Massage therapy for Pain Relief and Stress
Reduction
Specializing
in Focused Touch Shiatsu
Welcome and thank
you for taking the time to examine this site. Focused Touch Shiatsu
is a style of Asian bodywork practiced by a growing, though still limited,
number of bodywork and massage practitioners here in Iowa City and
throughout the United States. Shiatsu, as you'll read a bit further on, is
a style of Japanese medical massage. It is a highly technical modality
proven effective in the management and relief of stress and pain. If you are reading this, the chances are
that you suffer--or know someone who does--from musculosekeletal (muscle +
skeleton) or neuromuscular (muscle + nerves) pain. This means that there
may be a "conflict" between your muscular system and your nervous and
skeletal systems, which may be relieved by allowing the muscles to return to a
natural state of tension and "balance." Very often, this
sort of pain remains undiagnosed by Western medical doctors. If you are in
pain and your regular doctor can't seem to tell you why, Focused Touch Shiatsu
may be able to help. Massage has helped bring relief to many people
suffering from sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and
fibromyalgia,
to name just a few conditions. If you are seeking pain relief for a
medical condition, be sure to ask your doctor for his advice about receiving
massage therapy.
Because it is not always evident from
advertising who is and who is not a Focused Touch Shiatsu practitioner, we would
be delighted to provide a referral to one of our colleagues in Iowa City in the
event that Gain Without Pain cannot schedule you at your convenience or meet
your specific needs.
In
Western terms, Shiatsu is a form of Japanese medical bodywork. Shiatsu
relieves many physical pain conditions, provides relief from acute and chronic
stress, and imbues the recipient with a feeling of calm and well
being. Shiatsu literally means "finger pressure." Shi =
finger, and atsu = pressure. Shiatsu is similar to acupressure and derives
from ancient Chinese massage and bodywork therapy, which has a history well over 2000 years
old. Although shiatsu has its origins in Chinese massage and borrows from
Traditional Chinese Medical theory--itself having its origins in Taoist medical
practice, shiatsu is a Japanese innovation. Shiatsu was first termed so
in 1915 in a publication by Tamai Tempaku and officially acknowledged by the
Japanese Ministry of Health as a valid medical practice in 1964. In 1953,
Tokujiru Namikoshi first exported shiatsu to the United States at the Palmer
School of Chiropractic in Davenport Iowa. Focused Touch Shiatsu, the style
created and taught by contemporary master James Luth, is highly eclectic,
meaning that it embodies both traditional shiatsu
approaches and modern Western neuromuscular massage techniques.
WELCOME!
THANK
YOU FOR THINKING OF MASSAGE AND GIVING US THE TIME TO SHOW YOU WHAT WE CAN OFFER.
If
you have come to this site seeking back relief, but are not in or near Iowa
City, or simply prefer to try to do it on your own, please see part 1 of my pain
management tips series of posts. You will find part
2 and part 3 by following the
links. To return to this page, you will have
to use your browser's back arrow. In part 1 I begin to discuss the
why's of back pain and make distinctions between kinds of back pain. I
also recommend a book that you can easily borrow or request from a public
library or buy from the bookstore of your choice.
In
the future, as we continue to explore musculoskeletal pain, I will make other
strategy suggestions. You are always free to e-mail questions to me at: painrelief@gainwithoutpain.net.
You
can also find updates to the Pain Management posts by following my RSS feed on
Yahoo. Follow these steps: (1) Go to www.yahoo.com.
(2) click on My Yahoo. (3) Click on Add Content. (4) Type the
search words massage iowa and click search. My listing should be
the first one to appear. Look for Pain Management Tips. If you
don't have a yahoo account, you will have to create one.
The
research page is now open, though the formatting--to
be corrected--is a bit funky.
In
Western terms, Shiatsu is a form of Japanese medical bodywork. Shiatsu
relieves many physical pain conditions, provides relief from acute and chronic
stress, and imbues the recipient with a feeling of calm and well
being. Shiatsu literally means "finger pressure." Shi =
finger, and atsu = pressure. Shiatsu is similar to acupressure and derives
from ancient Chinese massage and bodywork therapy, which has a history well over 2000 years
old. Although shiatsu has its origins in Chinese massage and borrows from
Traditional Chinese Medical theory--itself having its origins in Taoist medical
practice, shiatsu is a Japanese innovation. Shiatsu was first termed so
in 1915 in a publication by Tamai Tempaku and officially acknowledged by the
Japanese Ministry of Health as a valid medical practice in 1964. In 1953,
Tokujiru Namikoshi first exported shiatsu to the United States at the Palmer
School of Chiropractic in Davenport Iowa. Focused Touch Shiatsu, the style
created and taught by contemporary master James Luth, is highly eclectic,
meaning that it embodies both traditional shiatsu
approaches and modern Western neuromuscular massage techniques. 
