Su Jok (Hand-Foot Correspondence Therapy)

Presentation

Su Jok (수지침, from Korean Su = hand, Jok = foot) is a comprehensive therapeutic system developed by Professor Park Jae Woo (1942–2010), a Korean physician, from the 1980s. This system is based on the principle that hands and feet contain complete holographic microsystems of the human body, enabling diagnosis and treatment of all pathologies through stimulation of these zones.

The basic mapping is intuitive: the middle finger corresponds to the head, the thumb and little finger to the lower limbs, the index and ring fingers to the upper limbs. The palm corresponds to the trunk. Prof. Park developed multiple correspondence levels and enriched his theory with the Six Ki Theory and Eight Origin Theory, integrating TCM concepts.

Creator: Professor Park Jae Woo (1942–2010), Seoul, South Korea.

Core Principles

• Standard correspondence: the hand reproduces the morphology of the entire body.
• Insect system: each finger contains a complete mini-body.
• Multimodal stimulation: pressure, needles, seeds, magnets, colors, moxa and elastic rings.
• Six Ki Theory: integration of 6 climatic energies in pathology understanding.
• Accessibility: Su Jok can be practiced as self-treatment by patients.

Main Indications

• Musculoskeletal pain: neck, low back, shoulder, knee
• Headaches and migraines
• Digestive disorders
• Respiratory disorders
• Emotional disorders: stress, anxiety, insomnia
• Dysmenorrhea
• Daily self-treatment for prevention

Session Overview

The practitioner uses a diagnostic probe to explore correspondence zones on the hand, identifying the most tender points. These are stimulated with micro-needles, vaccaria seeds, mini-moxa, magnets or elastic rings. Sessions last 20–40 minutes. The patient often leaves with seeds taped to active points.

Contraindications

• Hand skin lesions
• Pregnancy: avoid uterine correspondence points
• Severe hand neuropathy
• Digital arteritis