An Overview of Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a Japanese massage based alternative medicine practice. It involves the application of pressure to the body of the patient using fingers, thumbs and palms. Similar to other therapies that use bodily manipulation, the purpose of massage in shiatsu is to stimulate the body by freeing blockages that prevent the qi from reaching affected areas.
Shiatsu combines the same knowledge used in acupuncture and other pressure based traditions with Western knowledge of physiology and anatomy in a non-invasive therapy that helps improve organ function and promotes physical well-being. It is a government regulated therapy that is part of the Japanese national health care system and has been since 1964. It is becoming more widely used in the United States as a treatment for:
Evidence for:
There has been research done on shiatsu and other pressure based body-massage therapies that suggests the following uses:
Nausea, motion sickness
Effective in controlling post-op nausea, motion sickness and morning sickness
Sleep
Positive results in improving sleep quality in elderly and health adult patients
Low back pain
Relieves low back pain in several studies
Postoperative pain
Relieves post-operative pain nearly as effectively as intravenous pain medication
Headache
Self-administered acupressure may relieve or prevent migraines
Bed wetting (in children)
Parent administered micro massage at particular acupressure points showed to be effective in preventing bed wetting
Weight loss, obesity
May aid in weight loss
Menstrual pain
May reduce menstrual pain
Other preliminary research indicates that shiatsu may be beneficial in:
Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
Facial spasm
Palliative care in progressive diseases
Anxiety
Depression
Labor pain
Asthma (quality of life)
Sleep apnea
Drug addiction
Criticisms
Vigorous shiatsu massage may cause some injuries, including nerve damage, bruising, and other adverse effects. Shiatsu may not be a suitable treatment for all people, and like most other alternative therapies, critics point out that despite the amount of research with positive results, much of it is in poorly designed studies that render the results less persuasive.
Conclusion
Shiatsu and other pressure based massage therapies offer promising relief for many medical conditions, particularly those related to stress. They seem to be most effective in controlling and/or reducing pain, and promoting well-being and health.