Shiatsu Gall Bladder stretch at Woodland Herbs
Shiatsu and Do-In by John Williamson in Glasgow

Research into Shiatsu:

Research into Shiatsu is in it's infancy. However, there are two key papers published in recent years that are of notable interest.

  1. The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu - October 2006

    Commissioned and funded by Shiatsu Society.
    Undertaken by the Centre for Complementary Healthcare & Integrated Medicine at the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Thames Valley University.
    Full Report

    This report makes evident the lack of research into Shiatsu. However, the review also looked at research relating to acupressure, which is an aspect of Shiatsu. It found a lot more research into acupressure and concluded that "the evidence is generally consistent and has demonstrated that acupressure can control pain". Other areas of research were found to be either inconsistent and needed further research or demonstrated week evidence due to study design.

  2. The Effects and Experience of Shiatsu: A Cross-European Study - December 2007

    Commissioned and funded by the European Shiatsu Federation.
    Undertaken by the School of Healthcare at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds.
    Full Report , Practitioner Report

    The research took place in three countries, Austria, Spain and the UK. The study’s findings confirm the safety of Shiatsu. Benefits to general well-being, health maintenance, health promotion and awareness. It was noted that there was a reduction in the use of conventional medicine, medication and working days lost due to ill-health. As well as a statistically significant reduction in symptom severity for all symptom groups.