What to Expect from Your Visit to the Acupuncturist

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What to Expect from Your Visit to the Acupuncturist

By Jonathan Moore


Just tell me…does it hurt?

No! It really doesn’t. In fact, when people think of acupuncture they often picture someone lying on their back looking like a shish kebab. The fact is that the word ‘needle’ doesn’t really describe what it is that acupuncturists use. First of all, the filaments they use are extremely thin--probably thinner than a pine cone needle. Often they can’t even be felt when they are inserted. Some people have compared the feeling of acupuncture to the feeling of having a single hair pulled out. I wouldn’t go that far. It’s really pretty relaxing.


What Should I Expect?

Some acupuncturists are different than others, but much remains the same. You will probably be asked a few diagnostic questions related to your health history. The acupuncturists may also ask you to stick out your tongue or feel your pulse in several different places. Although these measures may seem strange at first, it is important to realize that traditional Chinese doctors undergo rigorous training to become sensitive to the subtle differences in the human body. The coating/color of your tongue or your pulse may be of great importance to your acupuncturist’s diagnosis or treatment.

Lastly, you will be asked to lie down on a table (much like a massage table) and to begin breathing deeply and slowly. The acupuncturist may place a heat lamp near you to keep your body temperature warm. At this point, the acupuncturist will most likely begin inserting the filaments. As I said earlier, it does not hurt badly. You may feel some sensation at the beginning, but once the needle is inserted, you won’t be able to feel anything.

In fact you may feel a number of other sensations, such as warmth all over your body or even a mild effect that is not unlike alcohol. Overall, however, it is very relaxing and is no way extreme or unbearable. After the needles have been inserted for 20 or 30 minutes, they are removed and you are finished.


Summary

Acupuncture is an immune-boosting treatment that you may find beneficial on a number of levels. In addition to alleviating your allergies, you may find that it also helps you with stress and sleep issues. Check out this list of illnesses that acupuncture may treat or manage: http://www.rioacupuncture.com/11022.html. If you are suffering endlessly with allergies, give acupuncture a try. It could be the out-of-the box strategy you’ve been looking for.

Go to: Get Acquainted with Acupuncture & Defeat Allergies & Illness


Sources: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,263787,00.html

Rio Acupuncture, Atlanta website.