Research

1 October 2011

The following article has just been published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine:

 Tactile massage and hypnosis as a health promotion for nurses in emergency care - a qualitative study

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/11/83/abstract

Airosa F, Andersson SK, Falkenberg T, Forsberg C, Nordby-Hornell E, Ohlen G, Sundberg T 
 

The updated Systematic Review for Shiatsu is now available!

We are extremely pleased to announce the release of "Shiatsu and Acupressure: a review of the effectiveness of evidence" commissioned by the Shiatsu Society, and carried out by Professor Nicola Robinson, Dr Ava Lorenc, Dr Xing Liao and Julie Donaldson at London South Bank University. Or alternatively, view the preface and executive summary.  

This is the second review we have commissioned. It has been updated with additional research published after 2006. The researchers are now preparing a paper for publication in an academic journal, which will make the review widely accessible to the academic and healthcare communities. Acupressure studies were included along with studies of Shiatsu, in order to broaden the research base the researchers were able to draw on. Consequently, the review can give us good evidence of the effectiveness of certain points for certain conditions.
 

The Shiatsu Society Five-Year Plan

We aim to make the results of research on Shiatsu worldwide available via an independently collated and updatable research resource on the Shiatsu Society website. We will look at the possibilities of conducting a series of research projects relating to the contribution of Shiatsu to integrated health care in the public and voluntary sector in the treatment of specific conditions. In this case, we would work in conjunction with the CCHIM (The Centre for Complementary Healthcare and Integrated Medicine) and a variety of public sector organisations and publish the results of these projects in peer-reviewed journals. We aim to initiate and continue experimental research in the measurement of brain waves and ki projection during Shiatsu sessions and publish the results of this research. We hope to be able to ensure that direct research on Shiatsu continues to be published in peer-reviewed journals. We regularly make useful summaries of research available for external marketing purposes within the Shiatsu Society.

The Effects and Experience of Shiatsu: A Cross-European Study

This project was sponsored by the European Shiatsu Federation (ESF). The aim was to provide a high quality foundation for the wider recognition of Shiatsu and a basis for future research. It explored the relative effectiveness of Shiatsu to other complementary therapies, and conventional medicine. The study extended the evidence base on the effects of Shiatsu on general health and well-being from a European perspective. A tight research protocol and a substantial sample group enabled a wider and confident generalisation of the results.

The study was completed in 2008. The results have now been published and are available at the BioMedCentral online journal.

Clinical Trials

Visit www.clinicaltrials.gov for details of current trials being carried out for Shiatsu.

Shiatsu Research - Benefits in a GP Surgery

Between 1999 and 2003 Dr. Zoe Pirie conducted a PhD research study on the integration of a complementary medicine clinic in the National Health Service (NHS).  It described the impact of delivering Shiatsu on an inner-city general practice, its GPs, patients and the Shiatsu practitioner.

‘The Impact of Delivering Shiatsu in a General Practice’ by Dr. Zoe Pirie.

Measuring the Impact of Ki Projection

The Shiatsu Society was very keen to initiate experimental research on Ki projection and changes in brainwaves during Shiatsu sessions. This research project, led by Elizabeth Davies using equipment developed by Biomonitors, has been completed by Michael Boyd, MRSS.

Shiatsu Society at Research Conferences

In 2009 the Shiatsu Society ws represented the ACHRN (Alternative and Complementary Health Research Network) Conference. ACHRN was established in 1996 by a group of academic social scientists and health researchers in the United Kingdom. ACHRN aims to provide a forum for members to present their research, and to stimulate debate and dialogue on critical research issues in the wider alternative medicine community.

The Journal of Shiatsu and Oriental Body Therapy

The Journal of Shiatsu and Oriental Body Therapy was created by Bill Palmer in 1994 as a professional journal, publishing high quality articles and research in the field. It was published twice a year and had a circulation of over 2000 people worldwide. The last issue was published in 1998. All of the issues can now be read online and downloaded (you must first register).