In November 2023 I completed a two-year advanced training in Toyohari Japanese acupuncture in Amsterdam. My research project, along with 3 colleagues from Germany, Netherlands and UK was on Communication. My question was ‘How do acupuncturists explain the practice of Toyohari meridian therapy and give lifestyle advice to their patients’, whilst my colleagues focussed on explanations to other health practitioners, GPs and researchers.
What is Toyohari?
Toyo means East Asian and Hari means needling technique. Defining aspects of this technique are:
- Balancing/regulation
- Qi/meridians
- Gentle/subtle Japanese
- Palpation
- Non-invasive/Contact needling
- Dose/sensitive
One practitioner described Toyohari acupuncture as ‘bringing the body into better balance/regulation. Improving circulation of Qi/energy and blood so that areas of the body/internal organs can function more efficiently. Pulse and abdomen help to identify the key areas of imbalance.’
Another explains how “The root treatment is to trigger the body to self regulate more efficiently. The branch treatment is to draw attention to the location where the problem is. Needles/moxa draw consciousness to locations and regions that need attention/blood supply/improved function. Root treatment is light because it’s not about that location to be needled other than that location offers a way into a systemic effect. Branch treatment is deeper/more sensory as it is in order to affect that location or a location that relates to the point in question.”
Stephen Birch, my tutor wrote that “Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is founded on the principles that preserving health is the best approach to disease prevention, it is better to reinforce our body’s health before the insurgence of illness rather than having to cure it once it has developed and it is better to regulate lifestyles and nutrition regimes before the development of disease rather than having to prescribe treatments once problems have arisen. The integration between mind and body is essential.”
Forms of acupuncture, such as Toyohari are based on pattern identification, that “allow the practitioner to make certain recommendations concerning lifestyle, diet, exercise and so on, that are tailored to the patient’s individual needs” (Birch 2020).
In my study, Toyohari practitioners considerd lifestyle changes such as exercise and diet to be important for improved patient recovery times and empowerment.
Find out more and try a Toyohari Japanese Acupuncture Treatment with Laura.