Do you have pain that just won’t go away? Pain that affects your sleeping hours as well as your waking ones? Chronic headaches? Lower back pain? Muscle injuries that just won’t heal? If not, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. For the rest of you—I’m with you, I get it, and I want to make a suggestion.
Broadly speaking, I want you to start living with your heart and mind open to possibilities—possibilities for healing that you might not believe in or understand at the moment. Possibilities that even Western medicine and science can’t explain. When the drugs aren’t working and the medical treatments seem ineffective, open your mind, open your heart, and head down the path to alternative healing methods. Not everything in the world is yet understood. Just because it’s not understood doesn’t mean that it’s not real. Open your heart and mind, and you just might find yourself a miracle.
Acupuncture
I had no intention to blog about this topic today, but I am very excited about my experience this morning. I just walked into my house from my very first acupuncture treatment. Yes, acupuncture, with all of those needles everywhere—a total nightmare for someone like me, who is afraid of needles. I decided last week that I would overcome my fear of needles (or at least tolerate the fear) for the possibility of reduced pain. I am so DONE with my back hurting and my leg hurting.
Over the past 6 months, I’ve seen doctors. I’ve had an MRI, and an EMG. I’ve been treated with traction, electric stim, heat, ice, exercise, manual therapy, ultrasound and various rocktaping techniques. Have I improved? Yes, but I am still in pain, and I am sick of hurting.
So this morning, after taking a complete medical history and asking a number of questions about my life, I got onto the table, face down, and the acupuncturist got to work. I know that many people say that you don’t even feel the needles in acupuncture, 
but that wasn’t the case for me. The needles themselves are quite thin, but I found the insertion of each needle to be quite uncomfortable. I felt a strange muscle cramping sensation under each needle, and I had to quiet my mind and relax my body. Given that I am afraid of needles, I kept my eyes closed the entire time to avoid seeing anything reminiscent of Hellraiser. Interestingly enough, the needles are not just placed at the site of the pain. In fact, I had more needles in my ears and arms than I did in my leg or back.
After a few minutes, the feeling of the needles disappeared into nothingness, and I managed to relax enough to dose off. After the acupuncturist roused me from my little nap, she removed all of the needles, which was a painless procedure, and told me to flip over onto my back. I had so many reservations about doing this. For almost 5 years now, I have been unable to lie on my back for more than a few minutes. The pain in my sacroiliac joint is just too severe. In yoga class, I rest in savasana on my side. At night, I sleep on my side. In physical therapy, all exercises have been modified so that I am never supine for more than a minute or two. I explained my reservations to the acupuncturist, and she tried to make me as comfortable as possible, but clearly, she needed me flat on my back. I crossed my fingers and hoped I wouldn’t be too crippled at the end of the treatment. Again, I closed my eyes, dealt with the muscle cramping as each needle was inserted into my skin, and tried to relax. I think I might have dosed off again because I was startled when the acupuncturist told me that the treatment was over and that I could get dressed.
My Little Miracle
I will never forget the moment when I sat up. I had NO back pain. I mean NONE!!! What the heck? How is that even possible? I’ve been unable to lie on my back for 5 years without terrible pain, and after just 1 acupuncture session, I am able to lie on my back and get up without a trace of pain? Insane. My mind is blown. The acupuncturist explained something about increasing blood flow to the SI joint and unblocking meridians, but it was all “blah blah blah” to me. I was too busy being shocked. I have no idea how long the effects of this treatment will last or if it will ultimately help my hamstring, too, but I am now a believer, and I have already booked my next appointment.
Keep your mind and heart open, folks. You never know where it will lead you.
Yay, I hope the pain free feeling lasts for you. I am curious did you use a specific type of eastern medicine Dr/clinician? I have gone before and liked it, but I didn’t jive fully with my practitioner.
thanks!
I went with a recommendation from my physical therapist, so I was fortunate to already know that I was getting a great practitioner. The acupuncturist trained in China as well as in the U.S. and her mother is also an acupuncturist, so she has been immersed in all of this knowledge from a very young age. As with anything, I think you need to do your research, try a few people out and go with the best!
Thanks Masumi! Like this post!
I did acupuncture twice in a week for 3 months in 1997 and yes it did help (if not saying “cure”) my lower back pain. But honestly speaking I think this can’t stand alone. Before and after (not during) the treatment, I do morning swimming, and stretching before bed, now I also do beginner yoga.
I completely agree! Acupuncture compliments everything else that you are doing in your life to be healthy. I continue to go to physical therapy and exercise/stretch.
Wow! That’s pretty awesome that you had relief after the first treatment. My relief always came after two or three treatments. I’ve been thinking about going back for my knees which are absolutely killing me with arthritic pain. I’ve already resolved that my days of running are over, but I’d like to at least be able to walk up and down the stairs without being in severe pain!
I can’t wait to see how I feel after a few treatments. I hope you find some relief for your knees. Time to head back to the acupuncturist!
Hey,
I’m new to this blog, but I wanna share my experience with acupuncture.
I’m having asthma since I was a kid and all my life I get used to the medicines in order to avoid asthma attacks, since I made acupuncture I was able to reduce the medicines like crazy, something that I had no clue what was to live like that!
The problem was I moved abroad I stopped my acupuncture sessions and the asthma is getting worse…
So I think is something that you have to do forever, not each week but for sure you need to see your doctor with in a regularly base.
It’s awesome and I really need to find a doctor where I’m living now.
BTW, it hurts, sorry to say, but sometimes when the reach the correct point, it hurts!!!!
Keep on going
I am a HUGE believer in acupuncture! I discovered it this past summer and it truly changed my life (in addition to discovering yoga). It is pretty remarkable how quickly you can feel results. My acupuncturist also does cupping, which I believe is heaven on earth. Thanks for the great article – I tell everyone I can about the powers of acupuncture!
Hi there,
I just wanted to say thank you or sharing about your pain. I have been living with chronic pain for 10 years after a fall and what started in my lower back and neck has gradually crept into my shoulders and more recently my arms and legs so it’s pretty much all over. My pain makes it hard to exercise as I start to hurt quickly and am put off by the fact that other people seem to be able to do everything I struggle with effortlessly. I have tried to get into Yoga and found it helpful but I struggle with motivation to get on the mat because I am so tired an everything in my body feels like it is resisting. After years of paying out for acupuncture, physio, sports massage, chiropractic, osteopathy and massage and feeling like there was something wrong because I was not recovering, I was finally diagnosed with fybromyalgia late last year. I agreed to try some meds because I am studying f/t and that has a huge impact on my pain, making it unbearable because I cannot avoid sitting for hours at a time bent over a desk or computer. The medication is holding the pain at bay somewhat but giving me massive side effects and I am just trying to remain hopeful that one day I will have the time and space to overcome all of this and get back into a good relationship with my body. All the bendy, healthy Yogis I follow on instagram are a real inspiration but presumably they are not living with what I am living with and I need to see positive role models that are achieving all that despite the kind of barriers I am facing. I don’t obviously know much about you but thank you for sharing that you are struggling with something too. It inspires me to believe that something more is possible for me when I am ready and able to try Yoga again.
Best wishes,
x
So glad you tried acupuncture. It’s amazing how well it works. I have chronic pain in my back and have now since 2008 and between acupuncture and massage every other week I only have to take pain medication to go to sleep at night. That is a huge change from what I used to be on but I understand the frustration if trying everything with little results. I’m only 31 so it’s up to me to find something that allows me to be functional and I am so thankful for complimentary and alternative medicine for that. As a nurse it’s a shame that our health system doesn’t rest in these treatments more.
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I have chronic lower back pain and combine physical therapy with acupuncture treatments. It’s helped a little but what really makes me feel better is alignment-based yoga. The studio isn’t officially Iyengar but similar. We use props and straps tied to walls. It’s out there but I swear I felt taller after one class and my pain was gone for almost a week. I’ve been able to get into poses I wasn’t able to do with regular yoga due to discomfort. I’m going on my third week and if I can remember all the poses and do them at home, I may just stop doing everything else.
Amazing news! I hope you continue to feel well and continue on with your yoga.
Hi Masumi, I heard in your interview that you have an autoimmune disease which lead to your yoga practice. I have suffered from psoriatic arthritis since 2001 and the only thing that has help me for chronic pain and inflammation is taking enbril injection two times a week. As long as I take my meds consistently I’m usually pain free except for when I have flare ups. I also have psoriasis which is rare to have both, but have found no meds/creams for that that help. I have been doing yoga, aerial yoga, and pole fitness for the past 4 years and that has help me a lot with my strength and flexibility since arthritis usually stiffens the joints. Any information about diet, treatments, or exercises would be helpful so that I can continue to practice and live well.
The main thing that has helped me control my flare-ups is my diet. A macrobiotic diet is what I credit for healing me from terrible pain. If you are interested in learning more, please check out the Kushi Institute website. That is where I went to learn.