5 posts tagged “acupuncture”
although the effects sure look like one, huh? Redzilla and Gamany were right in their assumptions. What you see in the picture below is the after-effect of my acupuncture session last night. I've been having neck and upper back pain, so Sheryl at Union Square Acupuncture oiled me up and took a Chinese soup spoon to my back and neck. The effects look painful but looks are deceiving. The scraping and rubbing is very uncomfortable but I afterward I only feel a slight tenderness and bruising feeling, but more importantly, my neck and back pain has been completely reduced. The effects are pretty immediate, both internally and externally.
There is a good article here that explains gwa sha (sometimes written gua sha):
‘Sha’ is a condition in which the waste products of cellular metabolism (the burning of glucose in the cells for energy) become trapped in the muscle fibers, often as the result of major trauma such as whiplash but sometimes from accumulated smaller traumas from daily wear and tear and exercise. The Chinese medical diagnosis is ‘stagnation of blood and chi in the meridians,’ meaning that there is obstruction of the energy and fluids in the affected area. The result is stiffness, soreness and pain. Usually, treatment for this condition consists of medications including painkillers, muscle relaxers and possibly anti-depressants, plus massages, chiropractic, physical therapy and so on. [snip]
‘Gwa Sha’ is perhaps the most dramatic treatment I have ever used for the relief of neck and shoulder stiffness and pain. It is remarkably simple yet effective. The skin is coated with a liniment, and then briskly rubbed with a hard object such as a coin or ceramic soupspoon, resulting in a red rash. It is understood that the pressure and stroking motion dislodge the encapsulated waste products and draw them to the skin surface where they may be eliminated from the body altogether. ‘Sha’ is a Chinese word for sand, describing the rough texture of the rash as it appears in some cases.
The benefits of ‘Gwa Sha’ treatment are first that it produces immediate results most of the time. The appearance of the rash itself confirms the correct diagnosis of the ‘Sha’ condition in the muscle tissue, and usually provides significant immediate pain relief. Patients will generally report a 50-90% reduction of pain and stiffness immediately upon conclusion of the treatment, although occasionally the discomfort may increase somewhat on the day following treatment, and then reduce significantly the following day.
The wikipedia article gives a bit more history.
It does look awful though, huh? I skipped the gym today because I didn't want anyone asking me if I've been beaten, instead opting for a lunchtime walk. The redness should go away in a few days. I'll take the redness if the pain is gone. It's sort of amazing what that little soup spoon can do!
I loved the guesses!
Here's the next project 365 installment:
Downtown Boston
The view as I drive into work every day...
The little acupuncture statue with all the points in my acupuncturist's office:
The emergency water wheel in the fire escape stairwell at work...
I've admired this funky clock above my acupuncturist's mantle since I've been there. Snapped a quick picture before I left today. I realize it's a bit fuzzy but well, I felt pretty relaxed when I finally took this picture.
Day 005 Project 365
~ my arms and shoulders don't bother me as much from too much computer use.
~ I sleep at night without waking up because of allergies or postnasal drip.
~ my lungs are stronger when it's cold out (I have cold-induced asthma...extreme temperature shifts send my lungs into shock and I cough until I see stars).
~ I'm no longer taking the Allegra, Flonese, Sudafed cocktail that my doctor prescribed.
Pretty damn awesome, IMHO.
Or at least that's what the acupuncturist did last night!
It was an interesting session. First we talked for about 40 minutes about all my "issues" which I didn't realize were so numerous until I started spitting them out. Essentially they fell into the lines of metabolism/digestive and my asthma
The treatment was Japanese acupuncture which is apparently more gentle (the needles go in a few mm rather than 3 inches!) and also a bit more hands-on in. She placed only five needles in...one in each foot, each arm and my forehead then left me to relax for 15 minutes. My feet, especially my left one, were immediately effected. They felt very heavy and relaxed. I didn't want to move them, not to even flex a toe. The needles didn't hurt at all, going in or as they were in my body. Then the flip-over onto my stomach so she could work on my back. Again, 4-5 needles, but placed along particular points in my spine. This is where the fire came into play.
Basically there is a particular kind of chinese plant fiber that is rolled into little balls or threads and either placed on the head of the needle or directly on the back and then lit on fire. The mossy like stuff doesn't flame but instead smokes and creates heat. It was overall very soothing, with heat that radiated out from my back. The threads on fire on my back were like tiny pin-pricks but not uncomfortable. The smoke odor was vaguely like pot though, which was funny.
To finish, she gave me little Acubeads...stickers with little metal balls that attach to the ear on various pressure points. I'm supposed to rub and stimulate them a few times a day. There is 5 in one ear and 6 in the other. I leave them on for a few days and then take them off.
I go back to see her at the end of next week to determine the next steps. First she wants to see how my body reacts to the accupuncture over the first couple sessions then she may add some chinese herbs or teas to the equation. I'm not sure how the weight loss/digestive stuff will play out between now and then but I can tell you this--my nose, which was broken in my bad car accident last year, has been giving me bad post-nasal drip over the last few weeks (I always have some form of it now, but lately it has been severe). So bad that I wake up coughing and choking. Last night I didn't take any drugs and I didn't have a single drip or a coughing fit. We're talking the first fully drug free, drip free (but I only take meds when it's particularly bad) night that I have had since I had my car accident. So THAT alone makes it all worth if it that keeps up!!
I'll keep you posted!
Over the last year I have become extremely frustrated with my extraordinarily slow metabolism. I eat healthy, exercise for 45-60 min 4-5x a week (varying weights and cardio) but it doesn't seem to really put a dent into my weight loss efforts--and over the last year it has become worse. I have checked with my regular doctor and my cholesterol is excellent, my blood pressure is good, there isn't anything wrong with my liver or thyroid. So no clue what the issue may be. My doctor says that sometimes our bodies get to a certain weight and that's just where they want to be. I can't buy that--I don't think I am at the best weight for me to be healthy as I age. I don't know why I can't lose at a normal rate or why when I get to a certain point it all just stops. I just know that it really really sucks.
So Paulette suggested that I hook up with her friend who is an acupuncturist and tonight I'm going to go for my initial evaluation and treatment. I've looked into it a bit and it seems that for weight loss, a lot of the needle poking occurs in the ear, which is fine. Needles don't bother me all that much, thankfully. In combination with the poking will probably be some Chinese herbs prescribed as well. So we'll see how it all works out. It would be really nice if some hindering Qi is miraculously unblocked by all the little stainless steel needles. At the very least, maybe I'll believe that it has, right? The mind is pretty amazing that way--it's able to trick itself into believing a particular reality. And if my reality is that acupuncture helps my body with its energy flow and my efforts become more evident, hell, I'll take it.
