For some time now I have wanted to write about my experiences with acupuncture and today is the day!Yesterday afternoon I had an incredible treatment with my acupuncturist Sally Kean–Hammerson (http://www.sallykean-hammerson.co.uk/) and I couldn’t put it off any longer.
I know I am on the “holisitic/spirititual” side of the spectrum and some people don’t adhere to alternative therapies; in fact that there are members of my family who will refer to anything alternative as “voodoo” (!!) But for me it works and I have seen results, so with that in mind I wanted to share.
I went to Sally because about 4 years ago I ended up being incredibly ill and bed ridden for about two weeks. I was admitted to hospital, had every test under the sun and saw a variety of consultants. The good news was that none of the tests showed anything untoward. The bad news was that I didn’t know what was wrong. I was weak, couldn’t eat, and couldn’t sleep due to incredible pain.
Whilst the cocktails of prescribed medication dulled the pain and in time I was back on my feet - it took about 6-8 weeks to regain full strength - I didn’t have a diagnosis. One by-product of being ill though was that my already sensitive stomach was even more so and I wanted to find a way to balance myself out.
As you can imagine there is a lot of information on Sally’s website and the internet but here’s an overview. Acupuncture is carried out by inserting fine needles into the skin at specific points in the body. These points are located along channels or meridians where our life energy, Qi, flows.
To be healthy our Qi must flow freely - if it becomes blocked, or deficient, we may start to feel unwell. Points are chosen for each individual person in order to maintain the smooth flow of Qi and the whole person is treated; body, mind and spirit, the main aim being to restore a person’s equilibrium.
Above all, when you first meet Sally you will see that she knows her stuff and is incredibly thorough. In addition to this she is thoughtful, caring and really wants to help.
I ramble, she listens, and then she inserts several needles everywhere - legs, arms, stomach, head and then I tune out for about 30/40 minutes. She doesn’t let me chat…which is incredibly hard for me. But yesterday I seemed to be able to meditate during the treatment, which was an added bonus.
Every time the treatment is over and I open my eyes, it is like someone has turned up the brightness in my head. Everything is sharper and more vivid. This is not my imagination – many people I know who have acupuncture say the same thing.
And the beauty of acupuncture for me is there is an instant effect married with a deeper, long lasting one.
I’m not saying go out and have acupuncture, you may not need it. But if like me you have minor health issues that need tweaking and balancing and you don’t want to pop pills or brush your ailments under the carpet in the hope they go away then acupuncture might be worth looking at.
Sally is the only acupuncturist I know and in my opinion she is excellent – so check her out.