FAQs

Is shiatsu painful?

It is often thought that shiatsu is very painful. Depending on where you go, it can be. My teacher, Kaneko Sensei, taught that Shiatsu Anma Therapy is supposed to be done to each person’s pain tolerance. I have “taken this to heart” to make sure that when providing treatments, that each person is comfortable, yet the methods are therapeutic. There are two kinds of pain: The kind of pain that “hurts but feels good”, and then there is the kind of pain that hurts and makes you “cringe”. The cringing kind of pain is what we try to avoid. I use the Kometani scale where 0 is no pain, 10 is unbearable pain. If the pain reaches a 9, which is at the edge of being unbearable, I back off so that the treatment is comfortable. Every person who comes in is taught this scale to provide me with feedback when getting treated. On a side note, many people fall asleep when getting treated.

How effective is Shiatsu Anma?

Like every form of treatment, the effectiveness can vary. That being said, I have seen its effectiveness, often up to 95% successful in treating: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendinitis and Plantar Fasciitis. Shiatsu Anma can be very helpful and often alleviates neck and back pain, including sciatica, headaches and migraines, stress reduction, work related injuries, internal issues, energy balancing and sports injuries.

How often do I need to come in?

This is a question that comes up a lot. The truth is, it depends upon each person’s specific issue. What I usually recommend is for each person to come in three times, once a week for three weeks. After that we can determine how often the person needs to come in. Often following the three treatments, many are pain free and treatments ended at that point. There have also been many who, after one to two treatments were back to normal. It is also common for people to choose to come in once a month for maintenance treatments to stay pain free and treat any other issues that come up.

Some factors that can determine how many treatments will be needed include:

• Age

• Severity of injury

• How long the problem has existed

• Health condition (weight, amount of exercising, etc)

• Previous treatments from others

• Medical/Therapeutic history

• Pre-existing conditions

Do I need to be undressed?

Shiatsu Anma Therapy is done through the clothing. Because we don’t use lotions or oils, usually there is no need to undress.

Is it similar to acupuncture?

Shiatsu Anma Therapy uses the same points and meridians as acupuncture but without any needles. Both methods can be highly effective in treating a variety of conditions. One advantage of shiatsu anma therapy is that the human touch has a healing quality all on its own.