Shiatsu under threat?
Posted by tfootitt on June 6, 2007
A really interesting article about Shiatsu being an unacceptable therapy in France.
“It comes as rather a surprise to people in countries such as the UK and the US, where alternative medicine is still practised relatively freely, to learn that in the more medically repressive countries such as France, shiatsu massage is a crime punishable by law. With massage having been ‘colonised’, redefined and controlled by the medical authorities, the only legitimate form permitted (unless you choose to sneak off and bravely practise on the black market) is what you’ll get from the official knee-cracking ‘kinesithérapeutes’ who wouldn’t know a shiatsu from their big toe.”
Read more at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article1890425.ece
Irresponsible Shiatsu said
[...] writing on her Shiatsu blog asks the question is Shiatsu under threat? and links to several articles discussing the repression of alternative therapies in France. I [...]
tfootitt said
“Hi Trace
Well I just wanted to say that there’a a lot of myth around what’s possible and what isn’t in France. It’s true that as an alternative practitioner one normally doesn’t have the right to diagnose and treat, but in theory that isn’t the case. Even the Shiatsu Federation here in France has articles in their paper covering aspects of “treating” people and they have a member on the commitee who is a doctor in a famous hospital in Paris. Most of my clients present with physical symptoms that they want treated.
What I would say though is that it’s harder to work here just because there are fewer people who know about Shiatsu and there are a lot of alternative therapies available and growing daily, as everywhere in the world. I also live in a little village, so the clientelle is smaller and poorer. There are successful practitioners in the cities and in Montpellier there’s a Shiatsu school run by a couple of guys who did their training at the ESS like me.
Obviously people who have a first qualification as a pysiotherapist or osteopath get first call. Apart from anything else the health system here allows people to be reimbursed for those treatments and not if they go directly to a Shiatsu practitioner. Some doctors, for instance practice Acupuncture and Homoeopathy and are part of the Health Service.
I hope this helps to explain things a little better.
Regards
Jo
Jo Tyson
Jo@shiatsuconnection.com
http://www.shiatsuconnection.com
Les Pilles, France.”
Jo Tyson said
let me! Write to me if you want and I’ll reply!
Jo Tyson said
Would love to write more, but the window doesn’t
Jo Tyson said
i have a practice here in France. A shortage of c
Jo Tyson said
In fact not quite true. The French are very good about making rules, but most people don’t abide by them.
Jo Tyson said
In fact not quite true. The French are very good about making rules, but most people don’t abide by them
Jo Tyson said
In fact not quite true. The French are very good about making rules, but most people don’t abide by the
tfootitt said
Hi Gary,
I agree that Shiatsu is a complementary therapy to western medicine and can work in harmony with it, for example with people who have cancer treatments. Shiatsu is very powerful because it supports the individual to heal in a holistic way.
As Shiatsu practitioner I believe that I have a duty of care which includes signposting clients to their DR etc. whenever necesary.
I interpreted the article as saying that it is very difficult to practice Shiatsu in France due to current legislation and that practitioners have taken to doing this under a different name to avoid prosecution.
Yours in Shiatsu
Tracy
Gary said
I see this as down to whether you view shiatsu as alternative or complimentary. Personally I’m firmly in the complimentary camp: if someone comes to me for advice or treatment with a medical condition the very first thing I’m going to ask is “have you seen a doctor about it?” But a few times I’ve been chatting with other shiatsu practitioners about some medication or another and they’ve said something like “oooh, such-and-such a treatment is really bad for you” and I’ve thought “Jesus, I hope you don’t say that to your clients!” Because if you make someone stop taking necessary medication because they believe shiatsu is all the treatment they need then that’s dangerous. If shiatsu is complimentary to Western therapy then there’s no big deal.
tfootitt said
A very good question Em, definately not on my list of places to emigrate to.
tfootitt said
Hi Tony,
no problem with the link etc.
Glad you liked the post. I’ve just realised that one of my tutors is looking at moving to France and wondered if he is aware?
I look forward to reading your two penneth.
Trace
Em said
Scary…. remind me again why people from the UK keep moving to France?
Tony Brown said
Interesting question thanks for raising it. I have posted a link to you on my site (scheduled for Tuesday as I write ahead) and added my own two cents; hope you don’t mind.
How do you dig up these great links?
Tony