Today I am going back to my new acupuncturist. I went two weeks ago, and have been feeling a lot better lately. Even my husband has commented on how different I have been (in a good way).
Many people like to write about how acupuncture hasn’t been “proven” or how it doesn’t really work.
Some of the first recorded records of acupuncture date back from 200 B.C.E. Have people in the East really been fooling themselves for this long? You would think that after nearly 2,000 years someone would have figured it out if it didn’t work.
At this point in my life, I really don’t care about whether or not something has been “proven.” I just went through a very intensive, scientific, research-based graduate program, and I can tell you something: a lot of “science” is bunk. You can read tons of articles and studies that say one thing, and tons on the exact different side of the story. When you really delve deep into the studies and look at the way they were set up, you open a whole new can of worms. And don’t even get me started on interpretation!
No, I’ll take my science with a grain of salt. I’ve come to realize that life is meant to be experienced. Don’t worry about what other people say about whether or not something will or will not work. Try it and see if it works for you. If it makes you feel better, does it really matter if someone says it doesn’t work? Not in my book. I love my acupuncture, I love the herbs she’s been giving me, and I love how much better I feel.
If you want to call that the “placebo effect” that’s fine, too. There are many medications and drugs on the market that people take religiously that have no greater effect than what one would expect to find with a placebo. Changes in diet and exercise actually work better than many medications, too.
Sometimes it’s not important to understand why something works; just reap the benefits from the fact that it does work. This is how I think of electricity. I’m not going to stop turning on my lights just because I don’t understand circuits and such.
What is something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t because people told you it didn’t work or that there was something negative about it? Really, nothing is stopping you but you. Do something bold and different this week – even if it’s just wearing an outrageous outfit. Be you. I’d love to hear about it.
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10 responses to “Acupuncture”
You are not alone….
you can read more about it here….
http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress/http:/www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress/does-acupuncture-work-does-our-brain-care/
Thanks, Roy. Interesting article. Tweeted.
Being a complimentary healthcare practitioner i frequently found that objections, especially from doctors–“not proven.” Well, Some years back a major university (I am thinking Duke but not sure) did a study showing that only 15% of what doctors do is “proven.” OF course when you now quantum physics you also know it is impossible to perform an experiment without impacting the outcome. I could go on and on with this topic. I will stop here. anyone wanting more info–contact me.
For me, I will take results over studies any day of the week.
Results over studies – I’m with you, Ali! 🙂
I’m kind of surprised to hear it’s only 15% of things that have been “proven.” Or at least I’m surprised that there’s actually such a low number attached and people swear by those things.
I had a friend ask me not very long ago what I would do if I got cancer (she’s a little worried about the birth control/cancer link at the moment). I told her I would go on a Green Smoothie Fast for 3 months and then Raw Food for another year or so – that will pretty much knock any cancer out. She looked at me like I was nuts. I wish I could remember the name of the place that puts people on Raw Food diets for their health problems. Well, I’m sure there are several now. The last time I looked into it, they had a 96 or 97% success rate. Not even chemo can claim that.
I went to an Acupuncturist for a knee injury. It was a slow healing process though I felt that it helped.
I have a family member who is a doctor of Chinese Medicine and he swears by it!
Marian, you’re lucky to have someone in the family who gets it. 🙂
Good post because it is from a different perspective.
My experience is…it did wonders for my back! I literally walked in hunched over and after the session walked out fully erect. Amazing. I also find it a good stress reliever.
However, when it comes to my migraines, sadly it did not have the same effects.
‘My-unscientific-conclusion’, if it works for one area, YAY! If it doesn’t work for an affected area then try something else 🙂
Glad it worked for your back, Elise. Chiropractor treatment seems to help my specific back injuries more, but the acupuncture helps some of my upper-back/shoulder pain. I like to do them both on the same day sometimes, especially because they also both give me little massages. Heaven!
Love this post. I am arguing with my insurance company right now about this very topic. My adjuster , in his opinion, doesn’t feel some things work..regardless of how my health has improved. Crazy right? I suppose I was lucky to have an amazing family doctor who taught me exactly what you are saying here — do what works! I wonder how much holistic treatment is lost because ‘science only’ trained doctors just don’t understand it?
Very happy to see this topic brought out into the open! Great job.
Good luck, Bonnie. I am SO OVER insurance. Mine doesn’t pay for anything that actually works for me. They’d rather pay for unnecessary tests and to drug me up. No, thanks. Pretty much all of my medical expenses are out of pocket. My husband is always excited about the insurance he gets from his work, but I could really care less. We would save a lot of money by not paying the monthly fees and using that to pay for what I actually use. His insurance would only be good if something bad happened to one of us, and since I don’t care for that way of thinking, I’d rather not have insurance at all. Of course, he will never go for that! 🙂