Looking back at Okinawa

Dateline: Saitama Prefecture, Japan; October 20, 2011—It is the eve of my departure from Saitama Prefecture, anticipatory to my departure from Japan on Monday. The long trip, stretching back to July, is coming to an end. But there are a items which bear mentioning, and for them this post.

We need to go back to my running accident in August and take the damage all the way to Okinawa. The fall on the rail road tracks had been a bad one, but I have sprained my ankles before, besides breaking one in a motorcycle accident in ‘68. But the damage this time seemed to hang on too long. As we entered October there was still a lot of swelling and tenderness, something that has never happened before. Then one of my students decided to take a look. And this student is not your average student; he is an osteopath. He attended out Phase one class at Genki Plaza two years ago but was unable to return last year due to a medical conference he had to attend. So this year he traveled from Tokyo to Okinawa to complete Phase 2.

He told us that he was outing into practice the things he had learned in Phase 1 two years ago, and those things were the very basics. I taught the lifestyle principles, and by the way, there are fifteen and not eight for those stuck on NEWSTART. The results of his implementing the simplicity of healing? He was losing patients. Why? They were becoming well and no longer needing his services. Rather than mourn the loss of revenue, he is overjoyed at the success he is having. But I am sure his patient base will build up from patient referrals. But this has nothing to do with my ankle.

He first palpated my back and noticed at once some problems with vertebral alignment. Now, I had not asked him to check on my ankle but he followed his inclinations and ended up at my feet. And there it was, something I had not noticed before. My medial malleolus was on the same plane as my lateral malleolus when normally the medial should be nearly 35-degrees higher. In other words, my ankle bones gave indication that my fibula had somehow been jammed higher as a result of my running accident last August giving cause for the constant swelling and pain and onward tweaking of my vertebrae.

At this point, and something was lost in the non-translation, it seems he wanted to show me how he worked his way through medical school…as a pretzel maker. I have never been so twisted, turned, yanked and popped as he did me that evening. Now, I am not one to passively allow myself to be distorted, contorted or water boarded as all seem like forms for torture. But I tried to relax. It was a cross between pro wrestling and gymnastics. But when he was done, the swelling began going down. This guy has amazing hands. He worked on a number of the staff and students. He will be a powerhouse when he returns to work armed with more simple health principles and his already well-honed skills as an osteopath. Okinawa was a good experience.

One more post before I take my journey home.

God bless,

Don