What to expect in an acupuncture session
BY MINDFUL MAELSTROM
If you have never had acupuncture you might be hesitant about those ‘needles’ but there’s much more to acupuncture than you think.
Imagine this…
You lay down on a massage table in a quiet room. It occurs to you that this firm, flat surface is surprisingly comfortable. You feel a little anxious, anticipating the first needle being inserted. What will it feel like? Will something weird happen? Will it even work? What should I eat for dinner later?
You are asked to breath in and out a few times. Suddenly, you feel your whole body release and sink into the supportive table. Your nervous system is switching to its rest and restore mode. This wave of decompression reaches your head and the thoughts slow down. Time disappears. Maybe you fall asleep. Maybe you simply float in the gentle sea.
To be fair, this is only one of many ways you may respond to acupuncture. Some people feel a quick pinch like a mosquito bite. Often people feel an intense heaviness or gentle tingling that slowly fades. Sometimes the treatment will give you a burst of energy as stuck tension is released - which is often the case in the first treatment. At other times, the relaxation is so deep that you eagerly head home for a quiet night and early sleep.
Everyone responds a little differently, but the goal is always the same: to walk out of the room feeling better than when you came in.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points connected by pathways or meridians. These pathways create an energy flow - Qi, pronounced "chee" - through the body that is responsible for overall health. Disruption of the energy flow can cause disease. By applying acupuncture to certain points, it is thought to improve the flow of Qi, thereby improving health.
Acupuncture is the practice of penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles which are then activated through gentle and specific movements of the practitioner's hands or with electrical stimulation. But this doesn’t mean that an acupuncture treatment must include needles, sometimes there’s no needles at all!
Techniques such as moxibustion (a traditional infrared heat therapy), cupping, therapeutic massage, herbal medicine, and lifestyle all play vital roles in the healing process. Sometimes, the tiny, single-use stainless steel needles are not the most helpful tool to help rebalance your body. This means that there are many options for those who are afraid of needles.
How does acupuncture affect the body?
Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for a variety of conditions. Because of its amazing ability to quickly calm the nervous system and stimulate a huge range of natural healing mechanisms, acupuncture is truly exceptional technique for physical and emotional healing.
Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body's natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.
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:
DIGESTIVE
Gastritis
Irritable bowel syndrome
Hepatitis
Hemorrhoids
Nausea ( from cancer chemotherapy)
EMOTIONAL
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
Nervousness
Neurosis
GYNECOLOGICAL
Menstrual pain
Infertility
MUSCULOSKELETAL
Arthritis / Osteoarthritis
Back pain
Muscle cramping
Muscle pain and weakness
Neck pain
Sciatica
NEUROLOGICAL
Headaches
Migraines
Neurogenic bladder dysfunction
Parkinson’s disease
Postoperative pain
Stroke
RESPIRATORY
Asthma
Allergic rhinitis
Bronchitis
Sinusitis
Sore Throat
MISCELLANEOUS
Addiction
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Irritable / weak bladder
Male Infertility / some forms of Impotence
Myofascial pain
Prostatitis
Pain management
Tennis elbow
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture stimulates the release of powerful pain-killing and anti-inflammatory substances from the brain and changes the way your body responds to pain by stimulating specific anatomic sites--commonly referred to as acupuncture points, or acupoints. It can modify internal organ function to treat many complex diseases and has many local effects including the relaxation of contracted muscles and increased blood circulation. Overall, acupuncture improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural self-healing process.
Acupuncture dates back to at least 100 B.C., which is when an organized system of diagnosis and treatment using needles was first described in writing in China. However, the practice likely precedes this written history. Western scientists have been trying to study the mechanism of acupuncture for years and have come up with several hypotheses:
"One major hypothesis is that acupuncture works through neurohormonal pathways. Basically, you put the needle through specific points in the body and stimulate the nerve. The nerve actually sends signals to the brain, and the brain releases neural hormones such as beta-Endorphins. By doing that, the patient may feel euphoric, or happy, and this increases the pain threshold and they feel less pain."
- DR. TING BAO, Integrative Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Another hypothesis is that acupuncture works by reducing pro-inflammatory markers, or proteins, in the body. Some animal and human studies suggest that by doing acupuncture, you can significantly decrease these pro-inflammatory markers — including TNF and IL-1β — which decreases inflammation and reduces pain.
Yet another hypothesis applies specifically to how acupuncture can be used to treat nerve damage, such as chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy, a condition that often causes numbness or weakness in the feet and hands. As Dr. Bao explains, "the idea is that by putting the needle in, you stimulate the brain to secrete some nerve growth factor, and then that helps the nerve to regenerate.”
The World Health Organization maintains an extensive list of diseases and conditions (mostly pain related) possibly treatable by acupuncture. Many doctors now do not discourage their patients from receiving acupuncture when conventional medicine fails them or when convention treatment entails too many adverse side effects.
Chinese Chart of Acupuncture Points
Will acupuncture work for you?
Everyone is different. Everyone needs something different to get back into balance. An acupuncturist sees what makes you unique and uses it to provide better, more effective health care. For a lot of people, acupuncture can provide the relief you are looking for in a model that is affordable and accessible. The key is knowing when to use it.
Because acupuncture is a holistic medicine every treatment plan is unique to each patient. For example, two people with insomnia, will need distinct treatments to address the unique ways that lack of sleep affects their bodies and minds. And one week’s treatment is often different from the next, because it meets you exactly where you are in that moment. It’s your acupuncturist’s work to perceive what your body needs to heal.
You explain what brings your in and what has been going on in your life. Your practitioner will ask you questions in response and will ask about your health history. Then, he or she will examine your tongue’s shape, color, and coating, feel your pulse, and possibly perform some additional physical examinations depending on your individual health needs. Using these unique assessment tools, the acupuncturist will be able to recommend a proper treatment plan to address your particular condition and then starts the treatment. You settle into the bed and feel the familiar sensations of your body releasing, relaxing and realigning.
For a cold or a simple injury from the day before, a 15-minute treatment may actually be all you need. For slightly more complicated situations, your acupuncturist may ask you to stay a bit longer. Maybe you need moxibustion (heat therapy) or cupping. Maybe you need one or two needles retained to break up scar tissue. Maybe you need 20 minutes for your nervous system to power down from the stressed-out sympathetic state into the restorative parasympathetic state.
For complicated or chronic health issues, a single acupuncture session may not provide the time and resources needed to get to the root of the issue. For these people, singular treatments might help with the symptoms for a day or two, but the symptoms keep coming back. There’s nothing wrong with a few days of relief. Occasionally, what might seem like a complicated problem may actually be straight-forward to someone who treats similar things every day. But, the ultimate goal is to help you manage or relieve your symptoms for the long-term. That’s why your acupuncturist will discuss the estimated number of treatments and how much each treatment will cost. Most private extended health benefits cover the costs of acupuncture. You should check with your provider to see if whether acupuncture is provided under your plan.
Relatively few complications from using acupuncture have been reported. Still, it is important to ensure that if you decide to visit an acupuncturist, that you check their credentials. A license, certification or registration to practice acupuncture will ensure that your practitioner has the education, training and requirements to meet the standards regarding the knowledge and use of acupuncture.
Book your initial consultation
If you are interested to see whether acupuncture is right for you, book your initial consultation with Karen Tsoi or William Sung.
REFERENCES / RESOURCES
John Hopkins Medicine Wellness and Prevention: Acupuncture
National Institutes of Health Acupuncture: In Depth
Live Science What is Acupuncture?
KVDP via Public Domain Human Body Meridians