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Shiatsu references

Chinese Medicine references

Integrative Medicine references

Western Medicine references

 

Shiatsu references

 

  • "The Book of Shiatsu - A Complete Guide to Using Hand Pressure and Gentle Manipulation to Improve your Health, Vitality, and Stamina"

    Paul Lindbergh, 2003. Samna & Schuster - ISBN: 07432 4608 X

    My preferred book for a general introduction to Shiatsu. All the key concepts such as Qi, the meridians, the Chinese organs are clearly explained and illustrated. Basic Shiatsu sequences are shown. I come back to it regularly.

 

  • "Shiatsu Theory and Practice - A Comprehensive Text for the Student and Professional"

    Carola Beresford-Cooke, 2004. Churchill Livingstone - ISBN: 0 443 070598

    The most useful textbook for advanced readers and therapists. Carola Beresford-Cooke studied first hand with S. Masunaga, the founder of a style of Shiatsu called "Zen Shiatsu", which is the one practiced at Le Shiatsu.

 

  • "Zen Shiatsu - How to Harmonize Yin and Yang for Better Health"

    Shizuto Masunaga, 2002 (first ed.: 1977). Japan Publications Inc. - ISBN: 0 87040 394 X

    Gives the views of Masunaga on health and Shiatsu therapy, and an overview of the system he developed. Masunaga augmented the Chinese meridian system. He could feel the specific Qi of each organ in meridians and found extensions of their pathways. For instance the Spleen meridian runs in the leg in Chinese medicine and Masunaga found an extension in the arm. Masunaga also developed the Hara assessment providing a very effective system of assessment and treatment on the abdomen. Unfortunately he passed away before he could document all his contributions to Shiatsu.

 

  • "The Complete Book of Shiatsu Therapy - Health and Vitality at your Fingertips"

    Toru Namikoshi, 1981. Japan Publications Inc. - ISBN: 0 87040 461 X

    T. Namikoshi's Shiatsu system is purely based on anatomical structures and physiology. He used logic and observation to develop a system of treatment sequences for various conditions. They are exposed in this book.


  • Massage therapy for cancer patients: a reciprocal relationship between body and mind

    Sagar et al., Current Oncology, Volume 14, Number 2

    A review article from a pier reviewed oncology medical journal. http://www.current-oncology.com/index.php/oncology/article/view/139/105
    This article includes Shiatsu in its review of the benefits of meridian-based massage


  • Wikipedia online encyclopedia

    Shiatsu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiatsu. 

    Unfortunately, some contributors of Wikipedia have changed the content of the Shiatsu page which used to be very informative. They have introduced a very reductionist view and negative bias against this therapeutic approach, which is practiced as medical therapy approved by the Ministry of Health in Japan, and which is designated as a 'non-conventional medical discipline' by the European Parliament together with chiropractic for instance. The Wikipedia page in French is more informative.

 

  • Shiatsu School of Canada

    http://www.shiatsucanada.com

    An OSAP approved private college in Toronto that provides outstanding education in Shiatsu, acupuncture, Chinese medicine.

    Workshops and introduction courses are available, check their Events/Workshops section.


 

  • Shiatsu Therapy Association of Ontario

    http://www.ShiatsuAssociation.com

    A nonprofit organization that represents professionally trained Certified Shiatsu Therapists™ (CST®). A CST is your assurance of the most highly trained Shiatsu therapist in Canada and North America. I used to be a member, meaning that a passed their written and practical tests. I was not able to continue my membership as I needed a professional liability insurance that also included acupuncture. But I am a supporter of what they do. [Top of Page]

 

Chinese Medicine references

 

  • "The Web that has no Weaver - Understanding Chinese Medicine"

    Ted Kaptchuk, 2000. Contemporary Books - ISBN: 0 892 2840 8

    A classic source of information on the origin, concepts and practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), made accessible to Westerners. Ted Kaptchuk is a reference in traditional Chinese medicine, and is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He enthusiastically shares his knowledge of TCM with the scrutiny of a modern scientist. Interesting for the layman reader and useful material for a therapist.

 

  • "Between Heaven and Earth - A Guide to Chinese Medicine"

    Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, 1991. The Ballantine Publishing Group - ISBN: 0 345 37974 8

    Another good introduction to traditional Chinese medicine. 


  • Acupuncture Theory, Efficacy, and Practice

    Ted Kaptchuk, Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:374-383.

    One of the reviews on acupuncture/acupressure published in established medical literature. Ted Kaptchuk is a reference in traditional Chinese medicine, and is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.



  • IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology, March/April 2005 issue

    This issue focuses on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

    With editorials and biomedical research articles on the science behind therapies such as acupuncture, using technologies such as MRI or ultrasounds.


  • Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Canada

    http://www.cmaac.ca

    You need to click twice on each link to navigate this site.

 

 

Integrative Medicine references

 

  • "The Instinct to Heal - Curing Stress, Anxiety and Depression without Drugs and without Talk Therapy"

    David Servan-Schreiber, 2004. Rodale - ISBN: 1 57954 902 0

    One of the books that inspires me the most. Dr. David Servan-Schreiber is a doctor in psychiatry and a neuroscientist, and is from a family of "intellectuals" that deeply influenced the French society. He founded the Center for Complementary Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the USA. His book presents natural therapies that he investigated and used for the benefits of his patients, in conjunction with Western more invasive therapies. He shows how it is possible to be open-minded, investigate the foundations and evidence-based literature on complementary therapies, and use them for their clinical efficacy whether their science is fully understood or not. His focus is the patient benefit and he promotes a respectful and compassionate approach to healthcare.

    Originally published in French: "Guérir - le stress, l'anxiété et la dépression sans médicaments ni psychanalyse".

 

  • "The Complete Doctor's Stress Solution - Understanding, Treating, and Preventing Stress and Stress-Related Illnesses"

    Penny Kendall-Reed and Stephen Reed, 2004. Robert Rose - ISBN: 0 7788 096 2

    An excellent source of information about the physiology of stress and why a large number of modern ailments results from neuro-hormonal imbalances due to chronic stress. Introduces complementary methods to help cope with stress or deal with the resulting ailments. 


  • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

    http://nccam.nih.gov

    This is the Federal Government's lead agency In America for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Its role is to do research in CAM, provide education to CAM researchers, inform the public, and support the integration of "proven" CAM therapies. Unfortunately there is no equivalent in Canada to my knowledge. Provinces still have different approaches. For instance, acupuncture is regulated in BC or QC, but not yet in Ontario. Things are slowly moving in the right direction.

 

  • Dr. Andrew Weil's web site

    http://www.drweil.com

    Dr. Weil is and MD and one of the great promoters of integrative medicine. He wrote many books, and I always enjoy reading from him. [Top of Page]

 

Western Medicine references

 

  • "Human Body - An Illustrated Guide to Every Part of the Human Body and How it Works"

    2001. DK - ISBN: 0 7894 7988 5

    A very well done and concise guide to the human body: how it is made (structures, anatomy), how it works (functions, physiology), and what happens when things go wrong (disease, pathology). There are numerous books on the human body but this is the one I open every time I seek an easy explanation and a good illustration.

 

  • "The Merck Manual of Medical Information"

    Marck Beers, 2003, Home Second Edition. Merck Research Laboratory - ISBN: 0 911910 35 2

    A classical reference for all diseases, their symptoms, how they are treated etc.


  • Pubmed medical knowledge portal

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez

    You can search leading biomedical scientific journals and get abstracts of articles. In my research, after a quick scan with Wikipedia, I use Pubmed and identify interesting articles. Then I go to a nearby University library. They all have free-access PCs from which the full articles can be downloaded and printed. Rather than printing there (and paying for each page), I download the pdf articles directly onto a USB memory-stick and later copy them on my computer. This is a great advantage of Canada investing in a knowledge-base economy: we all have free access to otherwise inaccessible publications! [Top of Page]