CEO Coaching: How to grow without limits! Paperback – March 27, 2021

I am deeply impressed and awed by this book. As I opened its pages about six months ago, I could not stop remembering the seminal work of Thomas S. Kuhn "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". I thought: "this book has the potential to effect a revolutionary transformation in the practices and in the delivery of healthcare".The time for this revolution is ripe: the monstrous cost of the healthcare system, its unsatisfactory outcomes, the growth of the elderly population in the developed countries, make the current system unsustainable. Japan is a case in point of these trends. Dr. Nagata knows very well the paradigm of Western medicine, for he was a successful neurosurgeon, and he has studied the paradigm and practices of Oriental medicine as well. Of all living doctors, Dr. Nagata could well be the most credible and most qualified to make the necessary changes happen. Foremost among these changes, is the active involvement of the patient as an agent of his or her healing: actually as the principal agent responsible for it. Dr. Nagata's book shows us how he has implemented these changes in his practice, and it is not that complicated. We can imagine a future where there are many doctors doing the same.I am neither a doctor nor a sociologist. My point of view is strictly that of a patient with many decades of experience in that role: that makes me, I suppose, a "discriminating patient". I have suffered from several chronic illnesses, of the kind that most Western doctors don't treat very effectively and often make it worse. I also have decades of experience being treated by Oriental Medicine practitioners, with varying degrees of success: their methods take time, and they seldom if ever produce a miracle cure, but they seldom if ever make things dramatically worse. My constant search for ways to overcome my challenges makes me --I suppose-- a "seeking patient", or in the view of some doctors a "challenging patient", and in any case a patient that takes responsibility for his healing. Those chronic conditions that have healed, and those that have become "a non-issue", have done so spontaneously and surprisingly. These experiences make me, I suppose, a "hopeful patient". And that is important for my connection with Dr. Nagata's book.A surprise phone call today showed me how valid were my thoughts of six months ago, when I started reading this book and thought it has the potential to revolutionize the practices and delivery of healthcare. The caller was a younger cousin of mine, who had just received Dr. Nagata's book. My cousin learned Oriental Medicine in France and has practiced acupuncture for two or three decades. Now he lives in a large island called Chiloe, near the continental coast in the South of Chile; given the inhospitable weather and the exiguous transport infrastructure, this picturesque island is little-touched by modernity. Treating the local population is challenging because of its numbers and the distances. So, he teaches to his patients some self-treating techniques: for example, to apply a needle to a specific point or to have a spouse do it. No wonder he is so excited about Dr. Nagata's PNST and wants to translate the book into Spanish!Meanwhile, I continue doing PNST as a daily practice and highly recommend you do it too!

In my more than 20 years of practicing acupuncture, it has been rare to find a system of self care that I can recommend to my patients that is both effective, accessible and easy to do; doctor Nagata has created such a system and presented it in a book that anyone can use to feel better right away. Just like the fundamentals theories of acupuncture, his work is simple yet powerful in it's ability to create change utilizing the nervous system to heal the body. I highly recommend this book!

Written by a neurosurgeon, this book is simple to read for both medical and non-medical readers. You will learn specific acupressure points to stimulate for treating various conditions or for general health maintenance. The illustrations for the self-care exercises are cute and easy to understand. I advocate this book for anyone - young or old.

I ‘met’ this remarkable physician author, Dr. Hiroshi Nagata more than a decade ago as a reader of several of his articles published in the Journal of Oriental Medicine, a Japanese/English professional journal. The journal serves primarily Japanese style acupuncture professionals. Dr. Nagata is Japanese, but professionally he is not an acupuncturist but rather a highly skilled Western medical M.D. – a neurosurgeon/neurologist and internist.So, I came upon his work as a licensed acupuncturist but my interest was keenly drawn in also through my Western medical lens as a nurse practitioner. My double medical perspective caused my interest in what he was proposing in the articles to grow from intellectual curiosity to engagement, and eventually to a desire to share what I now feel is an important medical development which should has broad application as its benefits are verifiable, easily reproducible, and very low/no cost.Dr. Nagata is one of those rare people in medicine who is not only dedicated to doing the best job he was trained to deliver, but his innate curiosity has driven him to think like a detective…to keep following clues and dig for better, more effective and satisfying answers.I think it is fair to say that many health care providers in the U.S. become frustrated with confronting the limitations of Western medicine, become disheartened as providers, continually hitting dead ends as so often happens when treating many categories of health issues and chronic diseases today. As a result the practice of medicine has become quite mechanical…and as patients, we feel their loss of enthusiasm as they provide quick cookbook solutions with the perpetual Rx pad at hand.So, what did he do that makes him/his work so special? As a neurosurgeon/neurologist he, of course, has a highly specialized understanding of the human nervous system. Also, although he is not an expert in the area of Oriental Medicine (OM), he has long appreciated its contribution to world medicine as significant and far reaching. And, early on, he was also curious that a few respected Japanese M.D. specialists had branched away from standard Western medical practice toward such alternatives because they were getting better results working with serious diseases such as cancer. In fact, it was one line in a book by one of these M.D.s (Dr. Minoru Fukuda) that set Dr. Nagata’s course – one that would radically change his professional and personal life.That one line was a simple mention that squeezing the ends of the fingers of Parkinsonism patients on a daily basis could improve their symptoms…nothing more was mentioned. As a neurologist/internist he has many such patients – a serious and frustrating diagnosis for patients and their doctors since there is little to offer other than monitoring medication doses. That one line stuck in his mind because Dr. Fukuda was a highly credible source, and…What was there to lose? Dr. Nagata and his patient were both amazed at the end of the week! How could such a simple thing affect a serious disease to such an extent…and the patient had done the work! That was the question and he spent decades figuring it out.What the doctor has discovered as he kept probing this mystery, to my knowledge, has never been put together before since it required the expertise of his specialized skill set and circumstance. After considerable study and reflection he decided to overlay a template of whole body acupuncture points on to a full body dermatome map.The dermatome concept is a modern Western medical neurologic tool which helps surgeons and other medical providers to pinpoint areas of the spine that may be causing pain/symptoms in other parts of the body. Voila! He realized with great interest that the two maps were surprisingly similar. And, he now had a reference point from which to consider his burning question about the finger stimulation and his Parkinson’s patient response. The clue resided for millennia within OM theory but he was able to find deeper significance as he visualized its influence when applying the modern neurologic lens. Eventually, a second major question needed to be answered…Did the stimulation of the skin require a needle, as in acupuncture, or would a certain kind of superficial stimulation be enough?Due to his successful discoveries and the fact that there is now a medical practitioner level of PNST (Prickling Neuro-Stimulation Technique)and also a level readily approachable for the general public through self-care regimens, as in this book, the benefits of this style of treatment is spreading across Japan. Although he is as yet unknown here, Dr. Hiroshi Nagata also has three medical texts and one self-care book written in Japanese about this subject. He currently divides his time between clinical practice and teaching PNST seminars to medical providers with his associate, Toyokazu Shibayama.He now offers Heal Yourself with PNST in English to introduce us to this innovative and accessible treatment technique. The treatment possibilities are broadly divided into two categories. Part one describes an easy to follow two-minute daily protocol involving the stimulation of three areas…the fingers, scalp, and face, and is accomplished using a simple implement such as a mechanical pencil without the lead. This trio of points is done once a day only since together they powerfully begin to engage your autonomic nervous system (ANS) to shift imbalances between your parasympathetic and sympathetic systems toward a healthier balance. The medical discussion of how all of this occurs and what benefits result is fascinating and easily followed by the lay reader and can open a window for you to participate in your own health care by using this medically verified approach.After nearly half a million treatments with such success the author feels this trio of stimulations encourages the ANS to also communicate with your endocrine system which in turn positively influences organ function and pain receptors. The ‘daily three’ becomes the cornerstone of PNST.Part two of the book focuses not on the ‘big picture’ but on addressing local pain and other local symptoms, which you can then address …thus accessing your peripheral nervous system (PNS). Many acute and chronic conditions such as migraine, back, hip, and knee pain, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, shoulder pain, and constipation are reviewed. These protocols can be prickled multiple times a day as needed for relief. Brief application of heat using a blow dryer or water can complete a treatment session which often consolidates the affect.The last portion of the book is reserved for his advice on wellness activities that he believes are integral parts of a well-rounded wellness plan - a healthy diet and regular exercise.Dr. Hiroshi Nagata is in that very rare group of high level professionals in history who has had the courage, patience, and was willing sacrifice to follow clues for decades to an end point which can now benefit us all. As a patient, and as a practitioner, I trust this authoritative source and, in fact, it has become a core element of my own overall health plan. I enthusiastically endorse its benefits and effectiveness and suggest that, should you be interested in trying prickling neuro stimulation for your, you will not only notice rapid benefits, but you to will begin sharing it with others.Diane Omtvedt, R.N.C.-E, Dipl.Ac., M.Ac.