GETTING CHAINED UP

WHEN GETTING CHAINED UP (WITH DIODE CHAINS) CAN DO AMAZING THINGS!

One of the most powerful tools in the Kiiko Matsumoto Style acupuncturist’s toolkit, after the use of Metal and Water treatments to deal with inflammation, is the use of Master Kawai’s diode rings and diode chains. These simple devices have amazing abilities to help with pain and joint problems by reducing inflammation and promoting healing of stressed, inflamed or injured tissues.

Patients often laugh when I suggest that I chain them up, connect some wires, wrap the chains with foil and then spark them with a gas lighter, however they usually say, ‘If it will help the pain, go ahead’. When they leave the treatment couch and realise that their pain is sometimes gone, or at least greatly reduced, then they are frequently totally amazed!

I will illustrate their use below with three genuine recent cases, but you may wonder how the rings work and I am afraid I don’t know, except they often produce amazing results. The idea originated in the work of the renown Dr Manaka, a famous Japanese hospital doctor, polymath and acupuncturist, specialising in treatment of burns. Dr Manaka’s work and research was then developed into the current diode rings and diode chains by Master Kawai, a famous acupuncturist and teacher of Kiiko Matsumoto. At the root of their function is the fact that healing in the body often involves the movement of charged electrical particles, such as sodium or potassium ions, and somehow the diodes accelerate the healing process.

The rings are red or blue/green, depending on the type of diode used. Red rings are used in deficiency conditions (often dull pain or numbness) and the green in excess conditions (often sharp or stabbing pain). The rings can be used in two main ways, just on the fingers or toes (for example on the ‘thumb’ for Lung, asthma, insomnia, liver problems, gout), or paired up and taped to the skin, to deal with a pain at a particular spot (for example a painful point on a ‘C’ section scar or a painful area on the body).

The chains are a flexible form of rings. They have a red diode followed by a green diode every 7cm or so along the chain. They can be wrapped around joints for knee pain or tennis or golfers elbow, or flat on a larger painful area (eg. sore spinal vertebra), or on feet or calves to deal with diabetic neuropathy and so on. As you will see from the cases below, new uses arise for them all the time!

Case 1 – Neuropathic pain in the buttocks after heart surgery.

A salesman came for treatment for neuropathic pain in his buttocks, which he found difficult to tolerate, as he spent most of his time driving from client to client, which was excruciating for him. He had had a successful stent operation to expand a heart artery, but for unknown reasons had then developed nerve pain in the buttocks and was on gabapentin, which is a strong medication to help nerve pain, but has serious side effects and hence wanted to try acupuncture so he could stop the medication. I did the constitutional treatment and suggested to him, although I had never tried it before, that I could chain up his buttocks with diode chains, which might help the pain. When he stopped laughing, he said to go ahead, but only if I took a photo of his buttocks with his phone, otherwise his wife wouldn’t believe him! He phoned a few days later and said the pain was reducing and would come for another treatment, where I chained his buttocks again. He left the clinic pain free and delighted!

Case 2 – Loss of walking ability due to a Pilon ankle fracture

Mrs I came to see me with a stiff and swollen ankle, a result of a fracture, which prevented her from walking more than short distance and deprived her from her hobby of rambling. I did a constitutional treatment and suggested to her that I would chain up the ankle with diode chains, then said to her that I didn’t know if it would help, as it was so long since the injury. Anyway, a few days later she phoned to say that something was happening in the ankle and wanted a second appointment, where I again chained up the ankle. About 10 days after that she emailed to say that she was delighted, and gave me a review, in her own words, “Acupuncture was recommended to me as a means of regaining flexibility in my ankle after a ‘pilon’ fracture which resulted in 8 months where bone healing was helped along by metal wires and bolts and the immense amount of subsequent swelling and stiffness in muscle was helped along by exercises suggested by the physio. But after almost 2 years since my accident, I still had swelling, stiffness and an inability to walk the miles I used to in the countryside. Acupuncture changed all that: last weekend, after 2 treatments with Lawrence, I managed seven miles; I can feel a freeing up of muscle tissue and ligaments, deep within the ankle, a greater flexibility and balance.”

Case 3 – Long term Knee pain

Mrs J came with severe long-term, anxiety and painful knees. I did a constitutional treatment and then suggested to her that I would chain up the knees with diode chains, which might help the pain. To her and my amazement, she left the clinic with no knee pain, which hasn’t since returned and gave me a review, in her own words, “'I went to see Lawrence because of severe arthritis in both knees, taking prescription painkillers four times daily and using a stick to walk was very debilitating. I've also suffered from depression and anxiety for the past 10 years to the extent that life was like living in a bubble. I still can't believe that after my first treatment my knee pain disappeared totally, I no longer use a stick and am now painkiller free. After 2 treatments I went on holiday and walked 5 miles every day. My treatments with Lawrence are helping me enjoy life once more. I will be forever grateful.”

I think you can see from the cases above, that the diode chains, combined with a Kiiko Matsumoto style ‘constitutional’, Japanese style treatment can produce some fantastic and hugely appreciated results.

Lawrence Stroud – Stroud Acupuncture in Stroud – https://stroudacupuncture.co.uk/