AS alternatives to orthodox or conventional medicine gain ground in this country, many lesser-known therapies are springing up. Amatsu, or Japanese osteopathy, is one such new therapy which seems likely to grow in popularity.
Amatsu - or Hichibuku Goshinjutsu, to use its more formal Japanese name - is a gentle manipulative therapy which focuses on the ligaments of the body. The theory is that stress put on the body by physical injury or mental/emotional stress cause the bones and muscles to move out of their natural alignment, which strains the ligaments.
When this cycle of events is repeated, the result is pain and more stress as the individual tries to cope with the pain. The aim of an Amatsu practitioner is to work on the ligaments so that the bones and muscles will return to their natural balance.
Amatsu is most like osteopathy, and for this reason it is sometimes called Japanese osteopathy. "Chiropractic focuses on the bones, osteopathy focuses on the muscles, but we put the emphasis on the ligaments," says William Doolan, Amatsu practitioner.
I went for an Amatsu treatment myself as part of the research for this article. While lying on a plinth with my shoes and socks off, the Amatsu practitioner did an initial diagnosis using muscle testing techniques based on applied kinesiology. He then went on to make what he described as gentle adjustments to bring my body back into better alignment.
Any adjustments he made were very subtle, and the whole experience felt much like a gentler form of osteopathy. I left the treatment session feeling relaxed, if a little light-headed.
Two English osteopaths, Chris Roworth and Denis Bartram, and Shiatsu/Martial arts expert Doolan were the first Western Europeans to be taught the techniques of Amatsu by Japanese grandmaster Dr Masaaki Hatsumi, who broke with Japanese tradition by teaching them. Once trained themselves, these three Westerners began practising Amatsu and teaching it in Ireland and Britain in the early 1990s.
"The role of a therapist is to understand the nature of distortions, to trace them back to their primary cause-effect traumas and repair, repattern and re-educate," writes Bartram in the Amatsu training manual.
As with many alternative therapies from the East, Amatsu is rooted in a 2000-year-old system of oriental principles. Amatsu practitioners are trained in a form of Japanese massage known as Anma. They are also trained to coax a strained musculo-skeletal system back into position and encourage body tone and co-ordination through techniques known as Seitai.
The position of internal organs and the stability of the skeleton are checked, while the immune and nervous systems are also brought back into balance as part of the overall emphasis on holistic health. The therapy is called Active Balance by some practitioners.
'The main problem people face nowadays is stress. We are living in such an unnatural world - sitting in front of computers and televisions and eating out of microwaves. We are losing touch with nature all the time," says Doolan.
Amatsu is deemed a suitable treatment for back, shoulder, neck, arm, leg or ankle pain. Clients have also reported relief from stomach problems, headaches and general feelings of being unwell. Many people also turn up with sports injuries.
John Phelan (42), a wheelfitter and regular racketball and squash player from Ballyfermot in Dublin believes Amatsu has eased the pain in injuries he received to his knees, shoulder and lower back.
"Somebody recommended an Amatsu practitioner to me. I thought it was a bit unusual at first, but it works. I went for three sessions for my shoulder, four to five for my knees and more for my back, but then I had been out of work for a year with my back. It's a gentle treatment. You feel straighter and lighter afterwards."
There are 25 full-time practitioners of Amatsu in Ireland. Contact details are available on tel: 087-2711215. Treatments cost £25-£30. Clients are usually recommended to have three to four treatments initially.