I get this question from time to time. Sometimes where I put the needles is pretty obvious. Sore back? Sure, I might put you face down and needle exactly in the area of complaint. But NOT ALWAYS. Maybe you have a painful knee, so I place a needle right where you tell me it hurts. But why sometimes the opposite knee? Can that help? Why the elbow? Can’t that be of help? The answer is YES. Here are 5 reasons why I “put that needle there”
- LOCAL: Sometimes I choose a local point, the place that has pain. When one or several needles are in a local area, they activate the body’s healing response. So if, for example, I put several points along the spine between the shoulder blades, your body will send endorphins, prostoglandins, anti-inflammatories, and the entire pharmacy of self-healing compounds made by your body will be SENT to that area. Your body will say – hey! Something’s happening over there! What’s happening are some micro injuries from the needles that your body thinks it needs to take care of, and it does. Acupuncture helps your body to make its own medicine.
- DISTAL: Like treats like in Oriental medicine. So if you think of the wrist as the neck of the hand, or the ankle as the neck of the leg, I may choose to needle points in that area to treat your neck pain.
- MICROSYSTEMS: There are areas of the body we call microsystems (kind of like the famous reflexology chart you’ve seen in massage rooms), and they are areas of the body that reflect the part in the whole, similar to a fractal pattern. While humans are not as fractal as broccoli, trees, or other observable patterns in nature, we do have a foundational geometry that can provide a gateway to healing. Ear acupuncture works on this principle and is all the more effective because of the ears proximity to the brain – that is also one reason ear / auricular acupuncture is used for addiction and psycho-emotional issues.
- EMPIRICAL: It works because it works and no one can explain why. One example is that point on the inside of your wrist that is famous for seasickness. Another favorite of mine is on the shin – and it works really well for shoulder pain.
- CHANNEL: Acupuncture uses pathways called channels, or meridians. There are 14 main channels, 12 correspond with organs and the other two are central. Needling a point at one end of the channel can influence structures on the other end of the channel. There are very effective points for hip pain, for example are on the lateral side of the foot. The point at the tippy top of the head for example is indicated for prolapses.
While this list does not exhaustively explain why I “put that needles there”, I want readers, existing patients, and prospective patients to have an idea that there are many ways to design and implement an effective treatment for patients at every level of flexibility, mobility. When you visit a new acupuncturist for an old problem, you might experience a different point formula. Acupuncture is a highly personalized, broad-spectrum medicine, one with many schools, many modalities. I encourage you to take the time to find a practitioner who is right for you.
Curious? Schedule a session today