Medical Models in Japanese Acupuncture

Japan integrates Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) with mainstream western health services, most notably seen in the controlled national health insurance coverage of acupuncture, Judo Therapy (unique orthopaedic techniques developed by judo practitioners [Suzuki 2004]), and herbal medicine. The following discussion is based on four years of ethnographic research in Japan as part of a PhD dissertation and highlights some ways "western" and "eastern" medical philosophical concepts interact, specifically in relation to acupuncture and Judo Therapy. It will do this by examining how "western" and "eastern" medical philosophies shape the practice of Japanese acupuncture. This article also aims to promote awareness about how medical models manifest in clinical actions and inform clinical reasoning in Japan which may also have parallels with the practice of acupuncture in other countries.