Remote Acupuncture Treatment
Since opening our clinic in Jiyugaoka in 2017, we have had the honor of welcoming many patients from all over Japan and around the world for acupuncture treatments and Kampo consultations.
Among them, some have requested what is commonly referred to as “remote treatment.”
In the past, telephones operated through physical wires, but today wireless communication is the norm. With the advancement of online technology, it has become easy to transmit information wirelessly.
Remote treatment is similar in nature. In-person acupuncture̶where needles physically contact or penetrate the body̶can be considered a “wired” form of therapy. It activates physical and physiological reflexes and responses.
In contrast, remote treatment could be described as “wireless” manipulation of information.
When I was still an acupuncture student, one of my practical instructors invited me to attend a summer seminar on traditional acupuncture. During the seminar, a blind teacher led a hands-on session and asked, “Is there anyone here currently experiencing shoulder stiffness?” One of the participants raised their hand and volunteered.
The teacher gently touched the person’s body and said, “For this kind of shoulder tension, it’s more effective to keep the needle a few millimeters to a centimeter away from the skin.” Without even making contact with the skin, the teacher skillfully alleviated the participant’s shoulder stiffness and neck pain in just a matter of seconds. I witnessed it with my own eyes.
Later, when I shared this experience with a senior practitioner of Qigong, he casually remarked, “That’s the same as Treatment of Qigong. If it works from 1 millimeter away, then it can work from 10 centimeters, 10 meters, or even 1,000 kilometers. The only difference is whether you touch the person or not.”
His words made perfect sense to me, and I still remember that moment clearly.
Since childhood, I have devoted myself to martial arts training, including many years of study in Chinese internal martial arts̶commonly known as Neijiaquan, which integrates Qigong practice. My Chinese teacher was also a physician who had inherited a family tradition of Qigong. I often saw him treat his students’ ailments after training sessions using Qigong (Qigong therapy).
Because of this background, I never found such experiences strange or unbelievable. On the contrary, I came to understand that similar techniques could also be applied in acupuncture.
Later, I had the opportunity to learn several essential techniques from senior Qigong practitioners that are particularly useful for acupuncturists. Drawing upon this foundation, I began to apply these skills in what I now refer to as “remote acupuncture treatment.”
Case Examples from Clinical Practice
Shortly after I opened my clinic, I received an email from someone studying abroad in Vancouver.
They had injured their knee and were experiencing significant pain, and asked if there was anything I could do to help. Fortunately, I had some free time at that moment, so I tuned into their body’s energetic information and conveyed what I intuitively felt̶“I sense there are issues in these particular areas.” The response came back: “That’s exactly right.”
I then performed a treatment for about 10 minutes, focusing on guiding the flow of Qi through the affected areas. At the end, I “inserted” an energetic needle (a Qi needle) into the injured region. Afterward, I asked them to try walking.
A few minutes later, they messaged me back: “The pain is almost completely gone̶I can walk now!”
Another time, while I was out having lunch with my wife, I received a message from my sister in Osaka. She wrote, “One of my coworkers just threw out their back right in front of me. They can’t stand or walk̶please help!”
I didn’t know the coworker’s name and had never met them. But knowing that they were right in front of my sister, I attempted to read that person’s energy field remotely. I sensed stagnation in a specific part of their lower back and told my sister, who replied, “That’s exactly where it hurts!”
I instructed her to have the person remain seated, keep their eyes closed, and breathe deeply. For about 10 minutes, I worked to promote the flow of Qi from the lower back to the spine and down to the legs. I also adjusted the flow around the spine and pelvis, and finally applied several Qi needles remotely.
Then I told my sister, “The treatment is complete. Ask them to try moving their lower back slowly and, if possible, stand up.” She later reported that while some pain remained, they were able to stand from the chair and walk slowly on their own. She said the room burst into applause.
I advised them to go to a nearby hospital with someone accompanying them, just to be safe.
During the global chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was contacted by an Italian woman. Her mother had contracted COVID-19 and was suffering from lingering post-viral symptoms. Modern medicine had done all it could, and the doctors had said there was nothing more they could offer. The woman reached out to me for help.
She sent several photos of her mother, and using those as a reference, I read her mother’s energetic condition and performed treatments to clear the areas of stagnation. I did 10-minute treatments over three consecutive days.
After that, her mother’s condition visibly began to improve. During the process, I also advised the daughter on a few self-care techniques that she herself could perform to support her mother.
Eventually, I received a message that her mother had recovered almost completely, with no lingering symptoms. Attached to the message was a photo of the mother and daughter smiling together.
I have had many other opportunities, through personal connections, to perform similar remote acupuncture treatments.
Until now, I have not offered this service publicly. I have only accepted requests for remote acupuncture from close connections̶family members, friends, and students, or through personal introductions.
My primary focus has always been on in-person acupuncture treatments at the clinic and house calls for patients in need.
However, with my wife’s recent hospitalization and the circumstances we now face, it will become increasingly difficult for me to continue making house calls.
Therefore, I have decided to offer remote acupuncture treatment as an alternative to home visits.
That said, considering my wife’s hospitalization and the circumstances we are now facing, making house calls will become increasingly difficult.
Therefore, I have decided to offer remote acupuncture treatment as an alternative to in-home visits.
I am a devoted user of the iPhone and MacBook, with most of my data stored in iCloud. I can access and modify data on my iPhone that is stored on my MacBook, and vice versa. It’s a remarkably convenient era we live in.
I believe this is very similar to remote Qigong or remote acupuncture treatment̶ transmitting information wirelessly, rather than through physical contact.
That said, the effects of these treatments vary from person to person, and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
But of course, this applies to conventional medicine as well.
If you are someone who is open to this approach and sincerely wishes to relieve the pain or discomfort of yourself or your loved ones, I invite you to reach out.
Please feel free to contact me for a consultation.
Hiroshi
