In this Shop Talk presentation Jeffrey Dann discusses the importance of palpation as part of the assessment and treatment of patients. He emphasizes the importance of relying on our hands to improve our palpatory skills which in turn help to deepen our understanding of the physical body.
In this presentation he focuses, as an example, on the Yuan Source point Kidney Three, and takes us through the process of palpating for blood, qi, nerves and fluids. And then suggests ways to intervene using acupuncture, moxibustion and gentle bodywork.
Jeffrey’s long experience as a practitioner and his study of various palpatory modalities gives him a unique perspective on directly sensing into the body using our hands. Not only does this aid with diagnosis, but it also gives us a way to see how our interventions are being received by the body.
He and Mark Petrusi are offering a three day class in Qi, Blood and Fluids in Honolulu Hawaii. You’ll find more information here.
Jeffrey also mentioned the innovative work of the Engaging Vitality group.
Jeffrey Dann PhD, LAc. has been a student of Japanese culture and traditional medicine since 1972 when he did doctoral work in anthropology at the Mito Tobukan dojo in Ibaraki Prefecture Japan. Later he studied acupuncture in Hong Kong and Beijing where he was in the first foreign student group of the famed channel palpation physician, Dr. Wang Ju-Yi. After gaining his NCCAOM license in 1984, he worked with Dr. Chieko Maekawa in Hawaii for 15 years to run the Traditional Japanese Acupuncture Foundation (Hawaii) where they brought numerous master Japanese teachers to the US. Later, for 10 years , with Stephen Brown sensei he ran the annual In-Touch International Acupuncture and Moxibustion seminars in Japan.
He has been a teaching assistant for the introductory courses of French osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral’s Visceral Manipulation programs. In addition, he has been a regular contributor and editor to the North American Journal of Oriental Medicine.
Join Jeffrey for an exploration of Qi, Blood and Fluids in Honolulu this August.
You can listen to Jeffrey’s conversations in Episode on Qi, Blood and Fluids and the conversation on Tradition and Innovation.
