Yuwa Clinic

We combine the best methods of Eastern and Western medicine to treat a wide range of illnesses, from routine back pain and knee arthritis to spinal stenosis and developmental disorders and dementia. This method of treatment that combines these two types of medicine is called "integrative medicine“. Since the late 1980s, integrative medicine has been practiced in the West, combining Western medicine, which is strong in treating acute illnesses, with Eastern medicine, which is strong in treating chronic illnesses, and is now a widely used method of medicine in the West and Japan.

In concrete terms, Western medicine is used to diagnose medical conditions, and Oriental medicine is the mainstay of treatment.

The specifics of the Oriental medicine (new meridian medicine) practiced at Yuwa Clinic are shown in Fig. 1. The new meridian medicine is a combination of four types of treatment: new meridian therapy, in which acupuncture points are pressed with a push stick, a type of needle; ergonomic measures to improve the environment; exercise to promote movement; sugar restriction to eliminate obesity, diabetes, etc.; and Chinese herbal medicine. Below is a detailed explanation of new-meridian medicine.

New meridian therapy

New meridian therapy is a form of energy therapy. When the flow of blood, lymph fluid, and bioelectricity, which supply active energy to the body's cells, stagnates due to trauma, herniated discs, viruses, or other inflammation or depressive mood, cell vitality decreases and various diseases occur. These energy blockages can be cleared by pressing on the acupuncture points, leading to healing of the disease.

"All diseases" are caused when the body is cooled and blood flow deteriorates. Blood carries necessary oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the body's cells for their repair and regeneration. Lymph fluid contains white blood cells called lymphocytes and works with lymph nodes in the lymph vessels to protect the body from bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances.

Bioelectricity plays an important role in providing active energy to cells as well as transmitting nerve information.

People burn lipids, glucose, and other nutrients to generate an average of about 100W of bioelectricity, which is circulated throughout the body. This is thought to be the actual state of "Qi" in acupuncture. When the flow of bioelectricity is blocked and stagnates in the affected area, it repeatedly spontaneously combusts and discharges electric pulses (rhythmic waves) to the brain, which is perceived as chronic "pain“. Stagnation of bioelectricity also constricts blood vessels and lymph vessels, causing decreased blood and lymph flow and triggering various diseases.

New meridian therapy clears the blockage of bioelectricity, distributes blood, lymph, and bioelectricity throughout the body, and promotes cellular repair and regeneration.

By regulating the energy of cellular repair and regeneration, new meridian therapy can improve many intractable pains, intractable diseases, and diseases of the central nervous system such as developmental disorders.

Chinese herbal medicine: Chinese herbal medicine combined with medicinal herbs is excellent for chronic diseases. They are especially effective for fatigue, colds, coughs and phlegm, insomnia, irritability, stiff shoulders, headaches, menstrual cramps, facial hot flashes, constipation, diarrhea, inflammatory pain, swelling of the lower extremities, and cold.

Flow of Treatment

We　will now discuss the specific flow of treatment, using back pain as an example.
When a patient comes to see us for back pain, we will

(1) Diagnosis of the condition

[1] Western medical diagnosis: Low back pain examination, blood test, X-ray and MRI study to determine the cause of pain.
[2] Meridian medicine diagnosis: Diagnosis of the blocked meridian site and selection of acupoints.

(2) Dietary environment diagnosis

Check for excessive intake of carbohydrates and sugar, and limit carbohydrate and　sugar intake to reduce obesity, which causes back pain, and prevent the progression of ossification of lumbar ligaments (called yellow ligament ossification), which causes spinal canal stenosis.

(3) Work environment diagnosis

Check for manual heavy objects, poor posture such as sitting in the middle back, and prolonged sitting, which cause low back pain, and provides ergonomic guidance on work posture and work improvement to enhance therapeutic effects and prevent worsening or recurrence.

As a pathological diagnosis, we look for the cause of back pain by examining the back pain, blood tests, X-rays and MRI, diet, and work environment, and select acupoints according to the blockage of meridians to eliminate the pain with new meridian therapy.

Then, if obesity is an influence, we check the diet and eliminate obesity by restricting carbohydrates and encouraging exercising. If there is a problem with the work environment, we will advise the patient to devise ways to reduce the work load and, if necessary, advise the use of a lumbar protection belt, tilt cushion (which encourages movement of the lower back when sitting), or a bedding that promotes turning over.

In this way, new meridian medicine can cure many chronic diseases by providing comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of both Western and Eastern medicine.

Disease-Specific Descriptions

New meridian medicine is effective in the treatment of many diseases as shown in Table 1-1. The following is a description of the treatment of the main diseases among these.