The Art of Constitutional Assessment in Kampo: Identifying Formula Constitutional Patterns with Nigel Dawes

Details:

Schedule: Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17, 2027 from 10:00AM - 6:00PM 

Location: In Person at AIM Academy

Requirements:

• Licensed practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine who wish to improve and broaden their existing herbal knowledge and practical diagnostic skills
• Current Students of Traditional Chinese Medicine (in their final year)
• Naturopathic Doctors and Herbal Practitioners from other traditions
  

Cost:

• Early Bird Rate: $700 - Available until February 28, 2027
• Regular Rate: $800

Registration: Register online through our Shopify store or over the phone by calling 416 323 1818 ext. 200. Registrations are taken on a first come, first serve basis. Register early to avoid disappointment.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made on or before two weeks prior to the course start date will result in a $50 + HST cancellation fee. Cancellations made after that date will not receive a refund.

Description:

In Kampo, the Pattern, 証 (J. Sho; Ch. Zheng) is perhaps the most essential fundamental concept that defines both the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We speak of the formula Sho, which includes specific pulse, tongue and abdominal findings as well as the myriad of signs and symptoms that define that particular and unique presenting “pattern” or “presentation”. The totality of all this clinical evidence combined together, establishes the “proof” (another translation for Sho) of diagnosis and at the same time confirms the treatment strategy itself – the formula. This is the reason so much emphasis is placed on the detailed study of formula Sho in Kampo since they each contain all the necessary evidence within their clinical narrative that precisely defines both diagnostic and treatment strategies. Thus, each formula bears its own unique clinical signature that must be recognized, learned and differentiated in order for this system to be effective.

But what of the patient presentation? In addition to identifying their presenting signs and symptoms, can we not also learn to characterize them as a person, their body type, personality and behavioral tendencies? In Kampo, when the term Sho is applied to an individual, it defines the patient’s constitutional state which may be fundamentally robust, average or weak. More nuanced constitutional assessment can reveal hot or cold, wet or dry tendencies and when combined with Qi, blood or fluid typing can serve to more precisely characterize a person’s health and disease tendencies as well as provide a clear prognosis as to their likely response to any illness or circumstance in their life. As such, constitutional assessment forms an essential part of any diagnostic work-up of a patient and critically informs treatment approaches alongside formula pattern analysis. Indeed, each formula used in Kampo treatment includes within its Sho, the patient constitution for which that formula is most obviously suited.

Thus, the dual aspects of Patient Constitution 体質証 (J. Taishitsu Sho; Ch. Ti Zhi Zheng) and Disease Pattern 病証 (J. Byo Sho; Ch. Bing Zheng) are given equal emphasis in Kampo practice and both should be carefully studied and thoroughly understood.

This workshop will examine the Kampo definitions of constitutional language and its meaning as well as carefully describing constitutional types, how to recognize them and how to interpret their significance in diagnosis and treatment. Qi, blood and fluid types will be identified along with associated tendencies for wetness, dryness, coldness or heat. Specific subsets of constitutional tendencies such as weak digestion, counterflow and hyper-sensitive emotional types will also be discussed.

As always, practical components of the workshop will focus on tactile (abdominal) assessment from a constitutional perspective as well as visual diagnostics. In terms of treatment, a number of commonly used Kampo formulas will also be discussed from a constitutional perspective. The aim of the workshop is to add a more nuanced appreciation for how constitutional assessment and understanding can powerfully influence clinical decision-making and lead to more consistent, accurate clinical results.

Learning Objectives:

1. History of Constitutional thinking: Examine the various cultural iterations of models of constitutional thinking across time and continents from classical antiquity to the present.
2. Constitutional analysis: How to diagnose and categorize constitution using traditional methods of asking, observing, touching and other sensory skills.
3. Constitutional treatment: Identifying and matching formulas according to their constitutional profile or presentation.
4. Hands-on practice: Demonstrate and transmit the practical methodology, techniques and clinical application of the abdominal exam in regard to constitutional assessment.

Workshop Overview:

• Day #1
  • Global history of ideas relating to Constitution
  • Kampo and Constitution
  • Methods of Constitutional diagnosis
  • Fukushin practice
• Day #2
  • Constitutional treatment and formula matching
  • Fukushin practice

Instructor: Nigel Dawes, M.A. (Cantab.), B.Ac.C., R.C.H.M., N.C.C.A.O.M., L.Ac.

Nigel Dawes has been practicing and teaching Oriental Medicine for 40 years. He lived and studied in Japan for 5 years followed by hospital internships in China before returning to the UK where he opened a practice and founded his own Shiatsu school in 1987. He moved to the US in 1993 and has been involved variously in undergraduate and graduate OM education, higher education administration and political work in the field, clinical practice and publications including numerous articles, 2 books on Shiatsu, and 2 books on Kampo. He has served on faculty at both Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and Tristate College of Acupuncture and is the founder and director of the New York Kampo Institute (NYKI) whose mission, through its Kampo Fellowship, is to disseminate the teaching and practice of Japanese traditional medicine in the US and internationally. Its flagship program, the Kampo Internship, is an 8-module, 2-year training in Kampo Herbal Medicine.