Posted by ST on March 20, 2002, at 4:02:43
In reply to SID: thanks and more: » sid, posted by Janelle on March 19, 2002, at 13:28:21
Hi,
The tapping actually is quite common. It's actually acupuncurists don't want the first few treatments to knock you on your ass, so they go slowly. It is weird when they twist and tap on those needles!
I've been getting acupuncture for years now. It got rid of my asthma after about two months of treatment. I continued for another year with weekly treatments. I stopped getting bronchitis every month and the asthma attacks also stopped. Lately, my asthma has been coming and going because I'm not keeping up with my asthma maintenance (no dairy, only occasional acupuncture, random cigarette while sipping wine).
All of this asthma babble is just to say: acupuncture IS very powerful and I believe can work for depression. I have not gone to an acupuncturist *specifically* for depression, but should start with mine (we're always working on other stuff!) I have heard it does help, along with certain herbs and watching your diet. I would never recommend, however, that someone go off their medication. And as with any symptom you're treating through acupuncture, you need several treatments to really start feeling anything. Most people have one, two or even three sessions and quit because they "don't feel anything". I'd say try it for a month.
Good luck!
Sarah
PS: Where do you live?
> WOW - thank you ever so much for your detailed description of your experience with acupuncture. I really appreciate it and I'm so happy to hear that you found it so POSITIVE. I'm going to try it.
>
> Thanks also for your offer to refer me to your acupuncturist ... I don"t live in the DC area but thanks anyway.
>
> Also, with all you told me about having gone through acupuncture I don't think I need any articles to confirm that! So I don't want to bother you with doing a search for articles about it. Thanks for offering that also.
>
> I do have a couple of questions for you:
>
> How many acupuncture treatments did you have?
>
> What was it like, meaning did the acupuncturist tap the needles in and that was that, then you laid on the table for however long it was OR did the acupuncturist tap in the needles and then keep tapping each one until you could *feel* it a bit?
>
> I ask the second question because I did go to an acupuncturist once (so far) recently and he did it the second way - where he tapped till I could feel it.
>
> I never heard of this - I've been under the impression that acupuncture is done very lightly and that you're NOT supposed to feel it. I asked him about this and he told me he practices TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and that this is the better way of doing it. In light of this, I'm curious to hear what your acupuncture was like (and how many you had).
>
> THANKS A MILLION!
> -Janelle
poster:ST
thread:98741
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/98978.html