Over the past several months I've been trying out new wellness treatments, mainly for my own benefit, but also so I can share my learnings with you. Last summer I had a facial. Last month I tried myofascial release. And now I'd like to tell you about my recent experience with acupuncture.
I met Amy Woods, LAc, the co-owner of Pflugerville Acupuncture, several months ago when she started attending classes at The Yoga Room. I decided to see her for a treatment to see if acupuncture could help relax the tight muscles in my back and minimize my pain.
On my first session, Amy did a comprehensive intake of my health history. She asked many unusual questions that a typical western medical doctor doesn't ask, like "are your hands or feet ever cold?" "how do you sleep?" and "do you have any changes in energy level before your period?"
She measured my blood pressure and took my pulse. She measured not only beats per minute, but she also examined the texture of my pulse. (On a recent visit she told me the texture that day was "slippery".) She also looked at the top and bottom of my tongue.
After processing all my information, she determined that my back pain is due to blood and energy (qi) that is not flowing properly in my body. In Chinese Medicine, the liver is responsible for keeping energy smooth throughout the body. Unfortunately, my liver qi is stagnated due to my stress level, so the energy in my body is not flowing properly. This stagnation can cause disease and pain.
That day she needled about 20 spots on the back of my body, from my neck down to my ankles. The application of the needles was totally painless. She warned me that some points might feel sharp or electric and she told me that some spots needed to feel electric, but the discomfort was really minimal, almost imperceptible.
She left me to rest so the needles could do their work for about 15 minutes. During this time I started to feel anxious and agitated, so I rang the bell she left me and she came back right away to adjust my position and make me more comfortable. She manipulated some of the needles to stimulate their work and left me to rest, then came back 15 minutes later to remove all the needles.
Later, when I got in my car and prepared to drive away, I began to experience a profound euphoria caused by the endorphins from the treatment. The euphoria lasted about 2-3 hours. For the next week I enjoyed greatly reduced back pain, maybe 10% of my typical level of pain.
I've gone back for two more treatments since then, and each has focused on relaxation to a) help me get better sleep, b) reduce my back pain, and 3) help me make healthier choices overall.
Since I have begun these acupuncture treatments I feel like I'm healing from the effects of stress. I am much more aware of my stress level, which enables me to consciously make healthier choices.
For example, in the evenings when I am tired, I used to force myself to stay awake, but now I am much more willing and able to shut down my computer and go to sleep at a decent hour.
And I have found that acupuncture combined with myofascial release and yoga have really helped me get my back pain under control. I'm cautiously optimistic that it may even be healed after a few more treatments.
I've had such a positive experience with my introduction to acupuncture that I want to share it with you!
Amy will be giving a free information session and free acupuncture mini-treatments at The Yoga Room on March 30th, and you're invited to attend! If you're interested in learning whether acupuncture can help treat your symptoms, please reserve your spot!
Now I'd love to hear from you! Do you have an acupuncture success story? Or have you always been interested in acupuncture but haven't tried it yet? What's keeping you? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Lots of love, health, and wellness, Zelinda