Acupuncture
What does a good acupuncture treatment feel like?
It's a natural question for clients experiencing acupuncture for the first time. While each condition requires a specific combination of needles, I will describe what the experience is like in general.
In my clinic, you lie on your back on the treatment table, and take a deep breath of anticipation. I will gently probe your hands, arms and legs for sensitive points that correlate to the condition I am treating, or to systemic imbalances. I'll ask you if these points feel achy when I apply pressure, and you will notice a light tap when a needle is applied. My fingers seek out a new spot, and there's another needle. You barely feel it go in, but you may notice a slight tingling of electrical excitement as the needle stimulates your qi (pronounced chee).
Once all the needles are in, you probably will notice a gentle, purposeful change in your body. It is not so much a localized physical sensation. It's as though your limbs and organs are on friendly terms, reconnecting and reaching out to each other in the soothing ambience of my treatment room. A feeling of relaxation pervades all your senses, and you drift off in a peaceful sleep-like state, alternating with an awareness of your body and the tingling of qi at work. Your body does have its own intelligence - a natural tendency toward equilibrium that is fostered by acupuncture. This intelligence is wakeful while you rest, calibrating and adjusting in internal subtle ways.
This is how I explain it.
One of my clients wrote, "The needles somehow sew my spirit back into my body and close the gaps." Another, less poetically inclined, said, "It felt like I took two Xanax." You too will develop your own unique perception of the experience.
How does acupuncture work on pain and areas of discomfort?
Muscle tension, a condition readily treated by acupuncture, disrupts our bodies' natural tendency to seek and maintain equilibrium between our nervous, circulatory and muscular systems. Trained and licensed acupuncturists recognize this imbalance as a blockage of the flow of energy, or qi, between these interdependent systems. Symptoms of this imbalance range from muscular aches and pains to nervousness, sleeplessness and anxiety. Acupuncture can restore the flow of energy, creating both local and system-wide changes.
Locally, acupuncture restores the following systems:
- Lymphatic system: Restoration of the lymphatic system means better immunity, as white cells can more easily reach areas of injury, or receive chemotactic messages from local areas.
- Venous system: Decompression of the venous system allows fresh blood to carry away carbon dioxide and lactic acid,
- Arterial system: Proper functioning of the arterial system means increased oxygenation and restoration of nutrition.
- Nervous system: Decompression of nerves reduces irritation and pain, and cuts down on "error signals"-misfiring of nerve impulses.
System-wide, acupuncture stimulates the release of endogenous (substances your body makes) endorphins, which decrease pain and increase feelings of relaxation and well-being.