, drops through the pineal and pituitary glands to the top palette and accumulates in the hara. It then passes through the bao gong (uterus or Palace of Sperm) and descends to the perineum. Students of the Loving Tao will recognise this microcosmic orbit as a way of recirculating and renewing sexual energy between lovers.

Indeed, the ancient Chinese texts reveal these techniques as secrets of the Emperors. These august and invariably senior Taoist masters maintained large harems of youthful wives whom they satisfied continually using the big draw, sperm-retention and inner smile while riding the wave of bliss into old age.

The regular loss of jing by the ageing male in the West can be catastrophic as it drains the life force causing a dip in creativity and longevity and wreaking havoc with the immune system and relationships. In the young male, the cult of ejaculation, while not so physically depleting, can cause relationship and even career dysfunction due to the dopamine-prolactin yo-yo. Riding the wave of bliss however is empowering at any age and produces a multi-orgasmic partnership.

Don’t get me wrong – dopamine is there for a reason and in the first flush of romance there might be nothing more auto erotic than the sight of your loved one’s secret places giving rise to that most exquisite of quickies in the back of a taxi, a crowded train or a luxurious hotel loo. In fact billions of our GDP are devoted to enabling just that through the creative designs of the fashion and beauty industries.

But which of us hasn’t experienced the tyranny of orgasm and at times found it damaging and when obsessive downright destructive? Sex is exciting but loving sex is cosmic!

Through such practices as sattvic yoga, communication (open-hearted eye-eye contact with affirmation), living love and holistic intimacy as well as loving Tao, we can continually re-kindle love and sensuality and the scintillation of oxytocin in the system. Bathing in oxytocin the love chemical informs our sexuality and transforms it into true intimacy.

As a shiatsu practitioner trained in wellmother and the loving Tao, I am experienced in diagnosing blocks to both sexual function and fertility. Rebalancing treatments put the client in touch with their circulating energy through the microcosmic orbit and stimulate chi through the kidneys, thus strengthening the constitution. Workshop enquiries on communication, living love and holistic intimacy as well as loving Tao welcome.

English Disease, Winter Blues, Backache and Cancer

English Disease, Winter Blues, Backache and Cancer

A client recently asked me if shiatsu could cure an arm lymphodoema. She inherited the swelling in the wake of a malignancy.

I hesitated….somehow it was the wrong question! Curing, you may be disappointed to hear, isn’t what we do. Shiatsu taps in to Universal Energy or Chi which runs throughout the body and gives motive force to every vital process in the organs, blood, immune system, reproduction and so on.

Blocked Chi in the liver may be caused by toxic overload and give rise to cirrhosis; stagnation in the blood could cause period pain, clots or even leukaemia; in the large intestine sluggishness manifests as constipation and an over energised (jitsu) bowel may indicate diarrhoea or if chronic, cancer.

Before the onset of degenerative disease, shiatsu can help to unblock stagnant chi in any of the vital processes. Through its facility to promote deep relaxation it aids the body to re-balance and self-repair. It works on the lymph by releasing and draining the nodes at the joint, in this case the shoulder, thus freeing up the lymph in the axillae (armpits). Not so much cure as homeostasis, the body’s natural balance mechanism.

….. It’s Midwinter and our kidneys are storing energy and hopefully recuperating. The element of WATER, with its midnight blues reflected in the cold depths of icy rivers.

Our long-suffering English temperament has endured inadequate social responses to the freezing of our pipes and highways, grumbled dispassionately at a VAT hike and shrugged at the obscene bonuses dished out to bankers. Our stiff upper lips curl as we knuckle down to a cold wet sun-starved January. Yet something drives us from the back to achieve, reach goals, a workaholic tendency, and then…..oops there goes that nagging lumbar pain again!

This syndrome is the English Disease. Homeopaths call the remedy picture NatMur.  In shiatsu we are alerted to the longest meridian in the body, urinary bladder (BL). Running from the inner canthus of the eyes over the head and down either side of the spine like skunk’s stripes, it causes tightness in the hamstrings, a tendency to workaholism and lower back pain.

Try explaining to the earthy, self-made building contractor with a score of projects on the go that his aching back localised at a kidney-related point is due to feeling unsupported by those around him. Better to lie him down on my futon and access the ‘Gate of Life (ming meng), pulsing chi into the spine at the level of the kidneys, stretching the back and releasing it using hip-opening rotations.

Accessing Yu points on the BL meridian triggers the plexus’ (concentration of nervous bundles) which supply, in turn, the heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys and intestines by giving them the electrical impulses needed to fire their responses at the right time. In shiatsu this feels like the thumbs working gently alongside the vertebrae, releasing and energising.

If you would benefit from a mid-winter energy boost, a chance to recoup from fatigue and an energetic approach to alleviating backache, I am offering a buy-one-get-one-half-price shiatsu treatment until end Feb. Tel: 07835522582

Alan Warr MSc DipShiatsu MRSS DipYoga uses a unique approach to treatment informed by the Medicine Buddha. He has over 20 years bodywork experience and specialises in chronic injuries and pathology. He works with mother and baby through wellmother.org and treats sub-fertility.

www.seriallifegiver.wordpress.com www.glastonburyshiatsu.co.uk

 

Late Autumn ~ METAL ~ Self-worth and Forgiveness

When we are born, the first independent act we perform is to breathe. We are no longer tied to the umbilical and in this primal cry establish our independence as a human being. The Lungs (LU) in oriental medicine not only denote our in-breath, a process of getting ourselves together for the task ahead, but also describe our uniqueness of being. LU also denotes boundary – the creation of a barrier which tells us apart but yet across which we can communicate effectively. How similar is this to the air sacs in our lungs which exchange gases and give us the oxygen to create energy in the cells and give us our vitality?

The other side of this METAL pair is the Large Intestine (LI) and running parallel to the physiological function of removing waste is the notion that good LI energy will help us to remove outmoded structures in our lives, things, people or situations we no longer need. LI is the out-breath and in the state of relaxation this affords, enables us to seek and give forgiveness.

Metal has the quality of clean lines, a sharp edge and METAL people tend to have good personal boundaries, may dress in a fashion that gives them an iconic look and may make good teachers, trainers or managers. Additionally they are adept at ‘cutting out’ the dross in their lives and releasing past issues – no clutter under their beds!

Late Autumn and early Winter sees the fruit harden and compact, steeling itself for the cold ahead and contracting into the seed state only to be re-born in the Spring. Leaves fall from the trees and unwanted drains on the organism’s energy discarded. METAL embodies the phase of waning in autumn, when it is natural to feel existential grief for loss of youth and vigour. Healthy metal energy does not prevent the experience of grief but avoids us being trapped in that emotion and keeps us open to new possibilities.

But what can go wrong? Chronic LU conditions cause hardness (ossification) in the skeleton over time typically producing a kyphosis (hunchback). Remember the recluse Quasimodo who rung the bells of Notre Dame? Isolation, loneliness and withdrawal may be seen in chronic METAL imbalances. It is no surprise that, as we grow older and sometimes less sociable or isolated that pulmonary disorders predominate – bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy and emphysema are all geriatric conditions. With understanding shiatsu can help the old to navigate the autumn of their lives to reach acceptance, wisdom, mature individuality, humour and lightness of being.

Shiatsu not only offers support and touch to those who need it most, regular treatments can support LU vitality and make a difference to chronic spinal mis-alignment. An inability to extend the neck and stiffness in the rotator cuff may be helped by acupressure along the intercostal LU meridian. Poor circulation and fatigue are classic Lung symptoms. The skin which is the largest respiratory organ of the body may suffer from eczema, psoriasis or eruptive skin conditions such as acne. The former are alleviated by re-balancing the LU, the latter the LI.

LU points on the wrist and arm may help relieve the following conditions:

• Phlegm, cough, back, chest and shoulder pain
• Flu, headaches, runny nose and hidden grief
• Lack of vitality, immune defences down

Healthy elimination comes under large intestine function. However, problems with ‘letting go’ (of past hurts, for example), a change in residence and uncertainty about our job security may all relate to LI imbalances causing loose stools, constipation or IBS. Wherever symptoms have stagnation as a factor – constipation, menstrual pain, lumbar stiffness or sinusitis a LI diagnosis often accompanies:

• Are you stuck in old, limiting behaviour patterns?
• Unable to release disappointments from the past?
• Fear of failure, defensive pride or expectation of rejection?

All these patterns limit our experience and keep us stuck in unwanted life structures. “I want to leave (job, relationship, residence…), but I can’t….” is a theme often heard in LI diagnosis.

Shiatsu recognises that physical and emotional imbalances are related. Why not get your “Autumn MOT” by contacting Alan at the Glastonbury Shiatsu Practice (details below)? All treatments are performed clothed at floor level. An initial case diagnosis is followed by relaxing and invigorating stretches, rotations and reflex point treatment. Wear loose clothing and come prepared for a life-changing experience!

Alan Warr, a writer and practitioner in 5-element Zen Shiatsu describes the origins of shiatsu in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The concept of wellness where the shiatsu practiioner is only rewarded when his client is in rude health is contrasted with modern medicine where the GP’s existence depends on a population in chronic dis-ease.

Alan Warr (MSc DipShiatsu MRSS DipYoga) has 20years bodywork and yoga experience. He offers Zen shiatsu treatments for vitality and fertility and lectures on oriental medicine. He is a member of Well Mother Org and specializes in maternity care. He teaches a daily Vinyasa Flow class at Glastonbury Yogashala.
FFI and appointments info@glastonburyshiatsu.co.uk Tel: 07835522582

Autumn ~ Earth ~ Nurture

We are used to regarding the earth as solid, our foundation: which is why earthquakes are so terrifying. The apparent unmoveable planet we thrive on is suddenly unpredictable. Throughout history all cultures saw the earth as our ‘mother’ providing nourishment and support for our growth. Those whom shiatsu describes as having a healthy Earth Element also exhibit these comforting and supporting characteristics, whether male or female. Interestingly, our relationship to the person who represents ‘earth mother’ for us powerfully affects the Earth meridians within us.

The keywords for healthy Earth are nourishment and growth – whether of the tiny foetus in the womb – or the germ of an idea which turns into intellectual reality. Autumn with its glowing golds, and ripening harvest completes the natural cycle of sowing growing and reaping. Physical nourishment and emotional nurturing form the bases of the two Earth Meridians – Stomach (ST) and Spleen (SP), respectively.

Balanced Earth gives us the feeling of being ‘grounded’. In this sense it bestows a spiritual dimension. The growth of ideas also falls into the Earth realm. However when these ideas are ungrounded, the mind becomes like a ‘drunken monkey’, ideas constantly bobbing to the surface and the incessant chatter of the internal dialogue.

A recent client of pleasant, warm disposition and a caring but controlling motherly nature complained: ‘If I wake up early say around 5am – that’s it! I may as well get up because I can’t go back to sleep’. Here, circularity of thought indicates imbalanced Earth and a hara diagnosis confirmed that SP was imbalanced: she also ground her teeth at exactly the point where the two Earth lines meet in the jaw. Symptoms as widely variant as these give the shiatsushi confirmation and treatment guidance.

Does your mind whirr like a clockwork donkey?

Can’t stand the thought of breakfast?

Are you insomniac due to recurring thoughts?

Knee problems?

Are you always ‘thinking of things to do’?

Menstrual disorders?

If you answered yes to one or more of these you may well be suffering Earth imbalance. If the issue centres more on the blood (menses) or poor appetite, the SP is the likely culprit. Spleen Ki holds the body up and deficiency may reflect prolapse in the internal organs such as the stomach, bladder and uterus and can manifest in varicose veins, for example. The Spleen meridian opens onto the mouth and inability to taste or a dry thirsty mouth show malfunction in this energy system. Both a craving for liquids and sweet things indicate SP malfunction.

Both the Stomach and Spleen meridians pass through the breasts and the ovaries and therefore have implications for healthy reproduction and gestation of the baby. Indeed breast tissue whether excessive or deficient both point to SP imbalance – there may well come a time when shiatsu develops specific techniques that may affect the quality of breast tissue and provide an alternative to costly and dangerous implant surgery! There are already courses of treatments for face rejuvenation using shiatsu and acupuncture – why not breast augmentation also?

Specific SP acupoints in the body (tsubos) help to calm the mind, reduce anxiety, regulate menses, reduce bleeding and affect IBS and gyno problems. I tend to treat these points as part of an overall body treatment depending on presenting symptoms. As a trained Well-Mother practitioner I often use the Spleen to access the Penetrating Vessel through the uterus in addressing sub-fertility, promoting healthy pregnancy and easing the passage to natural childbirth.

Zen Shiatsu/ Yoga Therapy/ Fertility & Maternity

For Appointment Tel: 01458833067/07835522582

With Alan Warr MSC Dip Yoga Dip Shiatsu

Natural Birth ~ Shiatsu in the Childbearing Year

I have a very nice job. I work with new life in the womb or incipiently in the seed of the parents (sub-fertility) and post-natally with the new born. Shiatsu (which in Japanese literally means finger-touch) is simply intelligent touch whose purpose is to unblock universal energy (Ki) in the body.

Actually I often describe Shiatsu as ‘intelligent Reiki’.  This is not meant to downplay the development of this wisdom by Usui in 1922. Shiatsu, however, has a 3000 year history and body of knowledge which dates back to the Ancient Healing Wisdom of China (Tui-na).

Maternity Shiatsu was practiced for over a 100 years in Japan for the purposes of natural birth. Much of it is common sense. When a woman is heavily pregnant, she is most comfortable in sidelying, propped up by a couple of cushions. I love this position as much as the mum’s do! I gently lean into the mother’s back and she can feel the warmth and support of my flanks and relaxes appropriately.  In Shiatsu it is said, ‘the giver leans on his client and the client leans back on him’ – support is the essence of this work. Shiatsu is naturally two-handed and it is equally natural to place one hand in the upper back while the other scoops up the mother’s bulge making a ‘heart-uterus’ connection.

Heart-Uterus Connection

This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the baby. In effect we are linking an Extraordinary Meridian in the body passing through both the heart and the womb. Taoists call this energy pathway the Microcosmic Orbit and it has everything to do with sexual energy – a form of universal energy (Ki) – also known as Jing.

For mum and dad this is an essential connection to make as early in the pregnancy as possible. With busy lives sometimes holding down two full-time jobs, first-time parents especially find it hard to ‘connect with baby’. They may not even recognise this loss until birthing is imminent. Anecdotally we know that limited emotional involvement by dad may have implications for both presentation (ideally head down, occiput adjacent mum’s belly) and also for so-called ‘overdue’ pregnancies.

Support during the childbearing year can be crucial for joyful gestation and natural birth. The quality of energy changes significantly throughout the 3 trimesters. Fertilisation is essentially a Yang process with penetration and the sperm’s journey to the ovum. Gestation, however, is Yin – the main purpose being to contain and nurture the embryo in the womb. Shiatsu supports this through another Extraordinary Vessel which ‘girdles’ the hips and supports the baby and uterine health. Once more at the time of birth, the nature of the shiatsu treatment tends to be Yang – encouraging the expulsion of new life!

Where does this anecdotal evidence come from? I am one of a growing professional movement of maternity shiatsu practitioners trained by wellmother.org. I offer acupressure massage for expectant mums and partners including:

Fertility enhancement/Connection with mother and baby/Teaching pain relief acupoints and late pregnancy rest and exercise positions/Teach the safe use of ‘induction’ points/Birthing and partner support positions/Professional Shiatsu care over 3 trimesters

Zen Shiatsu/ Yoga Therapy/ Fertility & Maternity

Tel for appointment: 833067/07835522582

With Alan Warr MSc DipShiatsu DipYoga

Alan is a Master of Science and has been teaching yoga and bodywork for over 20 years. His 4 children all had natural births.. Specialized Reproductive Meridians enable him to promote fertility to replace or support IVF. Several clients have achieved conception within weeks of treatment

www.glastonburyshiatsu.co.uk www.seriallifegiver.wordpress.com

Early Summer – Fire Element

In this third blog on the human condition within the 5-elemental nature, we consider the FIRE energy contained in the meridians. They are: heart, pericardium (HP), small intestine and triple warmer (TH).
Purple iris and pink aquilegia splash colour in the profusion of lush green overgrowth in my late-Spring garden. While pink may resonate the romantic notion of heartfelt love, green is the true Anahata vibration – why else would a divine being have immersed us in it!
In Oriental Medicine HT is the Emperor, the other FIRE meridians his attendants. The Emperor’s bodyguard is the Heart Protector or pericardium, the sheath of muscle protecting the heart from physical harm. He stands there, arms crossed over the heart. How often do we see such body language, especially in the Englishman’s reserved nature? Too much self-protection, however, and the stance becomes automatic, the head bowed in suppliance and a mild kyphosis develops bowing the back permanently over the thoracic vertebrae… Unfortunately this is an all-too-common condition in abused youngsters.
The small intestine, as well as absorbing food into the blood, is also the Emperor’s poison taster. This works on an emotional level too: trauma or shock is absorbed by the SI until such time as the body is ready to integrate it. When the heart is deemed prepared the stored emotions are released to it and experienced as “butterflies in the stomach”.
But the heart can only take so much and imbalances there may cause it to fibrillate uncharacteristically. Interestingly the heart meridian emerges under the tongue: the jolly, flush-faced joker whom we suspect uses humour as a cover for deep emotional pain (how many stand-up comedians are actually loquacious tortured souls!) suffers from HT jitsu (over-energised). Overly-chatty types who laugh loudly and inappropriately come into this category.
The good news is that Shiatsu can open the heart up tutoring the HP when to protect and when to allow the heart’s glow. Hara diagnosis (palpation of the areas around the solar plexus) can identify those body systems which are flat (kyo) or tight (jitsu). Working HP not only can reduce kyphosis (hunchback) but points on the wrist and hands can be used to treat nausea and exam nerves!
The HT meridian itself is BEAUTIFUL to treat opening up as it does the infinite possibilities of love – and the base of the little finger is a resuscitation point!
FIRE is important for us to be happy and access our inner child. It is expressed through music, dance and love and in many creative ways. But remember: in Chinese Medicine the organs have a larger energetic footprint than they do in the West. The ancient wisdom recognised that the heart was more than just a pump – it is the emotional core of our whole being and the powerhouse of love and procreation; the kidneys which are merely a filter in the West is the mediator of fear and courage (compare the ‘fight and flight’ reaction of the adrenals which sit on the kidneys), and the liver is responsible for creating our life’s vision – when thwarted we become bitter and frustrated.
Shiatsu is a powerful technique for redressing chronic imbalances in the body. Should you be experiencing panic attacks, interview and exam fright or be laughing nervously in the company of friends your heart may well benefit from an injection of Ki (universal/body energy). A deformation in the back may be the result of a chronic self-protection mechanism but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Zen Shiatsu, Acupressure and Oriental Diagnosis
For Appointment Tel: 01458833067/07835522582
With Alan Warr MSc Dip Shiatsu Dip Yoga
Alan is a Master of Science and has been practicing bodywork for 20 years. The Buddhist concept of Compassionate Meditation informs his unique approach to Oriental Diagnosis and Zen Shiatsu.
Specialized Reproductive Meridians also enable him to promote fertility by re-distributing the body’s vital energy or Ki (works for both male and female partners).
Glastonbury Shiatsu Practice is at the top of the High Street. Alan is a member of the Shiatsu Society’s Olympic Committee.

OCEAN OF STREAMS – ANCIENT HEALING WISDOM

Alan Warr, a writer and practitioner in 5-element Zen Shiatsu describes the origins of shiatsu in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The concept of wellness where the shiatsu practiioner is only rewarded when his client is in rude health is contrasted with modern medicine where the GP’s existence depends on a population in chronic dis-ease.

Alan Warr (MSc DipShiatsu MRSS DipYoga) has 20years bodywork and yoga experience. He offers Zen shiatsu treatments for vitality and fertility and lectures on oriental medicine. He is a member of Well Mother Org and specializes in maternity care. He teaches a daily Vinyasa Flow class at Glastonbury Yogashala.
FFI and appointments info@glastonburyshiatsu.co.uk Tel: 07835522582
“Prevention is better than Cure”

WOOD energy is associated with springtime and the organs of detoxification. But the liver is the body’s general, setting life goals and being served by iots leftenant in the field, the gall bladder.
‘Stuck WOOD’ may manifest in frustration and may starve its ‘chil’ the element of FIRE. Stuck energy can be shifted by acupressure/shiatsu and dietary lifestyle advice.

OCEAN OF STREAMS – ANCIENT HEALING WISDOM

“Prevention is better than Cure” – this old adage could not apply better than to Zen Shiatsu – primary health care covering symptoms from trauma to depression, from chronic disease to the childbearing year

In ancient China and Japan their approach to wellness emphasised the human condition within nature and in particular the 5-element theory  within which both the human body/mind and the natural seasons are classified as fire, earth, metal, water and wood.

The Magnolia blossom in my front garden is now in full Spring bloom and demonstrates the power of rising sap – which last month I identified as WOOD energy associated with the liver and gall bladder. The liver dreams and the gall bladder gives us the ‘oomph’ to carry out our vision. When our life goals are thwarted we experience ‘stuck wood’ which can lead to frustration.

Recently a client receiving shiatsu complained of the cold. Body temperature is balanced by our FIRE meridians but without WOOD there can be no fire! The client wanted to ‘hit something’ – her WOOD was ‘stuck’ and manifested as a ‘frustrated punch’ in the rotator cuff.

Harmony with nature suggests which seasonal diet we adopt –springtime energises us with salads, spring onions and what could be better for primal energy than freshly sprouted mung and alfalfa?  Appropriate 5-element choices within the cycle of nature bring balance to the body’s essential organs, hormone and endocrine systems and the central nervous system – all these streaming as Ki, universal energy, within the body’s pathways – the Ocean of Streams in the title.

Seasonal foods, regular exercise in Ki development (such as Qi Gong or yoga) and systemic healing in the form of acupressure and herbs formed the basis of a healthy Chinese population. Similar techniques date at least as early as the Shang Dynasty, around 1700 BC. In the hospitable and fertile south, herbs formed the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The rugged north produced acupuncture while the middle regions developed acupressure and manipulation as tui-na which became popular in Japan as shiatsu.

The ‘shiatsushi’ was consulted instead of our modern GP. While the patron remained healthy, the shiatsushi got paid but when he fell ill, payment stopped. It was therefore in the interests of practitioners to give lifestyle advice to keep their patients in the pink!

Compare this with modern medicine which seeks to patch up the ravages of society. In the West, the doctor is paid when the patient is ill- perpetuating a culture of disease rather than wellness!

‘Stuck’ WOOD is a particularly common symptom in springtime. Energy can be shifted by acupressure/shiatsu and dietary lifestyle advice.

IS THIS VACCINE REALLY NECESSARY?

Alan Warr writes on the safety aspects of the Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine now being promoted by the Government as a prophylactic against cervical cancer. The NHS has incepted a programme to vaccinate Year 10 girls in the School System in order to replace the more costly alternative of cervical smear tests. The safety of the vaccines, marketed under the trade names Gardasil and Cervarix, has come under fire in the US and New Zealand and was implicated in the death of a 14-year old teenager in the UK. Research into the toxic effects of chemically-impregnated tampons is a suggested alternative use of NHS resources.

Alan Warr MSc DipShiatsu MRSS DipYoga is a practitioner and writer in oriental medicine specializing in fertility and maternity care. www.glastonburyshiatsu.co.uk