It was interesting: just as I wondered if I were the only person receiving acupuncture from this particular venue (as I was always the only client occupying one of the six or seven available chairs and tables), today there were two other clients. That reassured me that other people invest in "alternative" treatments. Alternative? Hasn't acupuncture been practiced for thousands years in Asian cultures? Yet, when I mentioned seeking help for my chronic neck pain from acupuncture, a woman I work with (who suffers from chronic lower back pain) said, "Oh! All that hocus pocus crazy needle stuff" (delivered in what I think was supposed to be a Chinese accent) and I was left wondering why we have had so much trouble accepting a different medical practice...
Especially one that has no side effects and works with your body's own energy. When Bob and I were recently in Vermont on a mini-vacation, we indulged in our vacation vice: we watch TV. We never watch TV so this is a real treat/ bizarre pass time for us. And (you probably all know this and I'm not telling you any thing new) all the ads were for drugs and medications; endlessly so. And even more astonishing were the crazy-long lists of side effects relating to each of the meds being pushed. The more I know of "traditional" Western medicine, the more cynical and suspicious I become. (I relayed the story of my most recent GP trying to give me prescription addictive pain pills to me but withholding antibiotics in a previous post.) So I am left to wonder exactly what our priorities are, in a country where we endlessly argue about the cost of health care and whether it's a right etc etc and something as basic- and effective!- as acupuncture isn't even covered by most insurance companies!
So I pay out of pocket to obtain relief from pain, and again, it works well. It's fascinating to work with the acupuncturist as she asks what I want targeted and she'll try pressing on several closely adjoining areas and ask which one is more sensitive and then insert a needle. Today, the side of my hand and the sides of my feet were like porcupines- I had a slew of needles projecting from me. I drew the above picture as a note to Bob in case he arrived home before I did, but I was amazingly accurate as to where the needles were inserted this time. I guess I'm learning the meridians and all the areas that work for my particular case.
I guess I really believe that if it works, don't wonder about the how or why. The medical "they" still admit that they don't really understand how many drugs work. And then factor in the placebo effect: you can even know that you're receiving a sugar pill and it still works! So go right ahead: give me a sugar pill or two and stick those needles in! Felling better already...
