Harmony, in many endeavors, is difficult to achieve. But when it exists, a balance is realized.

How to restore and maintain this order among the chaos of everyday life is a struggle each person faces. A lifestyle that is out of whack can lead to undesirable symptoms in the body that, if undetected or ignored, can manifest into chronic health issues.
To further learn how to harmonize the body, Lakeway acupuncturist Brian Neill traveled to Japan in July to study at the Ki Shinpo Society of blind acupuncture masters.
He was one of eight Americans invited to Kyoto, Osaka and Oita to study acupuncture from Koei Kuwahara’s teachers Masanori Tanioka, society founder Tetsuo Shiomi and Shudo Denmei. All three men are advanced in age and have authored books on acupuncture.
“It was an incredible honor to learn from his teachers,” Neill said. “The title of master is not given lightly in their culture.”
He learned from them in their offices and also in a 1,500-year-old Shinto shrine in the mountains.
“It wasn’t just about acupuncture,” he said.
The once-in-a-lifetime experience transformed not only Neill as a medical professional but also as a person. The masters built upon Neill’s empathy and taught him the sensitivity of blind acupuncturists, advanced needle techniques and pulse diagnosis.
More than teachers of medicine the blind acupuncturists also serve as mentors in life. Their motto, “Forget Self, Serve Others,” left a lasting impression on Neill.
“It was the embodiment of our trip. That phrase says everything about what I believe a true doctor or healer strives [for in] life,” Neill said.
In 2002, Neill met acupuncturist Kuwahara who introduced Hari to America. Kuwahara learned under Fukushima Kodo, a revered practitioner and developer of the Toyo Hari form of acupuncture.
Kuwahara arrived from the island of Kyushu, Japan, to teach this style of healing in America. Hari is a non-invasive style of acupuncture that employs techniques from several different methods including Meridian therapy, which promotes sensitivity to ki or chi through ki diagnosis, pulse diagnosis and non-inserted needling techniques.
While he was living in Santa Fe, N.M., Neill began to study the Hari style of acupuncture under the guidance of Kuwahara’s apprentice Dr. Ehrland Truitt.
“[Truitt] has a very unique ability to see through a person’s body. He can look at you and say your right kidney is bothering you and you feel it in your right kidney,” Neill said.
This gift is one that can’t be taught, but Neill’s teachers recognized it in him early on in his studies.
After three years of learning Hari, Neill invited Kuwahara to Texas for a year to teach other licensed acupuncturists and students at the Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin. He hosted seminars for Kuwahara while learning beside him from 2005-08. While studying at the academy, Neill founded the Hill Country Hari Society.
Neill first learned about acupuncture as a patient who experienced a successful reversal in his condition and then became a student. He embarked on the pursuit of understanding and practicing medicine that has been handed down from teacher to teacher.
Acupuncture has survived thousands of years and undergone several changes due to cultural and political restrictions and alterations. Chinese texts introduced the Japanese to the practice in the 6th century. In 701, the first medical law of Japan detailed acupuncture, and for 1,200 years the form was integral to the country’s medicine. In the Edo period of Japan from 1635 to 1835, the national government closed off ties to most foreign powers and acupuncture in the country diverged slightly from its Chinese roots.
Neill compares Chinese acupuncture with Japanese acupuncture using a food metaphor. He describes the Japanese method as slowly, artistically preparing sushi, and the Chinese style as cooking a quick stir fry.
The harmonizing of the body over time appeals to Neill’s calm demeanor.
“It’s like melting a block of ice with a heat lamp instead of taking an ice pick to it,” he said. “If you continually strengthen and balance someone, I think anything can be fixed.”
He shares the philosophy that a physician is a teacher and strives to educate both his patients but also new acupuncture students.
“I have to teach you how to dig yourself out of this hole. Equally, you have to be a good student,” he said.
Patients have reported their cancer going into remission, blood pressure dropping and cholesterol coming under control through treatments. He’s also seen success with patients suffering from scoliosis, infertility, and herniated discs.
Neill specializes in both Hari and shonishin, which is Japanese pediatric acupuncture.
He has treated asthma, insomnia, allergies, eczema and digestion problems in children as well as Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder patients.
“That’s the power of this medicine in the hands of someone who has humility, who is skillful and who is open hearted. You can do miraculous things. I believe in it. It’s 5,000 years old. If it didn’t work, it would have been disproved,” Neill said.
For information, call Neill at 263-9433 or visit www.seikiclinic.com.