Now that you have an understanding of how acupuncture works and how it achieves balance in the body, you might be curious about the benefits of acupuncture and how you will feel during or after an acupuncture treatment.
If I were to pick one word to that my patients use to describe their experience with acupuncture, it would be “relaxing.” Acupuncture releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which help patients feel rejuvenated on a deep level during and after their session. In order to maximize the calming effects of the treatment, I make sure that the room is comfortably warm and offer patients an eye pillow and relaxing music to help them zone out and make the most of the time to relax and focus on themselves. Most patients also love the heat lamp that gently radiates warmth on them.
During the treatment, the acupuncture needles are inserted just below the surface of the skin. This is not painful. At most you might feel a slight pinprick when the needle is inserted, but in most cases you won’t feel the needles at all. Some patients experience slight itchiness around the needle, which indicates that stagnation exists on that acupuncture channel. Other patients my also feel the qi move across the channel that is being treated. Many patients even experience gurgling stomach sounds as the acupuncture is sending qi to their digestive system! Often patients will even fall asleep.
After your treatment, you will have a general sense of well-being and calm. You may even have an amelioration of your symptoms, but of course, that depends on the patient and the conditions being treated with acupuncture. Some conditions require long-term treatment combined with herbal support to correct patterns of disharmony within the body. Other patients experience relief of their symptoms after one treatment.
The benefits of acupuncture and Chinese medicine are expansive. I love both treatment approaches because they are incredibly gentle and non-invasive. Whatever ailment a person has, Chinese medicine has its own way of diagnosing it with a pattern of disharmony. It is an eloquent way to restore harmony in the body in order to improve health. It is a beautiful, intricate system of medicine with thousands of years of history.
Ready to give acupuncture a try? Give us a call at 412.571.9355 or email us to make an appointment!
