Ask the Acupuncturist

I find the most common question asked to me is, “Can acupuncture help (fill in the blank)?” I imagine any acupuncturist would tell you the same. Some people ask, “How does it work?” but most people want to know if it can help them with whatever they are struggling with. My answer is almost always, “Yes.”

I proceed by explaining that they are asking about a system of medical care, not just a tool of treatment, but a system of understanding how the body functions, that has been time-tested for thousands of years by a large portion of the world’s population. In that time, we have treated most of the illnesses that we face today or something like them. Because of this extended time of experience, there are thick medical texts dedicated solely to treating skin conditions or gynecological disorders or managing pain. We have books dedicated specifically to treating diabetes using Chinese Medicine or others dealing with arthritis. Some of these texts were written over two thousand years ago, and some were written this year. My point is, there has been a lot of recorded experience dealing with the dysfunction of the body using this form of medicine. With more experience in doing anything, we typically get more effective and successful. So when a patient comes to me with a specific complaint, I have access to a long history of treatment approaches, more recent scientific research, and my own clinical experience to guide me.

More than Needles

People often don’t realize that acupuncture is only one of the tools used in Chinese Medicine, an extensive model of medical care. It is said that there are five branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine. These include herbal medicine, massage, exercise, nutrition, and acupuncture. Herbal medicine has been a major part of medical care throughout human history. Actually, many of our modern pharmaceuticals come from the herbs that grow around us. A common example of this that many are aware of is the historical origin of aspirin coming from a component of willow bark, which was used historically for its effective anti-inflammatory properties. Chinese Medicine also looks at the nature of all the various foods and how they affect the nature of the body. So if someone has a “heat” type of condition, which may be an infection, an inflammatory condition, or maybe hot flashes, it would be advised to eat foods that have a cooling nature. I don’t want to oversimplify too much here, but I want to give you the general idea.

A Different Lens

So, when someone asks me if acupuncture can help them with their particular health concern, I’m thinking about more than just acupuncture but of the unique lens of Chinese Medicine and of all the various tools used for a long time to help regulate the body. I find that many Western medical professionals aren’t interested in looking through another lens or perspective on how the body works. When I finished my pre-medical degree and then pursued Chinese Medicine rather than Western Medicine, it was fascinating to me to set aside what we’ve learned in the last couple hundred years and listen to how we looked at the body and treated it before the microscope or compounding lab.

Remember that the answer is probably “yes” to your question, “Can acupuncture help my condition?” That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask about the acupuncturist’s particular experience, because sometimes I’ve found that it’s unfortunately not helpful. We acupuncturists are often the last medical resort for people, so it can be very discouraging when we aren’t seeing any benefit after several visits. For some conditions, I find herbs are more important than the needles and sometimes dietary changes have the most significant impact. Many acupuncturists offer a short consultation at no charge to learn more about what’s happening and to get a better sense of the treatment direction and expectations.

Please feel free to ask the acupuncturist.