Since the establishment of the “One Shot Acupuncture Clinic” on Shibuya’s Dogenzaka Street in June of 1974, 34 wonderful years and more than 200,000 treatments have been performed on thousands of satisfied patients who have passed through the door. Our clinic was named the “One Shot Acupuncture Clinic” because of our reputation in giving successful treatments in “One Shot” (one needle, one spot, one treatment). To this day, people come from far and wide having heard about this “one shot” method. Of course, many people’s first question upon entering our clinic is “can a successful treatment really happen with just one needle… in just one shot?” The answer is that if a simple pain has been detected at an early stage, placing a needle directly into the painful area or into a remote control-like pressure point in a different part of the body can relieve the symptom immediately with one treatment using no more than one needle. In these cases patients are more satisfied, enjoying the direct experience of relief, and spread the word about how much better they feel. However, this is the best case scenario. Realistically, I must give a few warnings and some advice to patients who are considering acupuncture treatment for their ailments.
Obviously, a patient decides to come to a clinic in response to a problem. Often times this problem is painful, and the patient is already receiving treatment from several other clinics (usually western medication) before deciding to try acupuncture. Yet, what shocks me on a daily basis is the degree to which, despite all the pain and treatments, people have put their health and recovery on the back burner. Oftentimes, it’s as if they do not take their health seriously at all.
I realize that it is a stressful world and that a life of total physical and mental harmony is difficult to achieve and requires a lot of dedication from the patient in today’s society. However, what I really want to say is “Please stop overlooking or ignoring the obvious signs (symptoms) that your body is sending you, and please make your recovery a priority in your daily life!!!”
“Doctor, please cure me as soon as possible” - almost all my patients say something like this. But the doctor is merely a guide who temporarily borrows the body and sets the gears in motion towards recovery. The one who actually cures the ailment is none other than the patient himself. To draw an analogy to cooking, the patient is like the all-important ingredient while the doctor is merely the chef who prepares it. Originally, we all possess wonderful ingredients, but spoil them to different degrees with our bad habits, overwork, stress, etc.. If we are aware of our bodily signals before the problem becomes too serious, then in the same way that a wilting head of lettuce can be brought back to life with a little water in the refrigerator, our bodies can also be brought back to health. But if we wait until the lettuce is completely damaged, its recovery will be difficult and time consuming. The same holds true for our bodies.
A light symptom or a simple pain can be cured with one small needle in one special location…in one shot. But accumulated exhaustion, stress or side effects from negative medication can seriously damage the body over a long period of time. In such cases, each inner organ must first be brought back to health and the whole body system guided to recovery in a time consuming step by step process.
Also, if one feels that, because they are receiving good treatment, it is okay to return to old habits - overwork, excessive eating and drinking and a high stress lifestyle - it will be very difficult to enjoy the full power and benefits of acupuncture. It must be understood that treatment of this kind is entirely contingent upon the self-management of its recipient, the patient.
The rationale of acupuncture lies in increasing blood circulation in certain organs by stimulating a painful area or its corresponding pressure point, and thereby “recharging” the energy of the body part which is responsible for curing the problem. In this way, acupuncture heightens the natural healing power of the body itself, encouraging it to cure its own problem effectively without the dangers of external side effects.
It is the doctor’s job to administer the proper stimulation for the specific problem of a patient. But it is the patient’s job to take care of the basic raw material we are working with, the body, so that an effective treatment can be given. It is extremely important for patients to keep this in mind before taking a treatment.
All symptoms are warnings issued by the body, demanding some recovery time for a system which has been stressed and damaged over a long period of time. “RELAX!!!” it says, often with a red light and siren. So please make your health and recovery a priority, at least for the duration of a treatment, and put some effort into building the proper condition for allowing an effective treatment. If tired or sleepy after a treatment, this is a natural side effect of increased blood circulation in the organs. Please relax and take a nap. This is also a very important part of the treatment process.
It is only with the motivation and desire of the patient who wants to heal himself that the doctors input can become a treatment. In this way, by working together, we can eventually move to the final stage and graduate from a full course treatment. I will continue to do my very best in my practice, and ask that you also do your best to create the foundation for an effective treatment.
Last but not least, the issue of trust between doctor and patient is very important. In fact, such mental and emotional elements are a very significant force in creating both the symptom as well as its cure. Please feel free to talk with me directly and frankly about such issues at any time, even if they concern your opinions about me or my behavior. I will be sure to take all voices into account and try to learn from them.
Receiving a treatment costs time as well as money, and I do my very best to minimize the burden that the patient must bear in this regard. It is my hearts desire that my patients experience a smooth, effective and affordable recovery, and quickly graduate into the PR department of our clinic. And of course, I never tire of a happy “thanks doctor, I feel a lot better!”

Please feel free to talk with me about any problem whatsoever. And please be sure to take the first step to effectively rebuilding your health.