Lynn M. Curry

Acupuncture
Chinese Herbal Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions

Acupuncture is a natural system of medicine which stimulates the body’s ability to heal itself. Acupuncture is based on principles which originated in China over 3000 years ago.

To an acupuncturist, illness is seen as a disharmony of life energy (qi). This energy circulates through the internal organs and in pathways (meridians) throughout the whole body.

Disease manifests when qi becomes weakened to such an extent that it can no longer heal. This weakness is revealed as imbalance in the meridians and located points along them at which the qi is accessible from the body’s surface.

Modern science has been able to measure electrical charges at this point, thus corroborating the locations mapped by the ancients. By manipulation of fine needles inserted into acupuncture points, the practitioner adjusts imbalances and alleviates pain.

Any health problem, disease or illness may be treated with acupuncture.

In some cases where the qi has deteriorated too far to affect a cure, the disease can still be arrested and pain alleviated so that the patient can lead a reasonably normal life.

Although there are acupuncture techniques for the healing of all conditions, some health issues are dealt with more rapidly by Western medicine or they may respond better to a combination of approaches. In such cases, your acupuncturist will recommend that you contact a physician.

Although some conditions can be alleviated very rapidly through acupuncture, others have taken years to establish and therefore can only be relieved with slow, steady progress. The duration of the disease, the amount of deterioration, and the constitution of each patient must be taken into account when determining the number of treatments needed. Most chronic conditions require a minimum of ten treatments to alleviate the symptoms and balance the energy so that symptoms are not likely to recur. Increasingly, people are using acupuncture as a pro-active tool rather than a curative treatment. Patients who wish to make acupuncture one part of maintaining health or “checking” conditions before they escalate can benefit from just a few treatments.
Your individual treatment reflects a picture drawn from several diagnostic tools including response to questions, palpation of the body and pulses and observation of the tongue. Your first session generally begins with an interview which will include your medical and personal history. Pulse taking provides an important source of information in Chinese medicine. This pulse is felt at three positions along the radial artery of both wrists. In your treatment, the needles used are hair-thin and are sterilized in accordance with surgical standards. Heat, electricity or massage may be used on points to enhance the treatment. Many patients describe the treatment as deeply relaxing (it is common to fall asleep!) while others find it an energizing experience.
Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, acupuncture will usually be painless. Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of getting an injection. You may feel sensations of pressure, fullness or tingling after the insertion as the needle makes contact with the qi. There are certain techniques which may be painful because it can be uncomfortable to move energy which has stagnated.
Some patients feel progressively better after each treatment. Some illnesses have dulled the senses to the extent that the full severity of the symptoms is no longer clearly felt. As the qi moves towards balance, sensitivity may return or increase causing a patient to feel temporarily worse. Other illnesses are of a more complicated nature. It is possible for symptoms from years past to temporarily return as treatment progresses. This occurs as the course of a sickness is reversed.
When the life energy in the body is balanced and flowing, people often lose their desire to smoke and/or overeat, as these cravings are often symptoms of imbalances. There are acupuncture points which have been used to treat these problems, many of them located in the ears. The same points will not work for all people, so correct diagnosis by an experienced practitioner is the surest way to work with these conditions.
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