Acupuncture
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I have used acupuncture extensively in my healing journey. I realize that many are not familiar with this ancient healing art and how much it can do for you. Acupuncture is one piece of an ancient medical approach referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM involves various methods of assessing the health of the body through examining the tongue, face, pulse and symptoms. Treatment usually involves some combination of herbs, diet changes and acupuncture sessions. Not everyone will get every treatment every time and different practitioners seem to favor one approach over others.
Acupuncture is a method of stimulating various points on the body to cause different effects. This stimulation has traditionally been done with thin needles but is also done with electric stimulation and even lasers. I have had each kind of acupuncture from different practitioners and they each seem to have their place. The different points have different effects on the body some more subtle than others. People have even undergone surgery pain free with the right acupuncture needles in place! There are other benefits from acupuncture as well. I had an appointment today and one thing I had done was the points for my sinuses. I have had a cold for over 3 weeks and haven’t been treating it adequately because of the distractions of the holidays. It was settling into my sinuses and quite painful. Many more conditions can be treated successfully with acupuncture including
- Allergies/Sinusitis
- Arthritis
- Back & Neck Pain
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Stress & Anxiety
- Migraines
- Chronic Headaches
- Digestive Disorders
- PMS & Menopause
- Fertility Issues
- Fibromyalgia
- Depression
- Chronic Pain Conditions
- And much more
Today I went to see John Schmieder at Community Acupuncture of St. Louis. Part of my detox plan for the coming year is acupuncture once a week for the month of January. One thing I love about this practice is that it is in my neighborhood. I also love that it is affordable. They practice Community Acupuncture. This means that they are able to keep their costs down and help more people in less space and they pass that along to the patients. They charge on a sliding fee from a full fee of $35 down to $20 depending on what you feel you can afford to pay.
What can you expect from an acupuncture appointment? I thought you would never ask.
When I go to my appointment I wear comfortable clothes that make it easy to expose my arms, legs, and possibly abdomen without having to disrobe. The receptionist takes my payment when I arrive. (Their motto is pay in advance so you can leave in a trance) Then I am directed to a room. There are are just two rooms with several recliners in each. I go in to a darkened room and choose a chair. There is always soothing mood music playing. The acupuncturist will come and ask me some questions about my health and current complaints. He will probably check my pulse and look at my face. He may ask me to stick out my tongue as well. Then he will begin to put in the needles. These are very thin flexible needles. Some I don’t feel at all and others “zing” when they go in. Most of them are just a mild prick. Any discomfort almost always disappears within a few seconds and if it doesn’t I will ask him to redo that one. A slightly different spot always solves the problem. Sometimes he will attach an electrical stimulation machine to some of my needles. This gives them a little bit of a buzz and makes those needles more effective. This is not painful and I am able to adjust the controls yourself if necessary. He may also brush the needles to stimulate them periodically and make them more effective. Once I am all set up he gives me a blanket and a warming lamp for my feet and I close my eyes. I usually start out praying but end up napping. The needles stay in for 20 min to an hour depending on how long you can stay and what you are treating.
Other acupuncturists have similar practices. Often you will be in a private room and lay on a table for the treatment. Another one of my favorite local Acupuncturists is Afua Bromley at
Acupuncture St. Louis. She has helped my children with their food allergies using
NAET and has helped direct my acupuncture treatment for my chronic
Lyme disease. She also did an acupuncture induction to start my labor with my second child who just didn’t want to come out. She is well loved and respected by the other acupuncturists in the area and gives of herself tirelessly in furthering her healing art and in helping others in need through it.
Like so many other healing modalities acupuncture is just one in my toolbox. I use it when I need an extra boost and for another angle on the problem of healing. I think it is especially good for migraines, sinus infections, and any sort of pain issues. Infertility is also an area where acupuncture treatments shine. Many doctors suggest that their IVF patients get acupuncture to support the procedure and make it more likely to result in a successful pregnancy.
I hope that this explanation may help some of you who have considered acupuncture but weren’t sure what it entailed and perhaps are afraid of the needles. It is a treatment that I really look forward to because it is so peaceful and so powerful.
Wow Patty I am so jealous that you have an acupuncture place like that to go to! You're so lucky! I had a needle put in my hand which was the stomach point and it was surprisingly painful- I couldn't move my hand or pain would radiate up my arm. I always have had very tender stomach points in all my acupuncture sessions. I would love to do it more regularly to try kick starting my menstrual cycle but I can't really afford it here.
I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. That point can be very tender if you need it. Have you tried just massaging that point regularly? Was your acupuncturist willing to move it for you? A couple of times I have had points that just kept hurting and the needle needed to be taken out and put in again. That always resolved the issue. Look for a community acupuncture place near you. They tend to be much more reasonable.