Guest guest Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Different people respond differently to acupuncture. When I was in school I used to practice on my wife. She is still alive and we are still married, but it took 4 years before she would let me touch her with needles again. Learning is painful, and only by causing pain do we learn how to better avoid it. Needling technique can make a huge difference in how painful the treatments can be. That said, I still hurt some of my patients as some people are just very sensitive. Relaxing helps tremendously with pain perception. Close your eyes, focus on your breath and imagine being someplace peaceful and calm. I'll sometimes have my patients relax and guide them to a tranquil space in their minds before I start. Also, know that you don't have to be your boyfriends pin cushion (it is actually illegal in most states without licensed supervision, but most people do it anyway). He should have lots of opportunities to needle his fellow students and those poor souls who go to the student clinic to be needled for $25. I wish I could send all the patients I saw as a student a card apologizing for my crappy technique. But that is how I learned and I think they knew that. Best of luck! Christopher Vedeler L.Ac., C.Ht. Oasis Acupuncture http://www.oasisacupuncture.com 8233 N. Via Paseo del Norte Suite D-35 Scottsdale, AZ 85258 Phone: (480) 991-3650 Fax: (480) 247-4472 acupuncture [acupuncture ] On Behalf Of Oolooloo Thursday, June 23, 2005 2:01 PM acupuncture acupuncture a little pain Hi everyone, I have a slight problem. My boyfriend is studying acupuncture and this is his first semester actually inserting needles into people (no more bars of soap). I want to be there for him as far as practice goes, but for some reason I seem to experience a lot of pain with acupuncture, probably more than normal. Even when I went to a clinic, I did experience a lot pain. Is there some sort of relaxation thing I can do, or something you may tell your patients/family/friends to relax them, either before going or during the treatment? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 25, 2005 Report Share Posted June 25, 2005 You are probably not the best test subject for him and I'm sure you can find ways to support him without offering to be needled. That said, it has been my experience that sometimes patients who are very deficient are sensitive to needles. Also, Acupuncture students tend to be nervous and can therefore cause painful insertion. If your boyfriend and you both do some deep breathing before the treatment, this should help. If you breath from your diaphragm this relaxes the whole body. The easiest way to do this is to close your eyes and imagine that you can breath all the way down to the area behind your navel. Practice first by laying on your back with your knees bent and your hands on your abdomen palms down and middle fingers meeting at the navel and just touching each other. Your elbows will be bent comfortably at your sides. Inhale and notice your middle fingers naturally move away from each other as the abdomen rises. Exhale and notice the middle finger tips touch again. Have him breath in unison with you and then when you are both relaxed, he should insert the needles only when you exhale. In addition to the breathing, If he presses the nails of his index and middle fingers of his left hand gently but firmly into you skin about 1/4 inch (1 to 2 cm??) to either side of the needle about to be inserted by his right hand, this should diffuse the qi and make for painless insertion. Another option is to have you cough while he inserts the needle. Let me know how it goes, Jasmine Heinz, L.Ac <http://L.Ac>. On 6/23/05, Oolooloo <oolooloo wrote: > > Hi everyone, > > I have a slight problem. My boyfriend is studying acupuncture and > this is his first semester actually inserting needles into people (no > more bars of soap). I want to be there for him as far as practice > goes, but for some reason I seem to experience a lot of pain with > acupuncture, probably more than normal. Even when I went to a clinic, > I did experience a lot pain. Is there some sort of relaxation thing I > can do, or something you may tell your patients/family/friends to > relax them, either before going or during the treatment? > > cheers > > > > ------------------------------ > * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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