Nikken Forms Partnership with UCI Medical Center


Nikken Chairman and CEO Tom Watanabe announced Thursday that Nikken has formed a partnership with the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center.

“We are helping with the building of its new hospital,” Mr. Watanabe said, “as well as the renovation of its imaging facility.”

In appreciation of Nikken’s support, Dr. Thomas Cesario, Dean of the UC Irvine College of Medicine, announced that its renovated facility will be renamed “The Nikken Imaging Center at UCI Medical Center.”

The imaging center will be the only one of its kind in the world, featuring computed CT scanning, Positron Emission or “PET” scans, and FMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging.

We have been working closely with prominent doctors at the medical center,” said Mr. Watanabe, “such as radiology professors Dr. Zang-Hee Cho and Dr. Fong Tsai.

They are going to conduct extensive research on Nikken products at the Imaging Center. And they have also agreed to make the Nikken Imaging Center available to Nikken Wellness Consultants for their personal medical scanning needs.”

Mr. Watanabe believes this partnership will open doors for Nikken Wellness Consultants throughout North America.

Nikken is often called a company for alternative health and wellness products. They separate us from the mainstream,” Mr. Watanabe said."
"But that distinction happens only in western medicine. In my native Japan and many other countries, a broader approach to wellness is embraced. Our work with the UCI Medical Center is part of a changing attitude in the west.”

At UCI, for example, Dr. Zang-Hee Cho used magnetic resonance imaging to show that an acupuncture point on the foot that traditionally is used to ease eye problems actually did stimulate the visual cortex. His results were part of a cover story in Newsweek magazine.

“We used to think these were mysterious energies,” Dr. Cho said, “but not anymore.”

Added Mr. Watanabe: “Sometimes people still think our Nikken products are a little mysterious, too. But with the work of great performers like UCI Medical Center, we are removing the mystery.”

Dr. Cesario said the UCI Medical Center undertook $110 million worth of research last year, and that the partnership with Nikken will enable “medicine to enter a new era.”

“Together,” Dr. Cesario said, “Nikken and UCI can work to establish the best healthcare in the world for the population at large.”