Getting Acupuncture Treatment: How it Works and What to Expect
You’ve seen it on various forms of media: A person with many tiny needles stuck on their face, back, or other parts of the body. Over the last few decades, research has confirmed the usefulness of acupuncture for many painful conditions and illnesses of the body. Acupuncture is a practice from Traditional Chines Medicine which involves inserting thin, sterilized, needles through the skin at specific points to address disease conditions or relieve pain.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this healing modality focuses on balancing the energy, called “qi” in Chinese, within the body. Employing this belief, TCM states that illnesses are the result of an imbalance of qi through channels of energy flow, called “meridians,” within the body. The qi flows through the body’s meridians, which identify hundreds of different acupuncture points (acupoints).
By inserting the sterile, single-use, needles of very fine diameter into the surface of the skin at these acupoints, the acupuncturist allows energy within the body (which supplies the organs, glands, and structures) to flow freely. In this way, the acupuncture professional can rebalance the body, allowing it to receive sufficient energy and blood flow to facilitate healing and maintain health.
Acupuncture Evaluation and Treatment
Your acupuncturist will most likely do an evaluation that may entail asking all types of questions. The answers to these questions, plus specific indications the acupuncturist gains from observing the body, feeling its pulses, and looking at the tongue, will help the professional evaluate the state of your body and decide which acupoints need to be stimulated to promote healing.
It’s important for you to share the areas of your body that need extra attention. Once the acupuncturist has a thorough understanding of what your body’s needs are, they will likely have you lie down on a treatment table or sit in a comfortable reclining chair. The needles will be inserted into the necessary acupoints, one by one. Then, you will relax as the needles do the job—anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes, maybe more, maybe less, depending on your individual situation.
The needles are clean, sterilized and single-use, so they are used for you and you alone. Some people will feel a pinching, stinging, or tingling sensation as the needles are inserted, some will feel nothing at all. Any sensations you feel should subside quickly. When acupuncture is performed correctly, you should not feel any enduring pain from the needles in their acupoints.
Book Your Acupuncture Session
While much research confirms the benefits of acupuncture, some scientists may still debate the benefits of this millennia-old healing modality. However, the success stories speak for themselves. People are getting successful and lasting results from acupuncture treatment day-in and day-out.
If you’re ready to set up an acupuncture session for yourself or a loved one, find a trained and experienced acupuncture professional in your local area. You may find an experienced acupuncturist in a wellness clinic along with other popular healing offerings like chiropractic, massage, cryotherapy, and much more. Get started today—contact a qualified acupuncturist.