Do you suffer from the chronic pain of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis? If so, I invite you to try zen shiatsu, a form of healing bodywork based on the principles of traditional Eastern medicine.

In the traditional Eastern model, what we call arthritis can be the result of energy blockages, stagnation, or depletion. Over time, these imbalances may manifest as pain of increasing severity in the joints and sinews.

Eastern medicine recognizes several forms of these diseases. Your treatment will vary according to the type of pain and how this manifests.

Some patients have severe, fixed pain; others have a sensation of heaviness; others have inflammation and heat; still others have pain that seems to move about the body. Each of these, in conjunction with your complete history, will suggest a different protocol for shiatsu treatment.

In addition, rheumatoid arthritis has an auto-immune component, which requires boosting the immune system.

In dietary terms, it may surprise you that a diet rich in whole grains and vegetables, with a minimum of animal foods, can produce symptomatic relief.

You can also try eliminating potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from your diet for at least six weeks to see if this produces improvement.

If it does, and if re-introducing them causes increased pain and swelling, you can be sure that these members of the nightshade family have been aggravating your condition.



As a qualified zen shiatsu therapist, I work with the body's energetic channels, or meridians, to clear imbalances and help your body restore itself.

Shiatsu is often called "acupuncture without needles", and is quite different from conventional massage: think of it as energetic medicine.

The physical techniques employed include pressure, stretching, and various manipulations, as well as energetic work.

Your treatment, or series of treatments, will be designed to treat the underlying cause of your condition, and to effectively relieve your symptoms.

Zen shiatsu treats the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. It is gentle but powerful, non-invasive, natural and drug-free.

Please call 416.972.1380 for further information, or email david@shiatsutoronto.ca

Feel well again.