Why Does Acupuncture Make Me Feel like This?

For a long time, Y.* was interested in trying acupuncture. She had communicated for weeks back and forth with the secretary. Literally dozens of WhatsApp messages trying to nail down the perfect time, and yet, she couldn't make a time to come get her first acupuncture treatment. Thank G-d she has many kids, some with special needs, she has a busy schedule and not much time for herself.

Finally one day we had a late cancellation and we reached out to ask if she would be available. Yes! She was! She was finally going to have her first acupuncture treatment!

I love giving folks their first acupuncture treatment, they always leave so relaxed.

As Y. was leaving the office she said, with a genuinely surprised look on her face, "Can it be? I already feel better? How come?!"

I explained that when you get acupuncture, it's sort of like clearing the cache on your computer. Your just not bogged down by extraneous energy. Y. isn't in the high tech field, that analogy didn't give over what I was trying to say.

Here is practically what is happening: Let's say I have a big decision to make. For example my dining room table broke (chas v'shalom) and it has to be replaced soon. I looked on the second hand groups and found one in my budget that I like a lot! It's in Pardes Chana and I'll have to hire a mover to bring it to me. There is also a local store selling a table that I like, it's out of my price range, but I can pay in installments and delivery will not be a hassle.

At this point I get to live in two different worlds. World number one: I make a day of going to Pardes Chana. I think out the practical details of having the mover (which was hard to find) meet me there. I need to inspect the table and make sure there are no surprises. I also pray that the seller is nice and lets me use the restroom. I envision how I am paying. I'm going to oversee the disassembly and packing of the table. Then I drive back to Beit Shemesh, hope to beat the mover to my apartment. Oversee assembly, pay the mover and then arrange the room so it feels like home again.

World number two: We go through ordering a new table from the store. I think about haggling with the sales person, I wonder if I got a good deal or not. We pay in installments, but we still need to go into minus for a few months to make it happen. The delivery and installation is smooth. I'm happy with how it looks, and I'm also overly cautious and maybe yell at some children and or pets when I think the table is going to get scratched.

Once I make my decision and even for weeks after I have my table, the whole world of possibilities in the world I DID NOT choose, still exists in my brain. For the many decisions that we make, there is all the energy that was put into the non-chosen choice. That energy can hang around and get knotted. Those knots are released and go away when : you get acupuncture, have a great meditation, get a super night's rest, or zone out during a massage.

It's this collection of fleeting thoughts, made up memories and half choices that weigh us down unknowingly.

This lighter existence is what Y. was experiencing after her first acupuncture treatment.

Acupuncture isn't meant to change someone. It's meant to restore their true self by reminding the body how it's supposed to flow and function. It's like the car wash I get about once a year. She looks like a brand new car! For a week or two after the carwash, I often walk past the car, while looking for my car because I don't recognize it! But there's no change to the actual car, the wash just revealed her pearly white self.

Even when someone comes in with a specific complaint, we have the same goal for everyone. We want to restore balance. Often the side effect of feeling good and balanced is that we don't have the "chief complaint" anymore.

If the indecision of my table story struck a cord in you, you may have chronically tight shoulders. You may have neck pain often and even possibly migraines. I guessed this because the organ/channel pathway associated with decision making and quality of sleep is the gall bladder.

Take a look at the most commonly treated acupuncture point along the gall bladder channel

The GB in GB21 stands for gall bladder

Now, you may pose a question. Is my shoulder tight because of indecision and all the associated thoughts? Or am I having a hard time making confident decisions because my Gall Bladder channel is knotted? If you posed this question, you are very perceptive! Unfortunately I can't tell what came first. But I do know that the patterns which we tend to have in our health is a combination of two things.

1) Genetics play into the health tendencies we have. For example, family history of alcoholism, autoimmune disease, heart disease and some kinds of cancers are considered of themselves "risk factors" for those diseases. Meaning, if my grandparents and parents developed diabetes, that fact means that I already have a risk factor and my chances of developing type II diabetes is greater than someone who doesn't have family history of diabetes. Similarly if my parents and grandparent had long healthy lives despite illness, the odds are that my constitution will be strong too. However, it's not a given that I will get diabetes because there is a whole other component to one's health.

2) Chinese Medicine calls that "post-heaven qi". Post heaven qi is the health that developed based on everything besides my genetics. My physical activity, my food consumption, my sleeping pattern, how deeply I breath and even how I regulate my emotions contribute to my health.

It's a combination of these two factors that show our patterns according to Chinese Medicine. When you speak to your Acupuncturist, they will ask about family history and your history in order to get an idea of your common health patterns. The health pattern can also be called a diagnosis, and this helps your Acupuncturist pick the best acu-points to bring you as close to balance and harmony as possible. Usually, that feeling after your first acupuncture treatment is light and happy :)

Esther Hornstein of 2nd Nature Healing Center

Esther Hornstein is a Licensed Acupuncturist currently located in Beit Shemesh, Israel. She has been enjoying making folks feel light and happy through acupuncture since 2010. Book your sessions by calling or whatsapp 054-719-9600