A Patient’s Perspective on Acupuncture – Few of us would hesitate to reboot our computers, clear out our respective electronic caches, or restart our cell phones if we experienced any slowness or hesitation on the part of any of our “tech toys”. How ironic that while we have become so tech-savvy for our electronics, we give little or no thought to “rebooting” our lives, to clearing “the caches” of our emotional hard drives that would enable us to live a richer and fuller life.
Anxiety. How does one deal with anxiety when it stands on every corner, lurks in every unopened bill, echoes off the ring every late night or unexpected telephone call?
Mindfulness. How does one “stay in the minute” when there are appointments to be made, deadlines to be met, family, home and work responsibilities to be balanced? We are a generation who was raised on short-time and long-term goal planning – how do we suddenly stop and just look at this moment, now?
Stress. Can anyone live a stress-free life today? How do we handle the issues of the day, personal illness, family issues and job-related issues calmly and peacefully without stress? Each of us responds to stress differently – what is exhilarating and exciting to some can be terrifying to others. Is there a right or wrong way to respond? Out of control stress literally opens the mind’s door and invites in panic.
How does one avoid those behaviors that we know are addictive – excessive usage of alcohol, pharmaceuticals, binge eating – but yet we knowingly indulge because it helps to deafen us to the noise in our heads? How do we – each of us – find our essential “mind-body” connection?
The answer for many may be acupuncture. It was for me.
Acupuncture reboots the body – proper treatment can clear your emotional “cache” and allow you to focus on restoring your balance naturally – without outside stimulants or medications.
Traditional Acupuncture is a powerful system of medicine designed to address patients on a body, mind and spirit level. Practiced for over 3000 years in China, the benefits of acupuncture treatment are now clearly recognized and well documented in western medical journals and in medical institutions across the United States.
Ancient Chinese medicine describes an energy force called Qi that regulates the body’s overall health, according to the University of Chicago Medicine. Like blood in the circulatory system, Qi moves throughout the body via pathways called meridians. When factors like worry, stress, and anxiety – or truly anything – disrupts this flow – health issues follow.
Such issues may include sleep disorders, chronic pain, skin disorders, and depression. By inserting needles at specific points in the body, acupuncturists restore the balance of Qi and the body’s overall health, the University of Chicago Medicine reports.
What is important to remember is that our body is our individual, “Master Teacher”. Stressful times can teach us important lessons about ourselves – and these lessons can all become part of our own self-care treatment packages. That which makes us anxious – those times where we reach for food or drink when we are neither hungry nor thirsty – are signposts which we should take the time to identify, think through, and resolve in a manner that benefits ourselves – not remove us from the world at large.
It is important to remember is that we often do not take the time to identify these triggers – that we can be so easily distracted by a text alert, a telephone ring or a personal interruption. We live in a world of flashing lights and increasingly more noise – where do we find a “safe place” in order to decipher, and identify those fears and thoughts that disrupt our Qi?
If you’re lucky – as I was – you will find an acupuncturist who will create for you a “safe place”. The Doctor will check your pulse on both wrists, as well as to examine your tongue for discoloration. Lights will be dim and music will be muted – allowing you “a time out” from your thoughts.
When you are able to re view your life from a less tense and in a more spacious perspective, you will be able to positively respond to your individual challenges and stresses. Given the right time and space – as little as 30 minutes in the safety of a simple room – you will clearly see that you can react to the world at large without fear and and without emotional and physical pain.
You become focused.
This is “mindfulness”.
Mindfulness is an energy that allows us to be fully alive, to be truly in the here and now, to see the wonders of life, and to suffer less. So much of the time we tend to operate on “automatic mode” not really being aware of what we are experiencing. We get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future.
The practice of mindfulness is to wake up and be fully present in the present moment. We wake up from being lost in our worries, our depression, our fears, our anger, and we find the miracle of the blue sky, the flowering blossom, the smile of a stranger, the kindness of our own heart.
Acupuncture supports this mind/body continuum by creating and maintaining a stable level of balanced health. The mind relaxes, tensions dissolve, and the body relaxes, allowing the Qi to flow more freely. The circulation and flow of vital energy – NOT the noise in one’s head – aids the natural transformation processes and functions within the body. Proper placement of the needles brings one increased balance and promotes a renewed sense of well-being and relaxation.
Along with your acupuncture treatment, your doctor may suggest some Chinese herbs or homeopathic remedies specifically designed for your needs. Let me be among the first to reassure you that these are not “quack claims” or “hippie dippie” nonsense. We have much to learn from Chinese medicine and I – for one – am grateful to be living in a time where so much knowledge is available – and affordable.
Here’s one thing I know for sure: the abilities and capabilities of a truly relaxed mind are unlimited.
Avoiding stress is impossible – being able to function with stress, being able to remain emotionally in charge and not be in continual emotional need, identifying your tools to change how you react to stress and thereby possibly eliminating physical pain and other “dis-orders” of the mind – is – as the television commercial says – “Priceless”.
Consultations are always free at Boca Raton Acupuncture. Get yours today!
Author: Susan T.
Sources:
- Google: Acupuncture Medical Group, Portsmouth, NH
- Everyday Health News
- Calm Clinic
- University of Chicago Medical Resource; Acupuncture- Review and Discussion, Chicago, Ill 2016
