There’s nothing more valuable than living in a healthy body. People would do anything to fight for their health, and sometimes conventional healing methods can’t suffice. Some alternatives carefully blend a scientific approach with holistic healing systems that take the best of both worlds. Oasis Healing Arts professionals showed me how to deal with chronic pain through acupuncture. We talked about the benefits of this healing method, and here’s what I learned:
Reading guide
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a healing method that identifies key points on your body where thin needles are inserted. Pain is the most common complaint treated with acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine component. As well as managing stress, it has become increasingly popular for general wellness.
Acupuncture is believed to be a technique for balancing energy flow called chi through your body’s meridians. Acupuncture practitioners aim to re-balance the flow of energy by inserting these needles into specific points of your body.
Western practitioners view acupuncture points differently. They regard them as stimulation points for muscles, connective tissues, and nerves. The body’s natural painkillers may be boosted by this stimulation.
Where Does it Help?
There are a variety of diseases and conditions that can be treated with acupuncture, and the most common are nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and postoperative care, headaches, dental pain, lumbar pain, painful labor, allergies and respiratory problems, etc.
Finding the Best Practitioner
Choosing the most appropriate practitioner is similar to finding a doctor. You can ask your friends or people you know who underwent acupuncture treatments.
When you find a practitioner you think is good, you need to check their credentials. Usually, it’s required for them to have passed an exam conducted by National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to be eligible to practice.
Before going further, you should talk to your potential practitioner. Explain to them your current condition and see if they will be able to help and how much it will cost. After talking to a few practitioners, you can make an informed decision. You should also check if your insurance covers the treatment.
How Does the Treatment Work?
Every acupuncturist has their own style, often combining Eastern and Western techniques. During your consultation with your practitioner, your practitioner will probably want to know your symptoms, behaviors, and lifestyle. They may also check parts of your body where it hurts. They will need to know how your tongue looks, how it’s coated, what color it is, your pulse, rhythm, and the color of your face.
One session may take up an hour, but they are usually shorter. For an isolated problem, one or two treatments per week are required. The number of sessions depends on the severity of the issue, but on average, it takes up to 8 sessions.
The Procedure
Every part of the body has acupuncture points. Your pain may be far from the appropriate points. If you are required to remove any clothing for treatment, your acupuncture practitioner will tell you.
The needles used in acupuncture are inserted at strategic points around your body at various depths. In most cases, there is hardly any discomfort associated with the insertion of the needles since they are very thin. The insertion often passes unnoticed by the patient. An average treatment involves five to twenty needles. The intended depth of a needle may cause mild pain. After the needles are placed, they may be moved or twirled gently, or heat or mild electrical pulses may be applied. It takes between 10 and 15 minutes for the needles to settle in and remain in place. The removal of needles is usually painless.
