Used as a stress reliever, Shiatsi is a type of Japanese massage. Having recurring sessions can help prevent stress in everyday life. In Shiatsi, the practitioner uses many different body parts including knees, elbows, thumbs and feet in order to place pressure on different sections of the body to find irregularites and also to fix ailments.

Shiatsu originates in ancient forms of Chinese medicine, well known massage techniques from Japan, as well as modern disciplines of physiotherapy and psychology. The word, coming from Japanese, translates as 'finger pressure', even though palms, thumbs, knees, feet and elbows are also used to apply pressure.

Shiatsu is quite different from other well known disciplines in the way it is practiced although it has its origin quite similar to them. It is basically a combination of diagnosis and therapy. In fact the illness can be treated in some cases without carrying out any prior diagnosis. But in modern medicine careful diagnosis precedes the course of treatment for a specific problem. Same is the process followed by some traditional Chinese medicine like acupressure.

This therapy utilizes the natural abilities already possessed by the body for healing and stimulating the immune system. It requires active involvement of both practitioner and person receiving the therapy, thus becoming a meditative and non-rational process of healing, thus the internal energy of the receiver of the therapy is contacted for the stimulation of natural healing and stress relief processes.

Research has proven Shiatsu can be a very promising technique for stress and natural healing, with a great deal of history documenting its effectiveness. It is important to note that one must be skilled and licensed to practice this type of therapy, having undergone extensive education to gain this license. Many people around the world have come to recognize the benefits of this therapy and have instituted standardized licensing processes in order to practice and promote this healing method.

Treating the human body as a whole helps in restoring the functionality of the nervous system, bone structure, muscles and human body circulatory system. This in turn stimulates the body's natural ability to heal and helps in relieving stress. Hence Shiatsu can be an effective therapy; one can resort to handle stress, feel energetic and be healthy.