The Wisdom of the East and the Medical Traditions of the West

The wisdom of the East and the medical traditions of the West are the two radically different aspects that the anesthetist-reanimatologist of the towns hospital �6 Aleksey Shchepikhin manages to put in accord in his medical practice. In the course of his stay in Japan he learned much new about methods of treatment and about aikido a martial art that is believed to have the capacity to prevent maladies. It is this very approach that has been helping his patients for nearly 7 years not only to improve their health but also to attain their spiritual balance. Before becoming a qualified doctor Aleksey worked for 5 years as a paramedic.

— I have always wanted to reach the cause of an illness, to be of help to people but not superficially rather to get to the essence, that was the reason for my entering the university," - says Aleksey Shchepikhin.
— Working in traditional medicine I realized that we need to cure the disease by treating its cause the roots of which are closely intertwined with stress, incorrect way of life. At the same time a patient must be perceived as person not just as a body of flesh and blood that needs correction. I also used to have problems with health and it was not by a traditional way that I solved them they were qigong, taijiquan and aikido."

Aleksey has been running the Tomiki aikido section in KSMU for 7 years already and wields the 3 dan.

When asked What is the sense of aikido? Aleksey gives a quick and definiteve answer: To have friends all over the globe and to be a happy man. Anyway it is not to be invincible. If a person sees the world in positive colours then the chance of his getting in trouble is not high. Aikido stimulates the sanation, stabilizes the vertebrae by strengthening the muscles that support the spine and is a facilitator in getting rid of psychological problems.

A couple of years ago Aleksey even decided to quit traditional medicine and went to Japan. But having spent some time there he realized that even the Japanese with their characteristic adherence to the alternative medicine do not reject the traditional methods. On the contrary, they reckon that one is to make the other complete. Aleksey got the invitation to Japan from Kenshi Uno who happened to visit Kursk in the 90-s and was put up by Alekseys teacher (there is such a notion in aikido) Igor Dmitriev. So thats how Aleksey managed to visit the country of the rising sun.

Like many other Japanese cities Imabari where Kenshi Uno takes his residence is a place which gives a warm welcome.

— The Japanese bow and smile tirelessly, says Aleksey, - the people are very friendly, gentle even naive absolutely aplomb devoid. Maybe this manner is moulded by the climate and the food they eat. The Japanese cuisine is mainly seafood, a lot of vegetables and fruit. And its beautifully arranged, too. They are unsurpassed masters in this field.

— I am a vegetarian so it was not hard for me to get used to the Japanese food but once when we were in a restaurant they served us live shrimps. So before eating quite logically you need to put an end to them. I couldnt make it, I must confess. My student tried them, says delicious.

Kenshi Uno is a successful lawyer, wields the 7 dan in aikido (the top dan being the 9). He is 65 but he is very active and always surrounded by a lot of friends and students. Among the students of Uno-Sensei (i.e. teacher) are the mayor of the city and the head of the police department. It was once offered to him to be the mayor but he rejected it. The post takes all of your time which did not suit Uno who often travels around the world popularizing aikido. Kenshi Uno thinks that aikido helps people to realize their potential and become successful in all spheres of life, he personally considers that his principal objectives are to become a judge and to develop aikido in Russia.

Many of Unos students enjoy singing and do it rather professionally. They asked Aleksey and his friends to perform something from our folklore. They had a fancy for Russian songs. To show their gratitude they sang Million red roses in Japanese. The good old hit by Pugachyova is very popular there.

— I was much surprised with the quantity of sport facilities in Imabari the city practically the same size as Kursk and they are all huge, resembling temples, - Aleksey shares his experience. The foreigners often wonder if these gyms pay for themselves, the Japanese shrug their shoulders in response: No, this is done for the people.

During his visit Aleksey was in a Buddhist temple. Such places attract crowds of foreigners. It is thought that a wish some one makes in it is sure to come true.

Aleksey's new friends were pretty interested in the social position and welfare standards of doctors in our country and were surprised to come to know that doctors in Russia are far from being rich. In Japan doctors and lawyers are very well-paid professions. Uno-sensei told Aleksey that he sees Russia as a very promising state and believes that a day is to come when this occupation will take its worthy place.

Veronika Tutenko