Reunion:
The other day, I met with my respected teacher in Fukuoka for the first time in 20-odd years. I owe her so much for first motivating me to seek a way of teaching. But in fact I have met her only three times and have been exchanging New Year’s greetings only. What makes me address her as my respected teacher is her strong attractiveness that never allows people to forget her and her powerful and tender personality.

This is how I came to meet her for the first time. When I was 19 years old, my mother showed me a book and said, “Why don’t you read this book? I think it’s just fantastic.” The title of the book was Why Do You Not Scold Me? It was based on her personal experience of teaching handicapped children. I read it in one sitting and wrote a passionate “love letter” to her soon after. My eagerness obviously communicated itself to her. She informed me of her lecture schedule in Kobe. That is how we met for the first time. She was dressed in a pure pink pantaloon suit. Her age was a top secret. Being a fantastic conversationalist, she never stopped making people burst out laughing. I remember it as if it happened only yesterday. After finishing the speech, she told me that she had been carrying my letter in her bag and looking forward to meeting me. Moreover, she brought so many presents for me that I could hardly carry in both hands. She really attached much importance to each person she came into contact with. This respectable personality never changed over years.

Unaffected and Natural:
She is now 89 years old. (Sorry for giving away your age, my teacher.) When she found me at the ticket barrier at the station in Fukuoka, she yelled at me in her resounding voice.
How astonished I was to see her! She looked so young, indeed, with almost completely black hair (she says she has almost no white hair), gentle expression with no wrinkles at all. Her complexion was that of a woman 20 or 30 years younger. The only problem was her knee that she said had been injured when she tumbled from a battery-assisted bicycle. I went to take care of her. Everything looked almost perfect and well balanced except for the knee problem.
As we kept talking, I found that she was now a volunteer instructor of taijiquan and related Chinese physical exercise systems (called “Renko 18). She even thinks of riding a 750-cc motorcycle, if possible. What an idea! The secret of her “youth” is keeping unaffected and natural at all times. So, when I am with her, her stance of relaxation conveys itself to me and helps me relax as well. So, this meeting with my respected teacher was a most wondrous experience for me.

Paying back Indebtedness:
She has a noted artist among her relatives. I bought some valued works by the artist. Some paintings of fruits based on red in oils and some of flowers in watercolors. Nobuko, the painter, is 97 years old and still keeps painting. Astounding, indeed. A large beautiful garden of roses provides a unique atmosphere of her residence. Her family welcomed me and made me relax as if we had known each other for a long time.
I felt happy to be able to pay back my debt to her in this way giving her my acupuncture treatment. My late mother’s smile came back alive in my memory.

Aftermath of the Great Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake:
Who could have imagined the forces of nature would so relentlessly attack and shatter everything in human society? A doctor who survived the disaster in the afflicted area defined his own survival as a miracle, which described the horror of the happening.

My mother hailed from Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. Many of my friends and maternal relatives live in Ibaraki, Chiba, Iwate Prefectures, all heavily affected regions. Several days ago, I was able to contact them at last and confirmed all were spared. Speaking in the friendly Tohoku dialect, they proved their perseverance, patience and friendly nature, which astonished the whole world. But the realities they are now facing demand a more serious observation.

An official report of March 21st, ten days after the earthquake struck, had it that only six percent of the evacuation centers had sufficient supplies of necessary medication and the number of evacuation centers with no means of heating and hot meals rose to 42 percent. Fuel oil, gas, and water supplies lacked at 52 percent, 58 percent, and 64 percent of all evacuation centers respectively according to the report.

Raising One’s Voice Is a Must:
A noted Korean journalist got to the affected region after spending 28 hours on the way.
Witnessing the horrible sight of the disaster, he expressed his admiration of the Japanese sufferers, quietly trying to weather the tragic impact (Mainichi Shinbun dated
March 21st). But he did not fail to refer to the fact that not enough rescue effort was extending to the places that even foreigners could reach without tremendous difficulty. The newspaper quoted him as saying, “Under the excessively standardized safety procedure, the detachment of rescue teams was delayed due to the scale of the disaster which was beyond expectations….” (the same newspaper) Thus, even foreign countries are urging us to push the government to expedite the rescue work. The nuclear reactor incident, which followed the great earthquake and tsunami, plunged the whole world into a state of panic.

Fragility of Crisis Management:
Currently in Japan, a total of 54 nuclear power plants are in operation and generating 30 percent of electricity. The government intends to increase the number by more than 14 new plants by the year 2018. Out of the 14, three are already being constructed and 11 are in the planning stage. While it is understandable that Japan can no longer do without nuclear power plants, the safety measures should be of the first quality in the world especially in view of Japan being one of the most earthquake-prone countries. In that respect, negligence reflects arrogance and should never be forgiven.

In actuality, however, according to a certain newspaper, the nuclear reactors affected by the calamity this time belong to the Mark I type category (Boiling Water Reactor), which was developed by General Electric (US) 46 years ago. This type is equipped with
a reactor vessel which is too small and is said to be very likely to be destroyed in case of a hydrogen explosion. The New York Times reports that under such circumstances specialists in the U.S. advised stoppage of its production 40 years ago. Reactor vessels
play an important role of preventing the leakage of radiation when the cooling system fails. The nuclear reactors (No.1 through No.5) at the Fukushima nuclear plant are of Mark I type that are equipped with facilities costing less than the pressurized-water reactors of the mainstream.
Reacting quickly to what has happened in Japan, the U.S. authorities have decided to reassess the state of the security systems of the existing reactors. Germany is temporarily putting the current reactor projects on hold. In Spain, demonstrations are being held aimed at prohibition of the operation of the reactors of the same type. Thus, reactions abroad were impressively prompt. The security of people’s lives depends on such quick reactions on the part of the government. Now there are specialists who are staking their lives at the site of the damaged nuclear reactors to protect us. We cannot thank them enough for their courage and dedication.

Innate Goodness of Human Nature Bursting Forth:
The promptness of the masses in rushing to the rescue of the suffering is impressive. A number of volunteers have rallied to the rescue centers and are seeking tasks they can handle. Even more volunteers than needed are making themselves available. All the Japanese, young and old, are impatiently seeking opportunities to help the disaster victims, which describes the goodness of human beings bursting forth.
Volunteering high school students, women collecting snow for toilet water, small kids massaging the backs and hands of elderly people, craftsmen repairing hundreds of bicycles for free; these people and many others are proving that the courageous effort of each and every individual, no matter how small, does help us sustain our hopes. Instead of only criticizing the government’s slow coping, the masses got united in wisdom and patience and spread out an extensive network of co-operation throughout the country. What a powerful species human beings are! The power of human life outdoes that of great nature itself.

Believing in the Eternity of Life:
In the area affected by the disaster, a woman in her 70s was rescued after 94 hours of isolation and a man in his 20s was saved after 96 hours under the rubble. And another astonishing episode. On March 20th nine days after the tsunami struck, an 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson were miraculously taken out from under a crushed house. How much encouragement and joy this unbelievable news brought to the hearts of every member of rescue teams is hard to imagine. It is a tragedy, the extent of which is immeasurable for the dead and the bereaved. It will take a long time and sustained encouragement for the survivors to overcome the shock and sorrow. United and brave efforts are needed for the revival of the nation.
A man was expressing his determination to reconstruct his life. His words convinced me that his determination and that of many others like him will surely serve to bring this nation back to normal. The strength of human life is indeed beyond our knowledge.
I wish to conclude this column by quoting the touching words of Mr. T who translates my Japanese: “This catastrophe outmeasures in scale the great air-raids on Osaka and Kobe of decades ago when I was a teen. But there is one difference. That time the whole world was against us. This time the whole world is helping us, even China which we repeatedly bombarded at Chongqing. Japan must change.”

I sincerely pray for the repose of the departed and hope they will rejoin their loved ones
when they are reborn in this world.

Desperate Fight Against Pollinosis?
It is reported that about ten to 30 times as much pollen will spread in the air this year. Thus, pollinosis, also known as hay fever, is intimidating many Japanese. The amount of pollen is expected to peak in the middle of March. People who usually are bothered with a runny nose, sneezes, itchy eyes must be scared at this moment. Also, some are making money by pushing such popular items as face masks, air purifiers, goggles, humidifiers that are supposed to protect us. All are desperately trying to fight off pollen, to brush it off our clothes, and not to inhale it somehow.

What Causes Hay Fever?
Having said the above, I would like to remind you that there are people who suffer from hay fever and those who do not. Generally, it is said that the current hay fever can be traced back to the middle of 1950s when cedars were planted aplenty and began to blossom out about a decade later. Or some say that it is caused by the histamine born from the reaction between pollen and the mast cell of white corpuscles. I do not disagree with these opinions, but they all blame pollen as the sole root cause of hay fever.
Oriental medicine, on the other hand, seeks the root cause in the human body itself and regards pollen only as a trigger. In other words, in the view of Oriental medicine, the incidence of hay fever depends on the physical constitution of a person and affects the eyes, nose (sneeze), or the skin, etc. as the case may be. The differences between all cases are clearly elucidated.

The Relationship Between Body and Season:
Among the members of Hokushin-kai, which is an acupuncture research group represented by my mentor Dr. Rempu Fujimoto, study sessions called “Meteorological Research Workshop” are held under the leadership of Instructor Koichi Hashimoto.
Some days ago, we studied about the “mechanism” of pollinosis and I would like to briefly introduce part of the project centering on the functions of the liver.
In spring, when the temperature rises, the human mood tends to rise higher than usual. With this rise of the mood in general, it is quite normal that the season brings an atmosphere in which we assume a forward-looking stance about many things. Oriental medicine, however, attaches importance to sustaining proper balance between “excess” and “lack” in the mood. Thus, if one keeps oneself in an excessively stressful mental condition, one is likely to get easily irritated, have stiff shoulders, dizziness, headaches or ringing ears. The excessively excited mood in spring exacerbates the symptom. Such cases of “excess” are termed by Oriental medicine “Kanki Jogyaku (excessively buoyant mood).”

Pollinosis Comes from Excessively Buoyant Mood:
Depending upon the buoyancy of the mood, pollinosis or hay fever affects different parts of our body. For instance, those who tend to be bothered with boils or to have frequent mosquito bites are likely to have the effect of hay fever on the skin and suffer from itchy skins or red puffy eyelids. Those who tend to suffer from stress and strain due to excessive rise in the mood are affected in the eyes with tears flowing. Also, troubles in the spleen, stomach and intestines cause dysfunctional water metabolism. Exacerbated by the excessively excited mood, bodily water rises high and causes a runny nose.

Cool Head and Warm Feet:
If the physical condition described in the previous paragraph becomes chronic, nasal obstruction follows and the mucus turns yellow, and a quick recovery of the normal state is delayed. Cold feet invite excessive rise in the mood. Today, an innumerable number of people keep their heads warm and feet cold. The well-balanced bodily condition is effected by “Cold Head and Warm Feet.” If this order is reversed by the “Excessive Rise in the Mood,” people with a weak lower half of the body involving such organs as the kidneys or the urinary bladder are likely to have problems such as lower-back pain during the season now being discussed.
We hear about people who have successfully overcome cases of constipation or severe hay fever by doing good exercise and switching from fatty food to plain Japanese style food containing little fat. This is clear evidence that we should not blame pollen alone as the cause of pollinosis. Those who are habitually affected by hay fever are advised not to rely only on medication but to understand their own physical constitution and alter their lifestyle in order to prevent excessive rise in the mood.
Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment serves to maintain excellent balance all around and to help overcome not only pollinosis but also many other physical problems.

Books related to this subject:
Rempu Fujimoto, Try to Cure Allergies with Acupuncture (Futaba-Sha)
Koichi Hashimoto, An Introduction to Meteorology – Yellow Emperor’s Medical Canon Revived
(Midori Shobo)
Rempu Fujimoto, The Law of Up and Down; Left and Right; Front and Rear
(Medical Yukon-Sha)

Is Pollakiuria Attributable to the Cold?:
Some days ago, I had an opportunity to have acupuncture treatment by my acupuncture mentor. Receiving treatment as a patient teaches me a lot as an acupuncture clinician myself. To be honest, I was treated for pollakiuria (frequent urination). For some time, I had been using the bathroom as often as 20 times a day. This was unusual but I had no sensation of residual urine and the amount of urine passed on each trip was as usual. When I told my mentor about this, he began to laugh like a nasty small child, putting his hand over his mouth.
In Oriental medicine, pollakiuria or frequent urination is considered a symptom of the weakening of the kidneys due to aging. Regaining his serious expression, my mentor offered to see what was causing the problem. He felt my pulse carefully and said, “The right kidney seems not to be functioning well.” His judgment was based on the knowledge that the energy emanating from the right kidney was not strong enough, giving rise to excessive sensitivity to the cold. Thus, the pulse revealed to him the condition of my kidneys, which is a kind of barometer to check if the body is affected by the cold. Then I realized that my urination problem came from the high sensitivity to the cold.

Disruption of Balance Between Upper and Lower Halves:
He checked my back, abdomen and some major acupuncture points and said, “Here’s the origin of your problem.” It is a pair of points called “Tensu” in Oriental medicine (two points, each of which is located horizontally, on the right and left, about 4.5 cm away from the ambilicus).
. My mentor applied the needle to the left point and said, “You have been rather busy these days, haven’t you?” Actually, in the week immediately before the urination problem came up, I had attended classes on two full days in the correspondence course that I’m taking now. The load of my clinical work was on the increase, too. Soon after the treatment was finished, I fell into a sound sleep, evidence of liberation from tension. Mental tension can be equated to a traffic gridlock, causing an obstruction in the flow of energy. Eliminating the tension helps the energy flow back to normal and recovers the healthy balance of bodily functions.
Of course, aging is involved in the urination frequency, but in my case the excessive work pressure and mental stress affected the normal function of the kidneys, thus causing imbalance in their organic functions. This phenomenon, which is often seen in the menopausal period, is called “Joujitsu/Kakyo” in Oriental medicine, meaning excessive energy in the top half and lack of the same in the lower half of the body. In other words, the weakening of the kidney function (related to the lower half) and the resultant excessive energy in the upper half (related to the functions of the liver and autonomic nervous system, etc.) are frequently observed in the menopausal period.

Allowing Oneself to Relax:
The meridian, or acupuncture point, which is called “Tensu” as mentioned above, has various meanings, but in the book written by my mentor and titled “A Commentary on Meridian Points,” the author says, “The pair of points called ‘Tensu’ plays a very important role, located in a position that divides upper and lower halves . . . In it resides our soul. It has a very close relationship with the liver and may exacerbate physical problems, if carelessly tampered with.”
At the end of the treatment, he said to me, “It is advisable to allow yourself to relax a bit sometimes.” This suggestion from my mentor surprised me, because I had really been fired up and single-mindedly dashing ahead for some time. By examining the condition of my urination frequency, he saw through my whole life. This was surprising indeed, and at the same time made me feel grateful to him. After the treatment, as I was watching him treating his other patients, he said in a small voice to me that I might have loose bowels for a time. This surprised me again, because I had indeed been having constipation for a while. Then, as he predicted, my urination problem disappeared suddenly.

Holistic Approach:
I love the expression which my mentor often uses: “The holistic medical approach.”
It means a diagnostic approach that focuses not only on the part of the body that “aches” but also on some other aspects as well, such as the patient’s lifestyle, his or her character which underlies it, and the causative facts tracing back to and beyond his or her parents and grandparents. This process enhances the chance of successfully detecting the cause of physical problems or predicting the illness that may befall in the future. It is an extremely hard challenge to most clinicians. Hokushin-kai, under the leadership of my mentor Rempu Fujimoto, testifies to the wonders of Oriental medicine.

A Touching Piano Performance:
The New Year piano performance I heard with a friend, who was back from abroad on vacation, is still ringing in my ears now. Three or four pieces were played including “Arigatou (Thank you),” which was a tremendous hit of last year. What was most remarkable, moreover, was that the player was an unknown young man in his 20s. He had moved from the Kansai area to Tokyo last year, and his current occupation has nothing to do with music.
The moment he began to play, the beauty and strength of the tune struck us so much that tears came to our eyes. My friend was having difficulty controlling her tears. The player himself was shedding tears while playing the piano. The entire hall was filled with an atmosphere of warmhearted sympathies and fascination. For me, it was a great discovery that the sound of music strikes the minds and hearts of listeners so much. The sound of the music emanating from the piano must have struck a chord in the heart of my friend sitting next to me, because of common hardships they bore in silence. I thought a beautiful mind brings out the best of another mind. And the thought took me back to the starting point of my clinical practice.

Believing in Humanity:
My mentor in acupuncture gives consistent guidance on handling the needle when attending to patients. It is because what we have in our minds is silently transmitted through the needle to the minds of the patients we attend to. It is indeed an awe-inspiring truth, especially in the Hokushin-kai system in which only one single needle is used for the treatment.
It goes without saying that skill and theoretical knowledge are important in this profession, but what counts the most is the heart. Dr. Rempu Fujimoto, my mentor, says in his book “Benshaku Shindo Hiketsu-shu (The Secrets of Acupuncture Treatment)” that the most important thing for a practitioner is to train to bring out one’s essential self. He also says that following one’s essential self means to help both oneself and the whole universe thrive together. “Let us pray for success in this effort together,” he says. The life of each human being without exception carries a glowing noble character. Only through committing ourselves to sustaining this character, we can hope to bring it out successfully.
Learning from Patients:

I feel grateful to each patient who visits my clinic and inspires me. The moment patients open the door and enter my clinic, I can make a rough guess at what is troubling them by just looking at their faces. Human beings are basically very honest, because it is actually possible to detect physical or mental problems through the eyes of the patient and the aura that emanates from him or her.

As I hear the happy voices and see the relieved expressions of my patients, I feel determined to spread the merit of acupuncture treatment to many more people like them struggling with worries. So, with permission from each patient, I wish to continue to write and introduce in plain language on line the cases I handle this year. This is my New Year’s resolution.