Amazing Turn-Around ! Moxibustion Gets Fetus to Move Out Of The Breech Position and Thus, C-Section is Avoided!
Acupuncture, moxibustion and massage teacher and therapist Naruto Yoshida
This is testament to the indefatiguable efforts of generations of traditional Chinese physicians who over the years built up a vast body of data on which points of the body, when stuck with needles, pressed, or heated, affected OTHER specific parts of the body. Their endeavor goes all the way back to a time when someone realized that a pain in one part of their body, perhaps the lower back, suddenly disappeared when another part of their body was pierced, perhaps by an arrow.
No matter how they hit upon the idea, this system of treating bodily complaints became a part of the STANDARD PRACTICE of maintaining human health within the vast traditional Chinese cultural sphere of influence, including of course, Japan ( to which these techniques were probably introduced in the 6th century).
In recent decades, these traditional forms of East-Asian medical treatment have become more and more accepted outside their usual home turf and acupuncture clinics are now common in the US and many European countries.
( more than 30 years ago James Reston, a highly respected journalist for The New York Times, was in China on assignment and had to be hospitalized for what I think was appendicitis. After his surgery his pain was controlled with acupuncture. The reports of his experience helped make Americans more open minded about this, then, very exotic for of medical treatment.)
Though stories of the successful treatment of headaches, stiff necks and lower-back pain are impressive, for me, the MOST AMAZING thing I had ever heard of acupuncture and moxibustion`s powers was that it could be used to get a fetus in the breech position ( with its head up) into the right position ( with the head down), merely with the application of heat to the small toe!
A tiny cone of MOXA placed on the outer side of the little toe
It sounds incredible, but I have found that it really does often work, even when the pregnancy is in its late stages.
Recently, I talked with Naruto Yoshida Sensei, a teacher and practitioner of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage therapy, who had just successfully gotten a soon-to-be-born fetus to turn over into the proper position, thus sparing the expectant ( though anxious) mother from having to have a Caesarean section.
This is what the treatment involved in this particular case:
When Yoshida Sensei first met the patient, he talked with her to try to gauge her emotional state. Finding her to be quite stressed about her baby being in the breech position ( and dont pregnant women and their husbands have enough to be worried about already), and thus probably stiff and TIGHT throughout her body, he decided to begin with some soft massage. He gently worked on her shoulders, lower back, arms, legs, hands and feet.
Feeling that she had become appropriately relaxed and phyically loosened up, he had the patient lie on her side. He then proceeded to place a tiny cone made up of the mugwort plant on the side of the small toe of her right foot, and proceeded to burn it. This took a few minutes and gave her a slight burning sensation. This was then repeated two more times.
The same was done to the small toe of her left foot.
A SENENKYU applied to the same spot
This acupuncture ( and moxibustion) point on the small toe is called the SHI IN NO KYU, and this spot which, when stimulated in the proper way, gets the fetus to turn upside down ( which in this case is the right side up!)
As is usual with acupuncture or moxibustion, one time does not always do the trick. In this case as well, especially considering the late stage of the pregnancy, it took two sessions with Yoshida Sensei for things to take a proper turn. And this happened a few days after the last treatment. The patient had continued the treatments on her own at home, with a special moxibustion applicator ( with a small base), called a SENENKYU.
What a relief for the mother-to-be. She can now go ahead with a natural childbirth, which is what she wanted.
And for us, it gives us an dramatic proof of moxibustions powers ( though 100 percent success cannot, of course be guaranteed.
The SHI-IN NO KYU point on the little toe
By the way, the English word moxibustion, or moxa treatment derives from one of the Japanese words used for the plant mugwort- MOGUSA.
Another word for the same plant is YOMOGI. And I have recently written of how it is used in an important sprintime snack in Japan- KUSA MOCHI.
A SENENKYU applicator, on the left and a moxa cone, on the right
Another interesting point that I would like to mention is that for many older Japanese people moxibustions brings back bad memories of childhood punishment! It was not unusual for parents to discipline their kids by making them sit and endure the little moxa cones buring on their hands.
By the way, in Japanese acupuncture is HARI 、and moxibustion OKYU.
POSTSCRIPT- Acupuncture and Asthma
Right after I had completed and posted the original version of this article, I set off to join a group (consisting of family and friends) at a Chinese restaurant ( which are always more fun with large groups- you can share more dishes!).
Sitting next to me, was a old buddy, who also happens to be a native New Yorker. When I asked him how his day had been, much to my surprise, he told me that he had just come from acupuncture treatment ( every day is teeming with coincidence) !
Apparently, he had once gone to a clinic because he had been having some sort of pain, but when the acupuncturist found out that my friend suffered from asthma he quickly and confidently asserted that he could treat that as well.
According to my friend,the treatments HAVE been effective, and he has in fact been able to cut down on his intake of prescribed medication.
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Maternity Mark
It is easy to give up your seat on the train when you see someone who is elderly or has a clear physical disability. However, it can be difficult to tell when someone is pregnant. In order to help pregnant women get the special consideration they deserve on trains and other public places, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has created a "maternity mark", a kind of sticker or badge that pregnant women can put on their purses or key chains.
If you see a woman displaying this symbol, please refrain from smoking and treat her with special consideration, if the situation calls for it.
I think that women who are pregnant will receive some "maternity mark" goods when they receive their "Mother and Child Health Handbook", but I am not sure. Can anyone else confirm this? I know that they were handing out badges with this symbol at some train stations when they first came out (in the summer of 2006), but I don't think they are doing that anymore. Can anyone tell us where to get maternity mark goods in Tsukuba?
I think this is a good idea, in principle, but I am not sure how many women will actually display the sign when they are pregnant. It seems like an invasion of privacy, in an especially private country. It also seems kind of embarrassing to walk around with a badge that says "there is a baby in my belly". Then again, I would never wear one of those surgical masks in public, but people do it here all the time. So, I guess if women start using the sign, it will become more acceptable, and they will feel more comfortable using it.
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Zakuro (Pomegranates) and The Goddess of Fertility and Easy Delivery – Kishibojin
I was surprised when I first noticed that they grew commonly in the gardens of Tsukuba's newer, as well as older neighborhoods. They were often on branches which had grown out over their houses' fences , dangling seductively, just over the heads of anyone who happened to be walking along the sidewalk. I had always associated them with the Middle-East (they are listed in the bible as one of the seven species of the Land of Israel), or the Caucasus (where they were originally cultivated), and I had fond memories from many years earlier of staining my face and clothes while very unskillfully partaking of their sour yet sweet and very RED seeds.
I'm talking about pomegranates (zakuro, in Japanese), the large, leathery-skinned, red berries which have been cultivated in Europe and the Near East since ancient times. When the fruit's casing is cracked open (a tricky thing to do well) the seeds are chewed softly and then spit out.
Pomegranates are a major feature in the food culture of Persia, Armenia, Turkey and Greece, and their juice is drunk in many other countries (there was a big zakuro juice boom in Japan about 4 years ago, as it was promoted for its beauty enhancing and female hormone balancing properties).
Experts claim that the pomegranate had made its way to China by the 3rd century, and there are records of its having appeared in Japan by the 8th. By now, the zakuro has become common in the gardens of private homes in Japan. It is mostly considered to be an ornamental tree, but its fruit is sometimes eaten (though much less frequently than one would expect), turned into juice or liquor, or even used as medicine (for stopping diarrhea, getting rid of parasites, or gargling).
Most people that I have talked to about these beautiful fruits have told me that even if they had them growing in their gardens they would have only nibbled on them once or twice, since they were difficult to eat and usually too sour for their taste. Home-made Zakuro-Shu (pomegranate seeds soaked in liquor) seems to be, far and away, the most common way of dealing with home grown zakuro (and is surely my favorite way of enjoying them myself!). This is good news for any lover of this fruit, because it means that friends, neighbors, or even strangers might give you a bagful if you show interest!
Though the zakuro is not a major player in the Japanese culinary world, it does have special cultural significance, especially in connection with KISHIBOJIN (sometimes called Kishimojin or kariteimo), a popular Goddess of childbirth and motherhood who can usually be seen, in sculpture or painting, holding a pomegranate in her right hand. The reason for this is quite simple -- zakuro are bursting with an abundance of juicy seeds -- making it a perfect symbol of fertility. Pomegranate images also can be found adorning the many famous temples dedicated to this Goddess, who started out on the long cultural journey to Japan as the Hindu Goddess Hariti. Her story is one of learning to empathize with the suffering of others. Here is basically how it goes:
Hariti (Kishibojin) was originally a selfish and heartless (to say the least) woman, who would feed her own numerous children the flesh of other children whom she had abducted and slaughtered (SHE also lived on human flesh). To show her the error of her ways, the Buddha kidnapped one of HER children, keeping him hidden away. This threw Hariti into a state of frenzied anxiety, and she scoured the globe, in vain for her precious son. This experience led her to an awareness of the terrible suffering which she had been inflicting for so long upon countless parents. She became a fervent adherent of Buddhist doctrines, and eventually became revered herself as a protector of children, mothers and marital bliss.
Kishibojin in Hojo in Spring
There are numerous temples in Japan famous for the worship of Kishibojin. These almost always feature statues of her holding a zakuro. Besides it being a symbol of fertility, some say that the bloody red seeds of the pomegranate represent a replacement for the human flesh on which she and her children once lived.
The most famous of these temples in Tokyo are in Meguro, Zoshigaya and Iriya (this last Kishiboji Temple hosts the famous annual morning glory market). Closer to home, in Tsukuba's Hojo district , I was introduced to a small and secluded, hill-top shrine dedicated to the Goddess (her Shinto manifestation - Suiten) by local artist and musician Thomas Mayers (it is a favorite spot of his). I had almost discovered the place myself once, but the Japanese friend who was driving me was frightened off by the creepy Jizo signboards posted at the foot of the hill. Possibly the most interesting feature of this too little known spot is the large natural rock used as the washing basin (chozuya). There is also an old and mostly faded painting (on a wooden tablet) of Kishibojin and her children.
A Japanese language encyclopedia I consulted stated that there were different attitudes towards zakuro, as connected with Kishibojin, depending on the region. Ibaraki was used as an example for an area which has a very positive image. The article said that in Ibaraki children are set to play under pomegranate trees, as it will keep them healthy, especially emotionally (I have been asking around but I have found no one to confirm this story).
In contrast, the entry said that in Tottori Prefecture the zakuro is avoided because it looks like blood, and, I quote, likes to hear the sick moan.
For much more about Kishiboji, and plenty of pictures see www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kariteimo.html
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