How Kanpo Can Benefit Your Qi

“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” sang Liza Minnelli in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 movie New York, New York, but actually making it in New York is the hard part. Although a healthy lifestyle is revered in American society most of us are so overworked that we don’t give our body the attention it deserves; thus, increasing the risk of serious (and possibly permanent) ailments to develop. “In order for the body to function properly, Qi [energy] must travel through the body’s five major organs: the heart, lung, spleen, liver, and kidney,” explains Ms. Yuko Nozaki, a certified Chinese Herbologist and acupuncturist from the Ido Holistic Center in Midtown Manhattan. “All five organs represent a small universe that exists within you. When Qi cannot pass through one of your organs the other four become Qi deficient.” Similar to a mathematical equation in that when one number is off, the entire problem is wrong.

According to Ms. Nozaki, the most important organ in our body is the heart because it controls the other organs. Insufficient heart Qi will cause the heart to function improperly, resulting in abnormal mental activity, palpitations, and insomnia. The lung Qi influences your voice, and can produce asthmatic symptoms when low. The spleen Qi distributes nutrients to the organs and controls water absorption, but inadequate spleen Qi can cause loose stools, indigestion, and poor appetite. Liver Qi controls the flow of blood and energy, which, in turn greatly affects our mind’s functionality, but a shortness of Liver Qi can result in anxiety, depression, and hypochondria. While kidney Qi helps our breathing it also determines bone marrow condition and regulates water intake. A lack of kidney Qi can lead to frequent urination, sexual dysfunction, and bone deterioration; symptoms that would ruin anybody’s day.

In order for Ms. Nozaki to properly diagnosis a Qi shortage and recommend treatment she asks questions about the patient’s life before checking three things: their pulse, eyes, and tongue. This style of “personal consultation” and involvement is what makes Ms. Nozaki’s analysis so effective. Visiting Ido Holistic Center was an educational experience, and Ms. Nozaki’s attention to detail followed by her thorough explanation was comforting; a far cry from the five minute assessment I get when visiting a doctor in the hospital. If you are looking to heal yourself without the side-effects of prescription medicine, then the Ido Holistic Center is your one-way stop to enlightenment. There is no point making it if you are not healthy enough to enjoy it.

For more information regarding Kanpo Treatments, Shiatsu, and/or Acupuncture visit the Ido Holistic Center online or set up an appointment with Ms Nozaki by calling 212-599-5300.