Acupuncture 101

I asked my acupuncturist today to explain in basic terms what she doing with me. She said that the needles are creating micro-trauma that forces the body to heal itself, which increase circulation. That explains the large number of needles in my feet but she also stuck a needle in each hand and a few in my scalp. In any case, that sounds almost scientific. What happened to balancing the yin and yang, and releasing the blocked qi in your body? I also read that a lot of acupuncturists either heat the needles or connect electric current to the needles to stimulate the acupuncture points. My acupuncturist just sticks the needles in and leaves the room for 25 minutes. If the goal is to create micro-trauma, does it matter where you stick the needles?

Oh well. She’s the one with the PhD in Oriental Medicine. I don’t think I feel any difference but it’s only been three sessions so far. Actually, I think the neuropathy was worse this weekend and today. Hopefully it’s just random day-to-day variations. My fear is that acupuncture doesn’t end up helping but makes the numbness worse.