When Ki (or life force) flows freely through the meridians, the body is balanced and healthy, but if the energy becomes blocked, stagnated or weakened, it can result in physical, mental and/or emotional illness. An imbalance in a person’s body can result from inappropriate emotional responses such as excess anger, over excitement, self-pity, worry, deep grief or fear. Environmental factors such as wind, cold, damp, dryness or heat can also cause imbalance together with wrong diet, overwork, stress, too much sex and/or exercise.

To restore balance, acupuncture points are chosen to counteract the imbalance as well as taking into account the symptoms of the compliant and the current state of the client’s body. Treatment centers on supplementing the primary deficiency pattern and balancing the distribution and circulation of Ki within the meridian system.

In our clinic we practice the purely traditional form of Japanese Meridian style acupuncture known as HARI based primarily on diagnosis through pulse and abdomen observation. It is largely rooted in the practitioner’s acute sensitivity to Ki (or life force). HARI treatments adjust and regulate the balance and flow of Ki in and around the meridians (pathways for life force flow) in such a way that the body’s life force can flow uniformly to each of the five viscera and six bowels. To accomplish this, acupuncture needles and moxibustion supplements the correct KI (healthy life force) and clears evil qi (pathogenic KI) to a state of balanced KI thereby removing the imbalances underlying the cause of illness. The needle techniques use fine stainless steel, silver or gold needles and are very gentle, yet effective on a deep level.

For moxibustion, again the sensation is very faint since we use tiny cones, the size of sesame seeds. The essence of HARI is completely different from the acupuncture that is based on biomedicine, which aims at stimulating the autonomic nervous system. HARI fundamentally aims at strengthening life and as such it is applicable to any illness regardless of what category biomedicine would place it.