Jin Shin Do® and Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy:
Despite my ten years of training as a Jin Shin Do® practitioner, including four years of practical experience and an intensive course, I continue to be amazed by the many applications this excellent technique offers.
In this case, it is a strictly personal experience, acquired through self-treatment.
This prompted me to write this article, as the potential and effectiveness of treatment received from another professional would obviously produce more noticeable positive effects.
After this introduction, let’s highlight the context: it concerns a condition that, unfortunately, I have been suffering from for several months.
An ophthalmological condition called Non-Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION).
At the level of scientific research, it is considered a rare disease and is among the conditions classified by the Italian Observatory of Rare Diseases: https://www.osservatoriomalattierare.it .
Several international studies and trials have been conducted, but the only noteworthy positive experience comes from Dr. Livio Pagliani, a surgeon and ophthalmologist specializing in Polistudio Medico Liri in Formigine (MO), Italy.
The treatment consists of administering the active ingredient pentoxifylic acid 400 mg two or three times a day, combined with repeated cycles of oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber at a pressure of 1.5–2.0 bar.
I quote the World Health Organization (WHO): “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a systemic therapy that uses the physical solubility of oxygen under pressure to deliver oxygen, via the blood, to areas of the body and tissues that, due to altered local conditions, lack adequate blood flow.”
In fact, the reports from my two brain CT scans revealed hemorrhagic and inflammatory abnormalities in the distal segment of the optic nerve, extending across the entire surface of the optic disc, likely due to insufficient blood oxygen supply. The combination with pentoxifylline, an anticoagulant drug, improves vascular blood flow in the small vessels of these areas.
Given this background, I decided to undergo an initial twenty-day course of oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber. These therapies increase the concentration of oxygen in the blood, and the medication reduces blood density, which accelerates the resolution of all ongoing inflammatory and hemorrhagic processes.
So far, only the medical and pharmacological aspects of the condition are being evaluated.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, it is natural to also include a holistic aspect.
Since the priority is to significantly increase the amount of oxygen dissolved in the arterial blood, I decided it would be equally helpful to stimulate the body energetically, so that it receives the maximum amount of oxygen possible.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also helps us, considering the mind-body system as a whole.
I believe that the pathways of the energy channels, called meridians, can also play a fundamental role in this specific case.
Therefore, I personally experimented with this sequence (flow), using Jin Shin Do® acupressure, which utilizes classic acupuncture points, and Shiatsu along the remaining meridian pathways.
The flow I used is performed during the stay in the hyperbaric chamber, while oxygen is administered through the mask.
The therapy lasts just over an hour, including the initial pressurization time and the final decompression time. This is the ideal time, generally during which a Jin Shin Do® or Shiatsu treatment is performed. The flow diagram is as follows: #
LU1 + LU3 – LU7 – LU10 – LU9;
BL13 + ST13 – ST16 – BL54;
CV17 + PC6;
BL1 + BL62;
GB14 + GB40;
GV12 + GV16 – GV20 – GV14;
CV22 + CV17.
# LU: Lung Meridian; BL: Bladder Meridian; ST: Stomach Meridian; CV: Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) Meridian; PC: Pericardium Meridian; GB: Gallbladder Meridian; GV: Governing Vessel (Du Mai) Meridian.
…“The Lungs are the symbol of execution and orderly, regulated conduct”… “The Lungs are responsible for the formation of physical energy”… from the Su Wen of the Huang Di Nei Ching (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic: 453 BC – 222 AD).
Note: To facilitate interpretation, I have included the classical acupuncture numbering, while Jin Shin Do® uses a different, specific numbering system.
The points in this sequence are held for 1 or 2 minutes, depending on how long it takes for them to become unblocked or rebalanced.
Between each point, a more dynamic acupressure, typical of the Shiatsu technique, is applied along the corresponding meridian.
This doesn’t mean that attention can’t be focused on particularly interesting, painful, or sensitive areas.
It’s a kind of “exploration,” which I personally perform with my eyes closed, partly due to the mask’s wide harness and the slight dizziness caused by ingesting higher-than-normal amounts of oxygen.
I’m convinced that this self-treatment experience, can easily be transferred to receiving treatment from a qualified professional before hyperbaric chamber therapy.
As already mentioned, the goal of this treatment is to ensure our body is in optimal condition to receive and absorb the maximum amount of oxygen possible from the hyperbaric therapy, improving its performance and enhancing the beneficial effects on arterial microcirculation.
Dr. Pagliani’s medical protocol recommends hyperbaric chamber therapy cycles of at least twenty sessions, with four-month intervals.
In my particular case, at the time of writing, I am only on my tenth session, and it is still too early to draw conclusions.
In any case, I hope that the beneficial effects of this combination will manifest quickly, and I will be available to re-evaluate this trial in the final phase, once the symptoms of the condition have subsided.
Acknowledgments: Dr. Livio Pagliani (https://www.polistudioliri.it ), for the detailed professional advice he provided, his dedication, and courtesy.
Hyperbaric Center Hiperbàricas Canarias S.L.U. in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (https://www.hiperbaricascanarias.com), for the welcome, evaluation, and support during this initial phase of therapy.
Pierluigi Duina, Coordinator of the Jin Shin Do® Foundation Area for Italy, France, and Spain (https://www.bodymindcenter.it) , for his valuable advice and continued professional support. https://www.dreamshiatsu.com/
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