From the music in the waiting room and free herbal teas to the light incense and Thai and Chinese embroideries in her office, I knew this was a different kind of doctor. We talked for more than an hour about my last 6 years, from gestational diabetes, umbilical hernias, and ovarectomy/c-section to herniated discs, scoliosis, and all those other musco-skeletal oddities, to NSAID allergies and hyper-reactive skin. She wondered about my body's inflammation, thought about various supplements, and then we finally got down to the acupuncture.
I'll readily admit to much trepidation. Needles near my spine make me scared. I've had some--they hurt or are uncomfortable, sting or pinch or exert lots of pressure. But she showed me her little sterilized needles-in-an-envelope and they were more like thin, flexible wires--no chance really of breaking off or anything like that. Still, she was patient and understanding and so we started with one on my hand. I couldn't look.
Luckily, the others were all on my back, behind my knee, and at my ankle. The second insertion, which I could barely feel, caused a lightning flash when she wiggled it. I thought she hit a nerve; she said it was the Qi, or the energy flow. And sometimes she would wiggle it more than once for people. I didn't like it at all so she didn't do that to me. The others were fine, no lightning energy flow, though there was warmth and tingles. I was supposed to relax for about 10 minutes, hard to do with needles in me as I was perched on my side propped up with pillows. But I managed to count breaths for a bit.
And then it was over. Needles out, supplements bought, next appointment made. I was wobbly some the rest of the day, as if I'd exercised too much. Mama Hungry, who accompanied me through the whole thing, of course, noticed right away. And I was so tired. That feeling of exhaustion and over-exertion lasted well into Saturday and is apparently a not-unknown side effect. One website related it to a kinked hose that, when unblocked, gushes forth strongly.
Does my back feel better? No. And I'm not surprised--everything I've read says that, while acupuncture can be good for necks and knees and ankles and infertility, it is not specifically helpful for lower back pain. I'm also at a point in my cycle when my back rarely feels good. It feels less bad than it could, though. And I don't know if that's the acupuncture, the supplements (one for women's cycles, one for GI inflammation), or just my walking routine and weight loss. Oddly, my left ankle that had been tight is feeling a bit better. But that must be a placebo because she didn't fiddle with meridiens for that.
Yep. Qi. Meridiens. Energy. Do I believe it? I don't know. Yeah, it sounds incredibly magical and mysterious. So much so that Western medicine can't explain much less evaluate it beyond saying that some people find relief and help. However, it's been around about 2500 years--what Western medical practice or drug, beyond maybe aspirin, can we say that about? Would it have survived that long if it didn't help? Mama Hungry's grandfather, who must be 96 or so now, swears by acupuncture and goes to the Chinese doctors in Bangkok when he needs treatment . . . and he is almost 100. All of which is to say that at this point, after a year, I'm open-minded and willing to try various things.
Because like the acupuncture itself, it doesn't hurt.
