One acupuncturist, trained in one style

Acupuncture reached Japan centuries ago and grew there along its own path. The style I practice favors fine needles, shallow insertion and a great deal of palpation: the practitioner feels the pulse, the skin and the belly, and often needles less than a visitor expects.

My teacher and the school

My teacher trained at a small school in western Japan that taught touch before needling. He later taught a few working acupuncturists in Honolulu, one afternoon a week, and I was one of them. He taught that a treatment should be as small as it can be and still do its work, and I have kept that rule.

How I keep learning

I meet with a study group of acupuncturists each month. We treat each other, compare what we feel and argue gently about what to do next. It keeps my hands honest, and it keeps the practice from drifting into habit.