January 31, 2013

Needlin' Me


I tried acupuncture several years ago without success.  Recently, though, I received rave recommendations for a different acupuncturist and figured I'd give it another try.  I'm so glad I did!  Meet Dr. Qinghong Han.  She studied eastern and western medicine in China and taught there for five years before moving to the United States 17 years ago.  (She became an American citizen in 2008 and she always beams when she talks about that, which I love.)  Anyway, her treatments are incredibly relaxing.  During my first several visits, I fell asleep -- which is unheard of for me, since I rarely fall sleep anywhere except in bed, not even on the sofa.  So, what does Dr. Han do?  

Disclaimer:  If you have an aversion to needles, you probably shouldn't view the next photo.


She inserts about two dozen needles in my body, from the tips of my ears, to my neck, head, back, legs etc.  It doesn't hurt.  Really.  Then, I lay still and relax for about 20 minutes (that's where the napping comes in).  I feel absolutely noodlely after a treatment...so blissfully relaxed.  She's always very interested to hear how I'm feeling and what seems to be working.  (And, she's not too bad with a camera.)  You can learn more about acupuncture and Dr. Han on her website.

10 comments:

Kate said...

Happy it worked for you the second time around. Good idea NEVER to give up. I've not tried it but I might look for one in Charleston after we arrive...my back aches!

SFlaGuy said...

I'm always skeptical of such things but I have experienced acupuncture a few times an it worked well. My problems was always stress. My life has not changed much but my ability to ignore the bad parts has grown tremendously.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

As long as the needles aren't in me I'm fine SRQ. Must admit I've always been curious about acupuncture, next time you go can you ask Dr. Han if it does any good for migraine headaches please...or I guess I could find out a bit closer to home haha! Anything that helps with sleeping is good to.

Kathy said...

I tried acupuncture once but it didn't work for me. I didn't find it painful. I didn't find it anything. But I'm happy it's working for you. Anything that can make you relax is bound to be good for you!

LONDONLULU said...

I tend towards insomnia and the falling asleep part alone is worth the price of admission! I've always wanted to try acupuncture but am a bit of a chicken with needles. This sounds so worth it though, especially if you can find someone like Dr. Han!

cieldequimper said...

I wish I could go see her...

Jack said...

It sounds like you made the right decision to give it a second try. Is this just generalized "feel good" stuff like a massage, or does it address specific problems like muscle spasms? I have never tried acupuncture, but then again, I don't have anything wrong with me that needs treatment.

Lowell said...

When I was in the Navy, way back when - after Korea - a good friend of mine, a sailor, too, who had been a Marine during WWII and fought on Guam, hated needles. All I had to do to ruin his day was tell him that we had to go to sick bay for shots.

This big, tough, Marine, quaked at the thought of needles! :-)

I've never tried acupuncture, but from what you say maybe there's more to it than pierces the skin!

Kay said...

In addition to the relaxation, did it help with your condition?

I've had pretty good results from acupuncture. . .

Jocie Z ROCK said...

oddly, i too, as you well know, rarely sleep too hyper ;-) BUT i once fell asleep on a table like u; i think it was i was too scared to move with needles in me and it forced me just to be still!!! i liked it too.. enjoy it