What Is Acupuncture?

Waiting until one is ill to see a doctor is like waiting until you are thirsty to dig a well is an ancient Chinese idiom still true today.

Focusing on prevention of disease is as large a part of Chinese Medicine as treating any specific illness.

In fact, in China, doctors get paid only as long as their patients remain healthy!

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology have been helping to maintain some of the most athletic bodies in the world for thousands of years! 

Acupuncture aligns the body’s innate energy known as qi.  As our qi is brought into balance and maintained through regular acupuncture treatments, our internal organs function better. Energy and immune systems are strengthened and our minds are relaxed, which brings increased mental capacity and emotional stability. Often, new clients call and ask what to expect during an acupuncture treatment.  And, of course, the most commonly asked question is “Does it hurt?”

The first treatment is often the longest as we have to spend a few minutes on paperwork and a fairly extensive intake, all done in the privacy of a treatment room between the client and I. Every aspect of treatment at The Neeley Center carries the same level of confidentiality as in any medical environment.

Next, I explain to the client how acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, and Pharmaceutical Grade nutritional products can benefit them.  And rather than saying things like “You MUST take this or that supplement.” I give supportive literature for the client to take home, read and research it on their own, and let me know if the products resonate with them.  There is NEVER any pressure to buy anything and we refuse to “up sell” our clients.  And, if during the intake, I recognize the need to refer the client to my wife for RET or counseling, or use the detoxifying footbaths, or chiropractic, or western medicine, or massage therapy, or whatever, we talk about it right then.

Next, if the client is wearing tight clothing, I step out of the room while they change into one of our kimonos.  If they are wearing loose clothing, there is often no need to change.  In either case, the client is covered during treatment exposing only the body parts necessary for treatment.  The client then lies on a soft massage table with pillows while relaxing music begins in the background as I go wash my hands.  We use the same aseptic techniques and universal precautions as western medicine.  All needles are sterile, single-use, and disposable.

Now, to answer the “Does it hurt?” question, NO! The client doesn’t even feel many of the needles, and the worst sensation is like pulling a hair out of the skin.  Acupuncture DOES NOT have to be painful to be effective.  And it usually takes 3-4 minutes to get all needles inserted, and then it’s time to relax, balance, and heal.  Usually the treatments last 20-30 minutes, but the way we schedule the rooms, we are almost always able to accommodate more time should the client request it.  The treatments are very relaxing and often the client asks for “just a few more minutes.”  So we try to accommodate them in this way.

Now that we have been through the first treatment, what are follow-up visits like? On follow-up treatments, we usually don’t have to go into the lengthy intake as on the first visit.  We talk about how the client felt after the last treatment, discuss any new concerns, talk about the literature I gave them concerning supplements on their first visit, etc.  Usually, follow-up visits can be done in 45 minutes or less.  This allows the client to drop by on their lunch hour or if they are in any sort of hurry.  Otherwise, the treatment itself is very much like the first.

And it really DOESN’T hurt!!!