The Yojo Acupuncture System
The eminent 17th century practitioner Kaibara wrote a book on Yojo. Yo 養 means nourish and cultivate something precious. Jo 生 is your life and body. The Yojo system is to regulate three key areas: stress, digestion, and blood circulation. The simple approach activates a self healing power within.
Stress
How many times a week do you feel stressed? Do you have chest tightness? What is your quality of sleep?
Stress contributes to many health issues, so keeping stress under control is one of the most important steps to achieving health goals. Kaibara wrote in the book of Yojo that one of most important things is to cultivate 心気(Qi of Heart) so you can maintain a calm state.
Prolonged disturbance in Qi of Heart causes many imbalances in the body. Acupuncture treatments and self-care routines are very effective at managing stress.
Digestion
Does your stomach bloat easily? Do you often have constipation or loose stool?
Bad digestion can lead to low quality of sleep, and low quality of sleep contributes to stress. This works in reverse as well, as stress can also cause digestive issues. Gut microbiota influences stress levels through vagus nerve and neurotransmitters. Regulating imbalances in the gut regulates hormones, which is essential for well-being.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are very effective in addressing the digestive issues, that may be causing other health issues in the body.
Blood Circulation
Are your shoulders or neck tight? Do you have cold hands or feet? Do you have high blood pressure?
How is pain related to blood circulation? Almost 2,000 years ago it was written as “客於脈中則氣不通，故卒然而痛”, which explains when a channel in the body doesn’t circulate, it causes pain. In my experience treating patients with pain, improving circulation always improves pain levels. The pain can return if something in the body continues to create a blockage in circulation, such as stress or poor digestion.
Regulating the blood circulation has a tremendous effect in reducing pain and improving the overall health. Foot soaks, acupuncture, and herbal supplements greatly improve blood circulation in the body
Ai Kakuta
Principal Acupuncturist
Herbal Medicine Practitioner
Ai Kakuta is the principal acupuncturist and herbal medicine practitioner at Boulder Japanese Acupuncture clinic. She practices the Japanese philosophy of Yojo, first created by Kaibara in the 17th century. The Yojo philosophy of health uses the ancient wisdom of acupuncture to regulate three key areas: stress, digestion, and blood circulation. This simple approach helps a patient activate a self-healing power within. In her practice she has found that the Japanese method of taking pulse, Hara diagnosis, and treating patients with hair-thin needles gently is a very effective and painless approach to acupuncture.
She has studied Keiryaku chiryo and eight extra meridian therapy from Miyawaki-sensei which focuses on Japanese pulse taking and Hara diagnosis to increase the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments. She has studied Hendo Keiryaku Kensaku Hou, Tenchijin Chiryou from Kido-sensei which focuses on channels in the body and utilizes ancient medicine theories. She dove deep into studying classic medical theory with ancient books such as Naikei, Nankei, Shokanron, Nei jin, Nan jin, Shan hun lan, and Shinkyukouotsukei. She then started to explore deceased master acupuncturists’ methods such as Ashiwara-sensei, Yanagiya-sensei, Sawada-sensei, and Matsu-sensei. She gained incredible insights from each master to broaden her understanding of medicine. She has studied with Yonekura-sensei for stress, depression, and women’s health, including Japanese facial acupuncture using micro-current e-stim. She has studied the gentle Teishin method from Funamizu-sensei for the treatment of depression. She has studied pain management and sports medicine using micro-current e-stim from Hasegawa-sensei, Takahashi-sensei, and Jinnai-sensei, focusing on pain in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, neck, lower back, hip, knee, and foot. She has put all this knowledge of the great masters into practice and developed her own style from what she has found to be the most effective.
For traditional herbal medicine, she studied with Dr. Wong who was classically trained in China and practiced medicine in Beijing. He has inspired her to be the best physician she can be, and incorporate acupuncture and herbal medicine together. She was introduced to Yamamoto-style Japanese herbal medicine by Chatani-sensei and confirmed this method’s effectiveness while treating patients in Boulder, Colorado. She has studied Japanese methods for elderly patients from Koyama-sensei and for women’s health from Yamaguchi-sensei.
She earned her master’s degree in Acupuncture and Herbal medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College. She was awarded a Diplomate in Acupuncture by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Ai is a licensed acupuncturist in Colorado, NCCAOM Nationally Board Certified, and a member of the Acupuncture Association of Colorado (AAC).