Five element shiatsu combines Japanese shiatsu techniques with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to balance the five elemental manifestations and restore the flow of chi energy in the body. Practitioners use acupressure to manipulate pressure points and diagnose ailments, addressing imbalances through corresponding elements. TCM also uses herbal remedies to treat specific ailments.
Five element shiatsu, or five element shiatsu, is a form of shiatsu, the Japanese art of acupressure. Practitioners of this therapy use their fingertips to manipulate pressure points on the human body in order to facilitate the flow of chi, or life energy. Five element shiatsu differs from regular shiatsu in that it seeks to enhance the effectiveness of traditional shiatsu by incorporating aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
In TCM, human health is achieved by balancing the five elemental manifestations: earth, fire, water, wood and metal. Each of these elements corresponds to different parts of the human anatomy. Using this approach, a shiatsu practitioner may be able to discern a variety of different ailments in a patient ranging from purely physical ailments such as poor diet, to more subtle ailments in a person’s health resulting from stress or traumatic events.
Once the doctor has assessed the likely source of a patient’s outward symptoms, a treatment plan can be determined. For example, if a patient complains of discomfort in the stomach area, TCM would associate this type of ailment with the earth element and as a result, a diagnosis could be obtained that addresses the potential imbalance in this aspect of a person’s system. . Counterbalancing the negative aspect of the earth would often be addressed by bringing into play other corresponding elements which would provide a salutary effect on the particular ailment.
The relationships between the five elements of TCM are quite complex. A practitioner of this medical philosophy relies heavily on his or her intuitive understanding and ability to not only diagnose the particular source of the elemental imbalance, but, subsequently, to regulate the flow of energy within the patient’s body. This can be achieved either by strengthening the weak aspect or by diminishing the excessive.
In some cases, an imbalance occurs in the body due to a blockage that prevents the natural flow of energy. An energy blockage can result from any number of factors, including stress, illness, physical trauma, or infection. Once the blockage is removed, the body will apparently recover.
In TCM, balancing the five elements and restoring the body’s natural energy flow is often achieved by herbal remedies, developed and discovered over time, to treat specific ailments. Five element shiatsu, instead of using herbal treatments to restore the flow of chi energy, relies on the application of acupressure to accomplish this. By placing direct pressure on specific nerves and meridians critical to the flow of chi, the five element shiatsu practitioner simply uses a different methodology to achieve the same harmonious balance.
Because TCM views human health in a holistic way, where a person’s well-being is based on the harmony between not only his physical aspects, but also his mental and emotional environment, five element shiatsu, therefore, combines the philosophy diagnostics of TCM, while applying Japanese shiatsu techniques in the treatment stage. By embracing some of the philosophies of TCM, especially the five element approach, the shiatsu practitioner seeks to broaden the scope of treatment and diagnosis by generating a more complete perspective on the patient’s health than basic shiatsu could provide alone.
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