Definition of Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a manual therapy originated in Japan with more than one hundred years of history. This therapy was recognized in 1955 by Health Office of Japan, and as it occurs with medicine, it must be studied in an official education center during an established period of time of three years. After graduation in that organism a state exam must be passed so therapist could practice as a professional of Shiatsu.

In December 1957, the medical department of Health Office of Japan published a manual text denominated "Theory and Practice of Shiatsu" where we can find its definition:
"Shiatsu is a treatment that, applying pressures with thumbs and the palm of the hands over specific points, corrects irregularities, keeps and improves health state, contributes to relieve certain illness"

As we can see in this definition, Shiatsu can be summed up in three principles:
1. It is a manual treatment in which we do not use another parts of the body like elbows, knees, also we do not use any tool or machine.
2. The pressures must be applied with no massage.
3. It has as therapeutic goals: improving health state and relieving symptoms.

Even knowing it is simple, this summary, that we could only add to it that Shiatsu is a typical Japanese hand therapy, permit us explain the concept of Shiatsu in a precise way to foreigners.

In a schematic way, we could describe Shiatsu as:

- Apply pressures with fingers, above all thumbs and palms, over aching zones or not efficiently irrigated zones by blood vessels
- This application is based on experienced therapist intuition, in neurological knowledge, mainly the physiology of spinal nerves and autonomous nervous system, and knowledge about reflexes of skin-organs related.
- The repeated pressures applied not just on aching zones, but also zones all over the body produces beneficial effects that permit us to recuperate the correct movement of joints, regulates a good abdominal breath, balances neurological function, and corrects body unbalance caused by daily behavior.
- In this direction, Shiatsu is considered as an effective method for prevention and to keep balanced the body.