You have probably heard of acupuncture. It is one of many Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. Acupuncture is practiced by trained and professional practitioners and what they do is to insert thin needles into specific points on your body.
You must be thinking, does acupuncture hurt? Well, acupuncture does not hurt, really. It is relatively pain-free even though having several needles inserted into you may sound painful but if compared to being tattooed, I guess a single 1cm line of tattooing will probably be more painful than the whole session of acupuncture. So, do consider getting an acupuncture!
What Kind of Problems Is Acupuncture Able to Treat?
One of the most common conditions that acupuncture is able to treat is muscle pain and muscle spasms. Other issues include chronic back problems and pain, headaches, body aches, allergies, digestive problems and even your emotions like stress, depression and your mood.
Acupuncture is able to treat and improve many health conditions some of these may be underlying conditions that have been with you for a long time. Take a look at this article, acupuncture is worth a try for chronic pain!
Sounds too good to be true? Well, the next thing on your mind is to ask if it is safe.
Is Acupuncture Safe?
Acupuncture is generally considered to be safe when performed by an experienced, and professional practitioner. It is also a need to be using sterile needles in order to be considered “safe”. Without the use of sterile needles and/or without engaging a professional practitioner may pose as a big risk to your health. Therefore, it is important to look for an authentic acupuncture clinic.
However, acupuncture do contain some uncommon side effects like any other medicinal uses. However, it only happens when the practitioner does not use clean and sterile needles, making it more important to go to an authentic acupuncture clinic. Be sure to check if they are using sterile needles or not.
The Experience
Like going to a normal clinic, you will first need to have a consultation session with the acupuncturist. Tell them specifically about your pain and provide as many details as possible for them to know what to do for you and which “points” are involved in order to make you feel better.
They will probably ask you to stick out your tongue and perform physical checks as a general check. It can also mean that they are confirming your condition with their suspicions. They may ask you more question or if not, they will proceed to the next step.
The acupuncturist will now use those sterile needles to insert into the specific points on your body in an attempt to release stagnant “qi” and to make you feel better. The acupuncturist may check your pulse from time to time to ensure that your energy is flowing correctly. Redness may be seen on the place where the needle is being inserted into and it is a sign that the energy is not balanced in that area. The needles will only be in the body for a brief period of time.
Once the needle is removed, it means that you’re all done with the acupuncture session. The acupuncturist may ask you to schedule for a second session if there is a need. If he did not, it just means that you’re all taken care of in that one session.