Japanese traditional Chinese medicine, also known as traditional Chinese medicine, has the same origin as that of China, and was introduced to Japan from China during the Han and Tang Dynasties. But in the later development process, they took different development paths. Japanese traditional Chinese medicine attaches importance to classic Chinese medicine books. Different from China, during thousands of years' development, Japanese TCM rarely deduces new TCM theories and viewpoints. On the contrary, they constantly try to fully explain the obscure theories in TCM classics. Just like this, Japanese traditional Chinese medicine, to a certain extent, has more preserved the original appearance of traditional Chinese medicine before Han and Tang Dynasties. This provides a good material for future generations to learn Chinese medicine, especially for those who advocate the return of Chinese medicine to classics.
So what are the characteristics of acupuncture in Japan?
1. The needle feels light and easy to accept.
Most acupuncture needles in Japan are very thin, with a diameter of 0. 14mm, which is similar to the thickness of human hair. In addition, the depth of acupuncture into the skin is so shallow that even the hour hand can't stay on the skin. Therefore, patients seldom feel acupuncture, and at the same time reduce fear and discomfort.
2. Good curative effect, treating both the symptoms and root causes.
Speaking of this, many people will doubt whether such a light needle feeling can guarantee the curative effect. The answer is yes. In the treatment of any disease, Japanese acupuncture first pays attention to adjusting the overall condition of the human body, improving the self-healing ability of the human body and helping the body recover itself. Secondly, there are targeted treatments for specific conditions. For example, when Japanese acupuncture is used to treat patients with acute low back pain, the influence of patients' physical condition on sprain recovery ability will be considered first, and even the relationship between patients' sprain tendency and physical condition will be considered. At the same time, he will first treat the patient's physical condition as a whole, and then treat the acute lumbar sprain if necessary. The advantages of this treatment idea are: firstly, enhancing the self-healing ability of the body, coupled with targeted treatment, will accelerate the repair of injuries. Second, patients with other diseases or symptoms caused by physical imbalance will also recover or even recover in this process. This is very common in clinic. Patients often come to see a doctor because of a certain disease. When the course of treatment is over, not only will this problem get better, but other long-standing problems such as insomnia and constipation will also get better. In fact, this is the process of unifying the temporary solution and the permanent solution, which Japanese acupuncture calls "root therapy" and "collateral therapy".
1. Japanese acupuncture theory
As mentioned earlier, the theory of Japanese traditional Chinese medicine is the traditional Chinese medicine theory in China. More specifically, it is based on the theory of zang-fu organs and meridians system in Huangdi Neijing, Difficult Classic and Treatise on Febrile Diseases before Han and Tang Dynasties. This is the core theory of Japanese acupuncture. On the basis of repeated clinical practice, this theory is summarized by synthesizing various viewpoints in ancient books. Therefore, it is simple and clear, and restores the traditional classic theory of traditional Chinese medicine, without excessive extension and forced explanation, only based on clinical reasonable inference and deep excavation of the classic theory. Different from the current mainstream theoretical framework of Chinese medicine in China. For example, meridians are the key theoretical concepts of acupuncture. In the textbook Meridians and Acupoints of Higher Education of Traditional Chinese Medicine published by People's Health Edition, there is a general definition of meridian function, that is, "activating qi and blood, connecting zang-fu organs and responding to symptoms". This is our modern scholars' summary of meridian function, but is it a correct and comprehensive explanation of meridian function? This problem deserves our consideration. At least the function of specific meridians is not clear. For example, what is the difference between lung meridian and other meridians? How do meridians run qi and blood? How do you contact the relevant institutions? None of these questions are clear. However, Japanese acupuncture theory has made a meaningful attempt to explain these problems. Imagine if we can distinguish the function of a zang-fu organ from its meridian with the same name, then the purpose of acupuncture treatment can be more clear, whether it is to treat meridians or zang-fu organs. In addition, understanding these problems is of great help to better understand the framework of classical Chinese medicine theory. Especially for students who have just started to learn Chinese medicine, it is often more important to choose a correct and not confused road than to work hard. (These problems will be discussed in the chapter of Zang-fu meridian system. )
In addition, the content of Treatise on Febrile Diseases has been reasonably and appropriately integrated into the acupuncture theory, making the theory of traditional Chinese medicine more complete and practical.
2. Characteristics of acupuncture practice.
1. Pay attention to the needle feeling, especially the doctor's hand feeling.
This kind of acupuncture feeling is not only the feeling of patients, but also the feeling of doctors during acupuncture. Let's start with the patient's feelings. Because each patient's physical condition is different, even the same acupuncture technique and the same stimulation, the patient's feelings can vary from person to person. For example, there is a moxibustion method called "knowing heat moxibustion", which requires that the moxa stick be placed on the patient's skin, and the moxa stick should be replaced as soon as the patient's skin feels warm. Therefore, the time for changing the moxa stick is not fixed, depending on the patient's feeling. There are many techniques of acupuncture in Japan that take the patient's feeling as the reference standard for treatment.
Secondly, the doctor's feeling, mainly when the acupuncturist's hand touches the patient's skin, muscles and other connective tissues, including touch and temperature, is a more important treatment standard. A sentence in the ancient Chinese medicine book "Difficult Classics" "He who knows the needle believes in his left; He who doesn't know the needle believes in his right hand, which emphasizes the importance of the feeling of the doctor's right hand in the process of acupuncture. Clinically, the significance of taking the doctor's feelings as the treatment standard lies in that many times the reaction of some diseases is imperceptible to the patients themselves, and at the same time, the patients can't make timely and accurate active feedback on the curative effect. At this time, doctors can get feedback information by touching with their hands or observing with their eyes, which can be used as the basis for judging the condition and treatment. Simply put, the doctor turned himself into a physical examination machine. Different from those inspection equipment in hospitals, doctors judge patients' feedback by their own feelings and experiences.
2. Pay attention to reinforcing and reducing methods
In Japanese acupuncture techniques, there are few operations to tonify and stop diarrhea. Because Japanese acupuncture theory believes that diseases, in most cases, exist in a state of imbalance between yin and yang, that is, they are either virtual or real. This is the internal cause of the disease. If it is treated, the first thing that needs to be treated is the internal cause of the body, so whether it is tonifying deficiency or purging excess, the method of tonifying deficiency and purging excess should be used. The efficacy of these reinforcing and reducing methods has been verified countless times in clinic.
There are many methods of reinforcing and reducing acupuncture in Japan, such as breathing reinforcing and reducing, opening and closing reinforcing and reducing, etc. Although the essential content is similar to the current mainstream reinforcing and reducing methods in China, the Japanese Acupuncture Association pays more attention to the operational details. In addition, the biggest difference from ordinary acupuncture is that Japanese acupuncture divides "purging methods" into two types, one is called "purging" and the other is called "purging". "Bleeding" refers to the bloodletting therapy of expelling tangible things from the body, for example, expelling blood from the body. "Diarrhea" refers to dispelling yin and yang accumulated in the body and making it circulate normally. Because of the pathogenesis, the "diarrhea" method is often used in clinic.
3. "Root Therapy" and "Branch Therapy"
"Cure the root cause" is the root cause and the key to treat the main pathogenesis. Many times, patients can recover only by "radical cure". Clinically, different diseases can often be treated together. The pathogenesis of lumbago due to kidney deficiency is the same as that of tinnitus due to kidney deficiency, so in some cases, lumbago and tinnitus can be completely recovered as long as the same treatment is given to kidney deficiency. Similarly, the "root therapy" of the same disease with different treatments will also appear. And "branch therapy" is like a specific medicine for a certain disease, which is a specific therapy for a specific disease. These methods mostly come from practice, cooperate with "root therapy", help each other and improve the curative effect.