Are you being needled? If not, maybe you should be! “Needling” is a term often used in reference to the administration of acupuncture needles.
1. What is acupuncture?
The Chinese have used acupuncture for thousands of years as a primary method for maintaining health and fighting disease. In fact, one of the emperors made it unlawful for acupuncturists to practice except on the emperor himself or his warriors. The emperor’s fear was that because acupuncture was so successful, the common people would take guidance from an acupuncturist rather than the emperor!
Today, acupuncture is recognized by the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health as an effective treatment modality for many conditions, including:
- Chemotherapy side effects
- Chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia and migraines
- Digestive, neurological and muscular disorders
- Fatigue
- Immune system compromise
- Infertility
- Nausea or vomiting
- Nicotine addiction
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Stress and anxiety
- Weight management
2. How does it work?
Acupuncture is based on the idea that illness erupts from an imbalance in the body’s energy flow. Practitioners use flexible, hair-thin needles to activate the body’s acupuncture points or QI, pronounced “chi,” energy centers (closely related to the nervous system) to restore balance to the QI. All needles used in acupuncture should be steel, FDA-approved, sterile and disposable.
3. What happens in a session?
- The acupuncturist reviews your personal history, discusses treatment plan and advises you what to do between sessions to obtain optimal benefit.
- Patients recline on comfortable treatment tables or relax in comfortable chairs (depending on needle placement) and specific patient needs.
- Once the needles are inserted, the patient relaxes for a maximum of 30 minutes then the needles are removed.
4. How do I recover?
- Drink plenty of water
- Take it easy – you can drive, return to work, shop, etc. – just avoid vigorous work-outs and activities that strain the area of concern
- Avoid alcohol, very cold or very hot beverages. This is thought to interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment changes taking place with the energy flow as a result of the needling.
- Call the practitioner with questions or any concerns
5. How many treatments will I need?
The number of treatments needed varies among patients due to the unique QI flow of each individual and treatment response. Your practitioner will continually assess how you are responding to treatment. Your personal feedback is an important part of the assessment. Typically, after three or four treatments, your practitioner will be able to gain a better idea how your body will respond to treatment overall.
6. Does insurance cover acupuncture?
Many medical insurance companies cover acupuncture. Other insurances related to worker’s compensation and motor vehicle accidents often cover treatments as well.
7. Would I use acupuncture?
You bet! I have used it many times as have my children. By the way”it doesn’t hurt!!
