Another Perspective on the Inside-Out Healing Process
By Patricia Mackey
Every day, acupuncture becomes more prominent in Western methods and modalities of healing in medicine and related fields of healthcare. More than likely, you have experienced or heard of acupuncture; perhaps because of a personal challenge that pushed you to seek treatment for the relief of pain or discomfort.
Maybe you are in the larger group who is looking to try this ancient healing treatment and you are seeking confirmation that you should book an appointment. If so, there are several points to consider if you want to get the most from your acupuncture healing experience. I have no initials behind my name; so the suggestions below come from my own experience alone. I started thinking about them several weeks ago as my thoughts turned toward wrapping up a months-long series of treatments for low energy, chronic shoulder pain and an overall feeling of imbalance and the blahs.
My current acupuncturist is Jill Kismet. Her solid knowledge and easy-going approach to practice make her a first class practitioner. I first met her at the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture after calling there to ask for an appointment with one of the best students in the senior class. I got Jill. The selection made a perfect match. That was close to five years ago. When she opened her practice she generously volunteered a special discount for me for being the first client to book an appointment.
The discount made it nice, but it was far from the only reason I followed Jill into professional practice. Jill Kismet, PhD melds her superior scientific education and experience, top-flight acupuncture training and a caring, pleasant personality into one of the best practitioners I have known. Prior to my experience with her, periodically, I was treated by about six different practitioners. When I met Jill I, therefore, had a solid idea of what person or approach would work best for me. I offer these backstory details to help you weigh the following seven suggestions I list as considerations in the execution of your own plan to be healed by including acupuncture in your healthcare regimen.
1) Make sure the acupuncturist is the right match for you. The practitioner and the person, the needles, the knowledge and approach of the practitioner, the trust and understanding of the person being treated, as well as the unknown element in acupuncture come together to create a command that directs the body to heal itself.
2) Your problem may be solved in as few as one to three treatments, but listen to your body and see if it suggests a longer term of treatment or a more intense number of treatments in the same period of time.
3) Acupuncture, in my experience, does not heal in a vacuum. Treatments must be accompanied by lifestyle changes, too, to be truly effective.
4) In long-term treatment, a pause in the timing or number of treatments gives the body a much needed break. For the body healing is hard work. It takes a lot to undo significant trauma or years of neglect and stressful living.
5) Keep your acupuncturist informed about what you have added or deleted from your life as it relates to your treatment program and how you feel. What positive or negative reactions did your body make to actions you added to or deleted from your life?
6) Related treatments can be helpful to your healing process—massage and reflexology therapy, chiropractic treatments and energy therapies such as reiki. Acupuncture and other modalities seek to help the body restore itself. Only you can determine what combination of treatments works best for you.
7) And finally, no matter what combination you choose, exercise is a must-add component to any effort to heal. Remember, the appropriate circulation of blood and other body fluids avoids energy stagnation as it removes waste and brings healing nourishment to every cell in your body.
Thank you for taking the time to acquaint yourself with this perspective on acupuncture. I wanted to share my thoughts because I know we can all feel better. We just have to listen to our body and then find the routes to healing and better health that work best for each of us.
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By Patricia Mackey
Every day, acupuncture becomes more prominent in Western methods and modalities of healing in medicine and related fields of healthcare. More than likely, you have experienced or heard of acupuncture; perhaps because of a personal challenge that pushed you to seek treatment for the relief of pain or discomfort.
Maybe you are in the larger group who is looking to try this ancient healing treatment and you are seeking confirmation that you should book an appointment. If so, there are several points to consider if you want to get the most from your acupuncture healing experience. I have no initials behind my name; so the suggestions below come from my own experience alone. I started thinking about them several weeks ago as my thoughts turned toward wrapping up a months-long series of treatments for low energy, chronic shoulder pain and an overall feeling of imbalance and the blahs.
My current acupuncturist is Jill Kismet. Her solid knowledge and easy-going approach to practice make her a first class practitioner. I first met her at the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture after calling there to ask for an appointment with one of the best students in the senior class. I got Jill. The selection made a perfect match. That was close to five years ago. When she opened her practice she generously volunteered a special discount for me for being the first client to book an appointment.
The discount made it nice, but it was far from the only reason I followed Jill into professional practice. Jill Kismet, PhD melds her superior scientific education and experience, top-flight acupuncture training and a caring, pleasant personality into one of the best practitioners I have known. Prior to my experience with her, periodically, I was treated by about six different practitioners. When I met Jill I, therefore, had a solid idea of what person or approach would work best for me. I offer these backstory details to help you weigh the following seven suggestions I list as considerations in the execution of your own plan to be healed by including acupuncture in your healthcare regimen.
1) Make sure the acupuncturist is the right match for you. The practitioner and the person, the needles, the knowledge and approach of the practitioner, the trust and understanding of the person being treated, as well as the unknown element in acupuncture come together to create a command that directs the body to heal itself.
2) Your problem may be solved in as few as one to three treatments, but listen to your body and see if it suggests a longer term of treatment or a more intense number of treatments in the same period of time.
3) Acupuncture, in my experience, does not heal in a vacuum. Treatments must be accompanied by lifestyle changes, too, to be truly effective.
4) In long-term treatment, a pause in the timing or number of treatments gives the body a much needed break. For the body healing is hard work. It takes a lot to undo significant trauma or years of neglect and stressful living.
5) Keep your acupuncturist informed about what you have added or deleted from your life as it relates to your treatment program and how you feel. What positive or negative reactions did your body make to actions you added to or deleted from your life?
6) Related treatments can be helpful to your healing process—massage and reflexology therapy, chiropractic treatments and energy therapies such as reiki. Acupuncture and other modalities seek to help the body restore itself. Only you can determine what combination of treatments works best for you.
7) And finally, no matter what combination you choose, exercise is a must-add component to any effort to heal. Remember, the appropriate circulation of blood and other body fluids avoids energy stagnation as it removes waste and brings healing nourishment to every cell in your body.
Thank you for taking the time to acquaint yourself with this perspective on acupuncture. I wanted to share my thoughts because I know we can all feel better. We just have to listen to our body and then find the routes to healing and better health that work best for each of us.
### ### ###