Perhaps what has kept you from seeing an acupuncturist is the unknown. Fair enough since that can be quite scary. So let me tell you a little about the basics of acupuncture. Hopefully, having an idea of ​​what to expect during treatment will encourage you to take the first step in experiencing a powerful, time-tested healing modality.

Unknown is not the same as insecure

Right, we all know you use needles, but they’re very, very thin. Speaking only for my own practice now, most of my patients tell me that they find acupuncture treatment a relaxing experience. Some patients are nervous before the first treatment. Most of them are relieved to find that a needle’s bark is much worse than its bite (so to speak).

Additionally, acupuncture is a safe and effective healing art that has been perfected over two thousand years of uninterrupted practice. It is used around the world as a primary and adjunctive treatment for a wide range of conditions and has helped at least billions of people. Well, almost anyway.

When I see a client for the first time, the session focuses on finding out where a person’s symptoms may be coming from and what other treatments they have received. I like knowing that my patients have also been responsible for seeing a Western doctor. But the interpretation of the information and the treatment are quite different.

In East Asian medicine, what underlies the symptoms may be even more relevant than the symptoms themselves. This is the reason why I ask my patients questions about their childhood, current lifestyle, diet, past illnesses, traumas, etc. Only after understanding a person’s general situation, I perform an acupuncture physical examination.

Should I come only when I am in pain?

Many people assume that acupuncture is only for managing physical pain. It is actually a valuable adjunctive healing modality for many illnesses both chronic and acute. It is also used as a healing support after accidents and injuries.

Acupuncture is also getting a lot of recognition for its benefits both before and after surgeries. I have been able to help patients overcome anxiety prior to surgery and help speed up post-surgical healing processes, as well as help patients overcome post-operative depression.

As one of the great ancient healing modalities, it works on the spiritual and emotional body as well as the physical. This is one of the reasons why it is a wonderful way to support the body as it does its non-stop job of maintaining health and daily healing.

Special types of acupuncture

This ancient field is finding new uses as it makes its mark in the new-age era of spas, baby boomers, and the focus on staying young. One specialty is facial acupuncture: acupuncture treatment tightens connective tissue, draws energy to the treated regions, increases blood flow, increases overall well-being, and really helps to beautify because it comes from the inside out.

Fertility acupuncture is another special area. Specific treatments have been created to help establish the ideal environment for conception by supporting a harmonized hormonal flow.

Some of the best-known specialties are acupuncture for the improvement of sports and injuries, as support for the treatment of addictions and weight control.

No modality can be everything to all people. But acupuncture, one of the oldest and most developed healing arts, continues to demonstrate how it can be many, many things to many, many people.