One of the tools I keep in my health journey toolkit is acupuncture.
While I understand some people may not think that this is for them, I ask everyone to keep an open mind.
Growing up, I got strep throat a lot which meant an antibiotic shot in my behind. And for a kid in the age range of 4-7, that’s pretty traumatizing.
The nurse and my mom would have to hold me down just so the doctor could get a good angle for the shot. So of course I grew up with a fear of needles.
I’ve since grown out of that (mostly), but that still didn’t make me any less nervous about my first acupuncture appointment.
But after my first appointment, I felt so amazing that I decided I’d keep going.
You really don’t feel much past the first quick prick when the acupuncturist first inserts the needle. They’re basically the width of a human hair follicle – super tiny.
There’s a reason acupuncture has been around since 6,000 BCE. Yes – over 8,000 years!
Benefits include:
- Improved sleep
- Improved digestion
- Stress reduction
- Tension reduction
- Improved immune system function
- Mental clarity
- Lots of other things!
Since I started acupuncture at the end of the summer in 2016, I’ve noticed reduced migraine frequency (down from 2-3 to 1 a month) and migraine pain, improved sleep, reduced anxiety, and a whole bunch of other things.
I started going for thyroid and fertility issues. But as I delved deeper into my health journey, I realized those issues were caused by other issues (such as stress and digestive issues like SIBO). Later, I was diagnosed with “perioral dermatitis.”
So I worked with my acupuncturist to tailor each session to my new discoveries. She’s amazing and her name is Jaime Oshrin and she works at Infinity Acupuncture here in Wilmington, NC.
Functional medicine believes that poor digestion is key to most ailments in the body.
If you’re not digesting your food properly (or are eating a crappy diet), you’re not absorbing the nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.
Since every body is different (bioindividuality), people’s bodies begin to break down in different ways if they’re not able to digest properly. Some people may gain weight, some may develop neurological issues, some may develop heart disease, etc.
The theory goes that if you heal digestion, you will most likely heal or see vast improvements in your body’s ailments/ disease/ condition. This is especially true for autoimmune conditions.
Additionally, acupuncture moves you into a parasympathetic state. This state is very hard to achieve in modern society. It’s responsible for digestion, fertility, sleep, and slowing your heart and blood pressure down after a stressful event.
So if you’re constantly in the opposite state (sympathetic), your body won’t do any of the above!
Think about it this way – if your body always thinks you’re trying to outrun a tiger, then it won’t devote any energy to digesting, making babies, or sleeping. Which leads to massive health decline.
So back to acupuncture: I get to lay down for an hour during my busy week, smell diffusing essential oils, listen to relaxing spa-like music, and I come out feeling super relaxed and healthier? Sign me up!
Acupuncture is something I wasn’t familiar with so reading your step by step introduction to it was not only informative, it made the experience less mysterious to me. Good to know that your acupuncturist could tailor treatment to your needs.
I’m more inclined to try it at at some point if I had a health issue.
Glad you found it informative! Thanks for the feedback!