Acupuncture is an alternative form of medicine commonly used for pain and stress management where thin needles are inserted into the body. Other services typically offered by acupuncturist are cupping, which involves placing cups on the skin to create suction to facilitate healing with blood flow and gua sha, which involves scraping the skin with a massage tool to improve your circulation.
As a healthcare practitioner (occupational therapy assistant), I’m a big believer in a holistic approach to health and wellness. Pharmaceuticals can address a medical issue in the short term but in the long term you need the tools and resources to optimize recovery and overall well being.
After a back injury from work, I explored acupuncture and it has provided much more than just pain management. In addition to exercising, talk therapy, and use of SSRI (aka antidepressants), acupuncture has been an invaluable tool for stress management and management of my depression and anxiety symptoms.
My acupuncture sessions typically begin with a quick chat with my acupuncturist about what’s going in my life and what part of my body that I would like to focus on in our session. The insertion of the needles doesn’t actually hurt and I’ve gotten so use to them that I fall asleep during the needle portion of my session. For the cupping portion, the cups are typically placed on my back for only a few minutes but they leave quite the impression. The areas that appear the darkest are usually where most of the tension is located. I leave these sessions so relaxed that sometimes I have to sit in my car and wake up before driving home.
If you’re in the NYC/Westchester area, Eastway Acupuncture offers acupuncture for women’s health and fertility as well as pain management and sport injuries. The amazing Easter Yi, founder of Eastway, is knowledgeable and caring which makes the experience even better.
For more information, check out Eastway Acupuncture.
Leave a Reply