ACUPUNCTURE
a system of integrative medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Originating in ancient China, acupuncture is now widely practiced in the West
I finally made it to his office and discovered that he did not speak English fluently. I described the areas of my worst pain and he motioned for me to lie down. He started unwrapping needles. I was very apprehensive as I watched. He began inserting the needles into my skin and I winced at the pain.
He abruptly looked at me, “Hurt?”
I bit my lip and nodded.
“Very unusual reaction,” was all he said as he continued.
Each time one was inserted, it would send shooting pains throughout my body. I didn’t expect this to cause more pain. I tried using yoga breathing techniques to work through it. Finally, he finished.
He instructed me to relax until he returned to remove the needles. He said I would probably need to come back at least three times before I would start to notice a change. I made another appointment for next week. The drive home was slightly better; at least there was no crying involved.
As I continued to see him weekly, the pain started to subside. There was a real turning point at one visit where the needles were hurting even more than usual. When he left me alone in the room, the pain intensified to the point that I was sobbing. That session was the turning point, I now felt as if I was healing.
Acupuncture has been used for centuries, but I have to admit I was actually surprised when it worked on me. It is quite unusual for someone to have as much pain as I did with the needle insertion and to me this just speaks to the level of blockage that I had.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment alone or in combination with conventional therapies to treat the following:
• Nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy
• Dental pain after surgery
• Addiction
• Headaches
• Menstrual cramps
• Tennis elbow
• Fibromyalgia
• Myofascial pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Low back pain
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Asthma
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/acupuncture
The above information is directly from the John Hopkins’s site and it contains many other conditions that can be helped and a very good overview of acupuncture.
I have been to quite a few acupuncturists and the practitioner does make a difference in the effectiveness of therapy. When choosing (if you are lucky enough to have a choice) I would recommend picking a practitioner with a proven track record.
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