Al Stone, L.Ac.
Beyond Well Being
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicines
Santa Monica, CA.
(310) 264-6668
Lorie Lee wrote:
Many times I felt a sharp shooting pain inside my flesh as the needle is
going in. The pain is not where the needle is but it is from a straight
line starting from the needle.
There are two possibilities here. The first is that this is perfectly appropriate. We call this Qi propagation sensation, it is what you're supposed to feel.
The other possibility is that your acupuncturists is skewering a nerve, but I kind of doubt it. The feeling of hitting a nerve tends to be very strongly electrical, and doesn't go away when the acupuncturist stops moving the needle.
When this happen, my doctor is pulling the needle out slightly until the pain is tolerable. She shows no concern but
is not able to explain what is happening (due to language barrier).
Yeah, its no big deal. Acupuncturists trained in certain countries such as Korea and China believe that this pain is an important part of the treatment and without it the needles have no effect.
Practitioners trained elsewhere challenge that belief. But its okay that the needle induces some sensation, just as long as it goes away a few seconds later. If not, be sure and tell your acupuncturist that it hurts. If they don't seem to care, you might consider another acupuncturist who can better serve your needs. Or else, just stay the course if you believe that it is to your advantage. Sorry that there are no definitive answers here.
It should also be noted that it is common for a needle to sting a little bit, and I do mean a little, when it is inserted. This only happens maybe thirty percent of the time and it is generally not a big deal. There is a web or network of nerves that travel just beneath the surface of the skin. These nerves carry sensory signals from the skin to the brain. These are the nerves that are associated with the sensation of touch and heat and so on. A needle can easily be inserted between these nerves on the back where they are less numerous. On the face, it is a little bit more difficult to avoid them. To be honest, we really can't know where they are when we insert the needle, but if the initial insertion gives rise to a stinging sensation, we can reinsert the needle one millimeter away and we'll miss the nerve entirely. So, a stinging sensation upon needle insertion isn't a big deal. As usual, if it hurts, tell your acupuncturist. We're here to remove pain, not create it.
Dr. Mark Twain wrote:
What do you think about the no gain without pain approach by using a thicker needle as opposed
to a
thinner needle...Do you believe in this? Can one achieve the same or better
results by using the thinnest of needles? Expensive needles...Japanese
vs. Chinese...are they worth the price?
Needles? That's a personal choice for you to make, not me. I use some cost effective needles in general, Chinese in origin. For my sensitive patients, I use some really thin Japanese needles. They are more gentle.
The Chinese practitioners say that without a radiating needling sensation (pain, as you say) the needle is not doing its job. The Japanese schools say "not so."
I've had patients who are very very sensitive to the sensation of the needle insertions. I stopped going in deeply and looking for the "Qi Sensation" which is that dull pain you feel when you hit the point with the needle.
On these very sensitive patients I began to insert the needle as far as the guide tube would allow during that first tap in, and that's it. The patients got better. I didn't even tell them what I was treating sometimes. The next time I saw them, they'd give me the answer that I wanted to hear. This specific symptom had gotten better, or that one had... So I knew that the superficial insertion was working.
I also thought that their sensitivity was in part due to their fear of needles or their desire to control the insertion. I decided to test my theory. After a while, these sensitive patients aren't thinking about the needle insertions anymore because they trust me and are busy talking about their lives or whatever, during the actual insertions. Occasionally, I'll throw a needle in deeper than the guide tube depth, and sure enough, the patient goes through the ceiling. They really are sensitive, it isn't their fear, its their body.
"No Pain No Gain?" I don't think so. Those who crave that sensation tend to have a little more meat on their bones. Those who don't do well with a great deal of sensation are those patients who are deficient in constitution, especially those who are on the thin side, or emotionally sensitive for whatever reason.
I believe in empowering the patient. I never make the patient go through anything that they don't agree to in the moment. If they say "no" or "stop" that's exactly what I do. There are practitioners who don't. They believe that the pain is good for you. They are right in needling with intent, but they are wrong in not listening to the patient's request that it stop. This is to a certain extent a cultural issue and I recognize my Americentric persepctives here.
Of course, the patient doesn't have to return to that practitioner. If the patient doesn't like that feeling and the practitioner is really focused on that being the only way to induce a healing response, then they'll need to have a little talk about who's in charge. Like I say, its the patient's body and so the patient gets final say on what I do to that body. Besides, when they have the power to control the amount of sensation in the needles, they can take far more needles and far more sensation.
Unclear or deficient personal boundaries are something that can be the cause of a great number of pathologies. For a practitioner not to honor those boundaries is in my mind, breaking one of the ten commandments of any health care provider. "Do No Harm".
We MUST listen to our patients. We must empower them. That is tonification of the Earth element, boundaries. Patients who see that white lab coat and think somehow that the person wearing it knows more about their body than they do run the risk getting unnecessary surgeries, getting addicted to harmful drugs or even making bad decisions regarding acupuncture or herbal therapies.
Practitioners of Oriental medicine are as human as any Western doctor you can see. Patients must trust their own feelings first, then seek out the opinions of their doctors. If what your doctor (Western, Chinese, Martian, doesn't matter) is suggesting or explaining makes you uncomfortable, then get a second opinion. Try a doctor of Chinese medicine, or homeopathy, or a witch doctor, whatever. Your internal sense is the most sensitive and intelligent health care practitioner you have. Use it.
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Al Stone, L.Ac. |