Acupuncture Therapy
Increases the Flow of Chi

I just recently tried acupuncture therapy for the first time and I'm hooked. I tried it for pain relief and the results were amazing to me. I was experiencing severe sciatica to the extent that I was unable to walk without limping. The pain was beginning to keep me awake at night. I also had what I thought was an arthritic thumb on the same side of my body. Amazingly, all that pain, even my thumb, was relieved by just a few sessions of acupuncture.

Get the Chi Flowing

The acupuncture therapist who worked on me described it like this: I had very tightened muscles in certain spots and those knots caused a constriction of blood flow, thus causing pain and inflammation. Muscles in my hip joint were especially tense, constricting blood flow, or "chi" through various energy meridians in my leg. She would put a needle in my lower back and hip areas, and I could feel a soothing tingle go all the way down my let, almost like an electric current. Then I would lay there, face down on the cushioned table with the "face-hole," listening to calming music, and with 4 or 5 needles stuck in my body!

And it was one of the most healing, relaxing things I've ever done. I actually went into a pleasant trance state, all the while visualizing my meridians willingly opening and letting all the life force flow freely. I figured it would only help me have great results if I put the power of my positive thoughts behind the physical treatment. When the session was over, the acupuncturist said to stand up slowly. This was great advice to gently "come back to earth" and I truly felt a little like I was floating.

It took a few repeats of this acupuncture therapy to really conquer the pain, but I can honestly say that acupuncture liberated me from my sciatica. Specifically, at the first session I assessed my pain level to be at about an "8" or "9" on a scale of 1-10. It was constant, and bordering on unbearable unless I took ibuprofen for it. After the acupuncture treatment the pain was reduced to a "1" or "2" at the most. Over the next three weeks I had a few more sessions and by the 3rd treatment my pain had gone to a zero.

The Tennis Ball Technique

Also, I learned that I could do a little acupressure treatment of my own by taking a tennis ball and sitting on it in just the right spots, and slightly rolling around, putting pressure right where the tightness tends to occur (like at my hip-to-thigh joint). This was an effective way to self-heal when the pain occasionally started creeping back again. It looks a little funny, but it feels good. In fact, I would place the tennis ball around my shoulder blades and roll around against a wall to help massage and loosen up my back too. I highly recommend this simple "tennis ball acupressure" technique.

Based on my personal experience, I definitely recommend acupuncture for pain relief, but it is also said to be very effective for other things too, like weight management, quitting smoking, digestive problems, and more. If you are in the Eugene/Springfield are of Oregon, I highly recommend the acupuncture services of Lisa Glasser of lifewellbalanced.com. If not, then ask your friends if they can recommend someone

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Acupuncture is an excellent therapy for pain relief - it can also help relieve digestive problems and nausea.
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