Some pointed comments

At some point we all decide, “What have I got to lose?” Last Thursday I finally got there on the subject of acupuncture.

I have a couple friends who also suffer from chronic pain. They shared my curiosity about acupuncture but weren’t ready to take the leap. Tired of popping pain pills and trying to ignore my mostly constant back aches, I decided to be the communal guinea pig and give a centuries old remedy a whirl.

Much to my surprise, our little town has a licensed acupuncturist with a whole bunch of initials after her name. She hides in an office building shared by a title insurance company. Chatting with her on the phone, she didn’t sound the least bit counter-culture, so I hope my surprise didn’t show when Laurie wafted out from a treatment room to greet me.

Laurie instantly reminded me of my self-image as an 8 year-old: a tiny stick figure carrying around a thick mass of curly hair. Of course, I didn’t wear Birkenstocks or batik muumuus decorated with peace symbols as an 8 year old. Or ever, really, save for the Birkenstocks (requisite footwear at my college). But indeed, Laurie did look like about every fifth person at the hippie college I went to in California. So it was a lifestyle look I had certainly seen before; just not one I expected to see in my cowboy town.

Laurie and I spent about two hours together. She asked me a lot of seemingly unrelated questions like “Do you run warm or cold? Do your eyes twitch? Do your legs cramp? Do you have dry skin? Do you have problems staying asleep? Where do you sweat?” On that last one, it turned out she wasn’t looking for “Uh, the gym?” She wanted to know a location on my body like my face, neck, palms, armpits. Gotta say, that was a conversation I had never had before.

After the questions, Laurie asked if she could examine my tongue. Gratefully, I was prepared for this based on my web research. She studied my tongue for a few seconds and then drew a picture of its underside in her notes. For the curious, the bottom of my tongue looks like a spotted teepee.

Tongue analysis completed, we moved on to The Needles. Laurie showed me the tiny disposable needles and explained how they work. I had imagined sewing or blood-draw needles were the tools of the trade. Instead, I decided “fibers” or “bendy metal things” is a more accurate description. They were small, flexible, and thin – sort of like a cat’s whisker. Not very scary at all, I’m happy to report.

Laurie decided to treat me on both sides, front and back, although not at the same time. She started by having me lay on my back. She inserted 13 fibers in my arms, stomach, legs, and feet. I know it was 13 because I counted when she took them out about 20 minutes later. I had really only felt about 3 going in.

The only way I could see Laurie's handiwork was to lift my head up. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see myself as a pin cushion, but after about 10 minutes I worked up the courage and curiosity to peek. It was a bit disconcerting to see these bendy things sticking in my stomach while not having any sensation of them at all. But after I got over the initial surprise, it was all good. At that point the endorphins must have been kicking in. (Yes, much like eating hot peppers, acupuncture releases endorphins. Score!)

I have no idea how many bendy metal things Laurie put on my back when I flipped over. I was too relaxed and didn’t care by then. I do know that she put one on the very top of my head to help ground me. Since I haven’t been struck by lightning, I can’t confirm that I am indeed grounded but I do feel more peaceful, even two days later.

Laurie warned that some people feel an increase in pain the day after an acupuncture session, with improvement the second day. I will say that yesterday I was in a fair amount of pain on the left side of my back. But I can’t reliably attribute it to the acupuncture alone. My increased pain could have been from some new exercises in my gym class Thursday morning, or from crawling around under a sink on Wednesday in an effort to learn how to change out a faucet (there’s no end to the learning opportunities at Woodhaven!).

I’m still undecided whether my chi is flowing any better today than it was on Wednesday. And after a good half-hour of web research, I’ve concluded I don’t have a magnesium deficiency despite what Laurie suggested. (I will be confirming that with my boringly traditional Western medicine doctor next time I see him.) But, I have decided that my calmer mood and slightly decreased pain today vs. my norm are good enough reasons to continue with the recommended 6-8 weekly sessions. Updates to come as warranted.