Fukushin Seminar in Seattle: A Unique Educational Achievement in Oriental Medicine Instruction

“I found Nigel Dawes' Abdominal Diagnosis seminar extremely well-done and worthwhile. Nigel has an obviously clear grasp on the clinical application of this aspect of examination and how it fits into the general diagnostic scheme. He is able to convey much to the students in a very short time. I have already found this material to be of use in my own clinic. Highly recommended.” – Dan Bensky

After months of development the first 3-day Fukushin seminar was held in Seattle, WA on the weekend of Mar. 4, 5, and 6th.  With the organizational support from Honso distributor, Mark Pettee of Kampo Northwest and the in-depth instruction from Nigel Dawes, L.Ac. and Dr. Dan Wen we were able to provide a prestigious educational event for all in attendance. 

Loosely translated Fukushin is defined as Abdominal Diagnosis in Oriental Medicine.  Outside of Japan this practice of Fukushin is somewhat of a lost art.  So, we were extremely grateful when Nigel Dawes, a highly educated scholar and practitioner in the field of Oriental Medicine accepted our invitation to teach the essentials that make up the foundation of such a precious herbal diagnostic art.

The group of practitioners who attended, all well seasoned clinicians with the mutual goal of honing their herbal diagnostic skills through abdominal palpation were captivated throughout this 3-day event. 

Nigel began the sessions with a brief history and background of Japanese Kampo medicine.  After establishing the concepts behind Kampo, he launched into demonstrations on how to diagnose a patient’s constitution through the abdomen.  The next two topics examined by Nigel were the 13 abdominal conformations in Kampo medicine and formula matching with the abdominal conformations.  Sunday, the final day of the seminar, was set aside as a clinic day with patients coming in to be diagnosed in a Grand Rounds setting.

Here are a few more comments expressed by attendees:

"I would really like this style to grow in popularity, so other practitioners become aware of Fukushin diagnosis." S.P

"I would like Nigel to come back to the area to follow up on how we are doing, or maybe do some sort of distance learning program to support what we have learned." K.R

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