Accupuncture Friday. What can I expect?

Sort of ... I fork over the user fee and then claim it through my group insurance.

 

what can you expect?


pain.

much pain.

 

Don't scare the poor man. It doesn't hurt ... that much.

 

As a licensed massage therapist with a bit of training in the principles of Chinese Medicine, I'm pretty familiar with acupuncture. generally speaking, it doesn't hurt. Most of the time, you can't feel the needles at all. If a needle's going into a particularly bad spot, there might be a bit of discomfort...but probably nothing as bad as the pain you've had in your back.

Like all practitioners, there are good and bad acupuncturists. Beware of the guy who advertises too much...the best ones will probably advertise some, but not excessively.

Licensing varies from state to state, in some states, one must have a master's or doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine in order to practice acupuncture. Other states will allow chirporactors to practice acupuncture if they take a short course in TCM. I disagree with the latter system. However, level of education is not directly proportional to skill. The best acupuncturist I've ever seen was a young woman who only had a master's. And I probably don't need to mention this, but Asian people don't necessarily practice acupuncture better...one of the least effective acupuncturists I've seen was an old Chinese dude who was an MD as well as Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

In general, I hold both the practice and practitioners of acupuncture in very high esteem. If you're interested in the whys and wherefores of Chinese medicine, check out "The Web That has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine" by Ted J. Kaptchuk. Good luck.

 

More stiff pricks than a San Francisco bathhouse.

 

You may find yourself falling asleep after all the needles are in, just from the relaxation you get from having the pressure taken out of your bad spots. At least, that's my experience.

 

Just got back from the appointment. Very relaxing. No pain. The stiffness and swollen feeling in my knee is gone. The back seems looser.

Interesting to note, however, that the back actually felt pretty good before I even got there today.

Other interesting note: When I got home I got off the couch to walk over to my wireless router to unplug it and plug it back in because the damn thing hardly ever works right. Felt something on my foot. Thought it was a twig or a blade of dead grass. Turns out it was one of the needles he missed taking out. I didn't watch him put any of them in, but that sure was longer than I thought the needles were.

 

Well, that's good . . . because we've been sitting on pins and needles over here wondering.

 

No pun intended, right?

 

Did this acupuncture change your views on global warming?

 

I can testify for a fact that it makes me crave miso soup and green tea.

 

Anyone know if most Blue Cross plans cover acupuncture?