I recently decided to seek out the care of an acupuncturist. My MDs and alternative therapists suspect that I have a pretty naughty, chronic bladder condition…that is difficult to diagnose and pretty impossible to treat. Since conventional medicine has nothing to offer me, I’ve sought alternative medicine.
I have been seeing a nutrition therapist for about 3 months, chiropractor for about a month, been under the care of a massage therapist for nearly 5 years and am now doing acupuncture. I am of the belief that the body will often times heal itself when it is taken care of properly. As my nutritionist says, “Food is medicine.” I have had a vast shift in my thinking in regards to my body over the last six months. I quit smoking. I stopped eating junk food. Why would I choose to put poison in my body? The temple where my soul (and God) reside? I was taking my life and my health for granted, and I pray that I am able to heal from this condition…that it is really a gift…to lead me to optimum health.
It’s tough. It takes a lot of hard work and self-will to eat “clean” and “anti-inflammatory”… fewer chemicals, less processing. I literally feel anxiety when I go to the shop – for nearly every container ends up back on the shelf. Nearly EVERYTHING has artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils… It’s very frustrating and honestly seems like a conspiracy to kill us all. I have got to build a repertoire of healthy dishes to prepare for my family…a daunting task for a time-crunched, working, single-mom.
My real intent in writing this blog is to share my first experience with acupuncture, so that perhaps someone who has considered it might take the plunge and actually try it.
Prior to the visit, I was asked to complete a multi-page questionnaire about my past and current symptoms. Several of the symptoms on the list had what appeared to be “codes” beside them – such as 7a, 8, etc. I noticed that several of the things I ticked shared the same code….perhaps interconnected, although one wouldn’t think so.
When I arrived, the therapist took me into a cozy room, where she asked me what my primary concerns were. She readily referenced things from my history that she remembered reading, which made me feel comforted and confident in her intent to treat.
I then laid on the table…my head on a pillow and a roll under my knees. I was clothed with the exception of my shoes, pant legs pushed up and belly exposed from the bra-line to the top of the panties. The insertion itself was virtually painfree. She “tapped” the needles in, and I could hardly feel them. She explained that they were inserted typically a “thumb’s-width” deep. She put about 3 in each leg, 3 in each foot, several in my abdomen, 1 in each hand and 1 in my forehead. The 2 in my hands (the fleshy part b/t the pointer and thumb) ached a bit when she pushed and rotated them, but it wasn’t agonizing by any means. She then heated the needles with a smokeless stick of mugwort…again…nice, no pain (not hot). She explained that she typically places an infared light over the patient to add warmth during the treatment, but her light was broken. I am looking forward to that next time.
After she left me in the room alone and I relaxed (w/ the needles in place) – tears began to pour from my eyes. I cannot tell you why… I wasn’t sad, upset, anything like that. It just happened. If I had to describe the emotion, I would say I was overwhelmed by relief… Relief that I was where I was supposed to be at that very moment in time. This has happened to me a couple of times in the past with massage. Also, when I closed my eyes I saw lots of color – mostly purples and blues w/ a little green. Big patches of moving color… much like the visions one would expect from some psychedelic trip. I know this is related to the energy work. Again, I felt this overwhelming sense of perfection. Perfect timing. Perfect place.
The therapist said that I might feel an insatiable urge to close my eyes during the treatment, but I didn’t. I felt rather relaxed and felt tingling and “chills” intermittently. She sd that I would begin to feel a deep calm, relaxation and sense of well-being later that day and for the next couple of days. That was Wednesday, and it’s now Friday. I can’t honestly say that I’ve felt those things… That afternoon I felt very “loopy”…unable to hold my train of thought…and that has persisted. I am certainly no less impatient with the children, and I have been sleepy the past two afternoons… which used to be a problem for me, but had gotten much better. Although I do believe that the acupuncture has effected me…perhaps just not in the ways that she described.
I was given a homework assignment to massage my midline from breast to pubis twice daily for 5 minutes. She encouraged me to try and find the tender spot and massage there…that it would be very powerful. I definitely have found the tender spots and feel a bit of an aversion to massaging there… It feels too invasion, but I am doing it. I go back in a week for treatment number 2.
I remain hopeful that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I have prayed that I be led to the people, the information that can help me heal from this condition. I have confidence that I am on the right path and will continue to ask for clarity, strength and guidance.
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