Something's Got To Give There's a Needle For That

By Sara Poldmae, LAc

Do you ever have the feeling that life is too hectic? Do you feel like you can't seem to get on top of things? When you feel this way, do you get sick more often? Stress and anxiety are not only common health complaints, they are also frequently the cause of many health issues.

With all the demands of modern life, we don't have many answers in Western Medicine for treating the syndrome known as “I am way too busy.” Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine on the other hand, do.

We see patients who have a cluster of vague but also very intrusive complaints. They may or may not have an official diagnosis from a Western doctor. These patients are tired, can't sleep and often just don't feel well. They feel like they are at the end of their rope. They often use the saying “Something's got to give.”

Many times, acupuncture can help. That feeling of being stuck can be tied to the patient's nervous system being on overdrive. In order to break the stress cycle that most of us are in, we need to rid ourselves of the powerless feeling of being stuck. Acupuncturists have needles to unstick people that are stuck. It may sound silly, but it is true.

Acupuncturists work with energy pathways called meridians. We use a set of diagnostic criteria to determine where energy is blocked in a person's meridian system. Once we figure out where the blockages are, we use needles along with other modalities to unblock this energy, known as Qi. To visualize this, think of a garden hose with a kink in it. We can't have energy if our Qi isn't flowing, just like water can't flow through a kinked hose.

Often people aren't considered sick in the eyes of Western medicine. Yet, if you ask them, they certainly don't feel well. An absence of sickness may not mean a person is healthy. Acupuncture can help make life more enjoyable and help patients to regain the energy to make positive, healthy lifestyle changes.

Some of the reported side effects of acupuncture are improved sleep, better digestion and a general sense of wellbeing. If you are willing to take these risks, it may be worth giving acupuncture a try.