Korean Hand Therapy (KHT) was discovered by Tai Woo Yoo, OMD, PhD, a South Korean acupuncturist, in 1971, when he found himself unable to sleep with a headache that would not go away. Using a ballpoint pen, he poked an area at the tip of his middle finger which he believed corresponded to the area where his headache was located. He noticed that it was extremely sensitive to pressure. He decided to insert a needle in that area. Dr. Woo cured his headache and was so excited that he proceeded to develop a comprehensive therapeutic system that can be easily learned by anyone, enabling them to Take Pain Control into Your Own Hands which is the title of the best introductory book on KHT written by Ilana Newman, MD.
Dr. Yoo used a needle on that fateful day, but many acupuncturists like myself have found that stimulation of corresponding points on the hand relating to painful areas of the body using a dull object such as a ball point pen (without ink), the tip of one’s keys or a fingernail can relieve acute and chronic pains immediately or within minutes.
Illustration from Dr. Tai Woo Yoo’s book Koryo Sooji Chim.
I’ve been offering webinars and special workshops on KHT technique since mid-2018. I have been extensively using it clinically and decided it should be shared because it provides practical and immediate relief of pain without puncturing the skin. It is relatively easy to learn and is a perfect healing tool for clinical practice requiring no special equipment other than a dull probe and perhaps some inexpensive pellets that can be purchased and applied to reactive points on the hand corresponding to diseases and pains anywhere on the body.
KHT utilizes acupuncture microsystems on the hand which may not be part of the conventional acupuncture meridians. Traditionally trained acupuncturists can use KHT by finding all the equivalent micro-meridians and points on the hand and treat these instead of inserting needles on the body. Amazingly, the results are equal and immediate.
KHT can be used to treat all diseases and makes a perfect adjunct treatment for all therapies and especially, in this case for herbalists. It is a powerful home treatment for all pains. It is so simple and practical that KHT is taught and aired in public on South Korean TV.
KHT for Sore Throat
Appropriate to the season, you might want to know how you can use KHT to treat sore throat pain. Using the illustrations below (from Dr. Ilana Newman’s Take Pain Control into Your Own Hands and Korean Hand Therapy Course 1 Workbook by Dr. Lee Funk DC, respectively), locate the point on the middle finger corresponding to the throat. Using a dull pointed instrument such as a ball point pen without ink, or your own fingernail, poke the point strongly for a few seconds. Let me know if you achieve pain relief.
KHT Part Two – Advanced Techniques and Conditions: Monday, Jan. 21, 2019
On Monday, January 21 at 5:30 PST, I will be offering a free more advanced webinar on KHT for multiple conditions. The webinar will also include a review of all the previous fundamentals.