last week i made an appointment for acupuncture. for months i have been dealing with chronic colds and bronchial infections, a chronic cough since last fall and general tiredness. i realize i have a pretty full plate caring for the kids, but i cough constantly, i can't sleep unless i'm sitting up, and i average about 5 hours of sleep a night. it's a rare treat to take a nap during the day, and this ongoing sleep deficit is killing me.
i hate needles, but i know people who swear by acupuncture for relieving everything from migraines to frozen shoulder to digestive problems. at this point i am spending beau coup bucks every month on cold and allergy meds and i figured that trying acupuncture couldn't hurt. on top of my respiratory issues i also have HS, HBP and prior insulin issues which impact my health as well. i thought that if i could clear up the cough and allergies, my immune system could strengthen and as a result my HS would lighten up, my BP would level off, and my sugar issues would continue to resolve itself.
the acupuncturist consulted with me for quite some time - filled out a questionnaire and we discussed my reason for treatment. after checking my "pulses" (i had no idear my lungs and liver had pulses) and looking at my tongue (apparently your physio systems are mapped out on your tongue, hands and feet) he could tell that my lungs were "spongy" and that my liver had no pulse at all. i had a good heart pulse (supposedly this is connected to your spiritual awareness and destiny, which sounded all right to me - i consider myself a pretty spiritual person, not only in the Christian sense but also in the body/mind/spirit sense). i said i thought my liver might be messed up becos of years of eating crap, i'm sure i did damage to it that i've only started to repair over the past few years. the acupuncturist said in a way that's true but not entirely. he explained that the body has 3 different levels of immunity in chinese medicine - a deep level that is the underlying source of immunity that may or may not be finite, a middle level and an upper level. for a person who is "balanced", a person could be exposed to a cold but not catch it becos their body's response to the invader, or else you may get sick but only briefly. in my case, the invaders (colds, allergies) are entering my system, and my inner defenses are trying to fight them off, but they're not getting released out of my system and therefore get hung up in my system, causing the extreme allergic sensitivities, cough and chronic infections. uh, okay. whatever. the goal of my treatment was to unblock the energy so that my liver pulses functioned better and my immune system could build up again.
so mr. c stuck needles in my wrists, my hands, behind my ears, my ankles, and my big and little toes. it didn't hurt to get stuck - no more than when you get a shot. the needles are pretty thin - even thinner than a sewing needle. the biggest ones seemed to be in my wrists and ankles, and thinner ones in my fingers and toes. the needles in my little toes hurt the most but after a while i barely felt them.
so i lay on a paddled table, head and knees propped up, stuck full of needles, in a dim room listening to asian music (not like the cheesy music you hear at chinese buffets, this was chinese guitar and flute music). it was very relaxing, and after a while my skin felt like it was buzzing and coming alive. it's hard to explain, except the feeling was like that i had when i had an herbal wrap at a spa, where my skin kinda felt itchy and buzzy. i coughed quite a bit. i tried to do deep breathing to settle the cough.
after 15 minutes mr. c came back and removed the needles from my wrists and ankles and i lay for another 10 minutes. i felt really relaxed and my skin felt like it was buzzing with a current. when mr. c came back to remove the rest of my needles, i explained how i was feeling, and he said that was a positive sign that the needles unblocked some of the energy. i asked him how quickly would i feel relief and in what way would i feel relief - would i hork up a load of snot, or would it be absorbed into my system? would i feel better instantly or would it take a while to feel the effects? he said that i might bring up more mucus but i should feel better. however, if i felt i needed more treatment i was welcome to schedule another appointment. he felt that i should have been "cured" in one session. he also suggested i do things that are "relaxing to me" - like my yoga, and to spend quality time taking care of me. he also suggested that i "sweat" as sweating helps detox the body and cleanses the body. this for the girl who can't go anywhere without air conditioning! i decided to hold off on another appointment, paid for my session and bid mr. c goodbye.
my body must have been off kilter becos as i walked to my car i felt very "imbalanced" like i was walking crooked. that happened to me once before, when i had a massage and the herbal wrap at the spa. i felt relaxed and my skin still had that buzzy "alive" feeling.
throughout the day i noticed i coughed up more gunk and blew my nose more. i tried to go without allergy meds but i've taken a claritin meltaway every morning since. i cough, but not as much. and i sleep better now too.
thursday i had a killer migraine. whether it was becos my body was detoxing, or hormones, or being tired, i slept thursday evening into friday morning. it was the best sleep i'd had in ages. yesterday i had my migraine "hangover" but i do feel a bit more energetic. still feel stuffy. oh well. perhaps i do need more treatment but right now i can't afford it.
i hope that with the advent of obamacare, non traditional medical methods are covered by insurance. yoga is a great stress reliever and the best treatment for high blood pressure IMO. i would even venture into more acupuncture treatment if it was covered. my body did feel reset from the treatment and i bet if i had it on a regular basis, i would feel great. insurance is quick to cure an illness with a pill. and sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
this wiki kinda describes acupuncture. i still don't understand how acupuncture works or whether it really does treat illness.
i hate needles, but i know people who swear by acupuncture for relieving everything from migraines to frozen shoulder to digestive problems. at this point i am spending beau coup bucks every month on cold and allergy meds and i figured that trying acupuncture couldn't hurt. on top of my respiratory issues i also have HS, HBP and prior insulin issues which impact my health as well. i thought that if i could clear up the cough and allergies, my immune system could strengthen and as a result my HS would lighten up, my BP would level off, and my sugar issues would continue to resolve itself.
the acupuncturist consulted with me for quite some time - filled out a questionnaire and we discussed my reason for treatment. after checking my "pulses" (i had no idear my lungs and liver had pulses) and looking at my tongue (apparently your physio systems are mapped out on your tongue, hands and feet) he could tell that my lungs were "spongy" and that my liver had no pulse at all. i had a good heart pulse (supposedly this is connected to your spiritual awareness and destiny, which sounded all right to me - i consider myself a pretty spiritual person, not only in the Christian sense but also in the body/mind/spirit sense). i said i thought my liver might be messed up becos of years of eating crap, i'm sure i did damage to it that i've only started to repair over the past few years. the acupuncturist said in a way that's true but not entirely. he explained that the body has 3 different levels of immunity in chinese medicine - a deep level that is the underlying source of immunity that may or may not be finite, a middle level and an upper level. for a person who is "balanced", a person could be exposed to a cold but not catch it becos their body's response to the invader, or else you may get sick but only briefly. in my case, the invaders (colds, allergies) are entering my system, and my inner defenses are trying to fight them off, but they're not getting released out of my system and therefore get hung up in my system, causing the extreme allergic sensitivities, cough and chronic infections. uh, okay. whatever. the goal of my treatment was to unblock the energy so that my liver pulses functioned better and my immune system could build up again.
so mr. c stuck needles in my wrists, my hands, behind my ears, my ankles, and my big and little toes. it didn't hurt to get stuck - no more than when you get a shot. the needles are pretty thin - even thinner than a sewing needle. the biggest ones seemed to be in my wrists and ankles, and thinner ones in my fingers and toes. the needles in my little toes hurt the most but after a while i barely felt them.
so i lay on a paddled table, head and knees propped up, stuck full of needles, in a dim room listening to asian music (not like the cheesy music you hear at chinese buffets, this was chinese guitar and flute music). it was very relaxing, and after a while my skin felt like it was buzzing and coming alive. it's hard to explain, except the feeling was like that i had when i had an herbal wrap at a spa, where my skin kinda felt itchy and buzzy. i coughed quite a bit. i tried to do deep breathing to settle the cough.
after 15 minutes mr. c came back and removed the needles from my wrists and ankles and i lay for another 10 minutes. i felt really relaxed and my skin felt like it was buzzing with a current. when mr. c came back to remove the rest of my needles, i explained how i was feeling, and he said that was a positive sign that the needles unblocked some of the energy. i asked him how quickly would i feel relief and in what way would i feel relief - would i hork up a load of snot, or would it be absorbed into my system? would i feel better instantly or would it take a while to feel the effects? he said that i might bring up more mucus but i should feel better. however, if i felt i needed more treatment i was welcome to schedule another appointment. he felt that i should have been "cured" in one session. he also suggested i do things that are "relaxing to me" - like my yoga, and to spend quality time taking care of me. he also suggested that i "sweat" as sweating helps detox the body and cleanses the body. this for the girl who can't go anywhere without air conditioning! i decided to hold off on another appointment, paid for my session and bid mr. c goodbye.
my body must have been off kilter becos as i walked to my car i felt very "imbalanced" like i was walking crooked. that happened to me once before, when i had a massage and the herbal wrap at the spa. i felt relaxed and my skin still had that buzzy "alive" feeling.
throughout the day i noticed i coughed up more gunk and blew my nose more. i tried to go without allergy meds but i've taken a claritin meltaway every morning since. i cough, but not as much. and i sleep better now too.
thursday i had a killer migraine. whether it was becos my body was detoxing, or hormones, or being tired, i slept thursday evening into friday morning. it was the best sleep i'd had in ages. yesterday i had my migraine "hangover" but i do feel a bit more energetic. still feel stuffy. oh well. perhaps i do need more treatment but right now i can't afford it.
i hope that with the advent of obamacare, non traditional medical methods are covered by insurance. yoga is a great stress reliever and the best treatment for high blood pressure IMO. i would even venture into more acupuncture treatment if it was covered. my body did feel reset from the treatment and i bet if i had it on a regular basis, i would feel great. insurance is quick to cure an illness with a pill. and sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
this wiki kinda describes acupuncture. i still don't understand how acupuncture works or whether it really does treat illness.
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