I Got the Point​—About Acupuncture

“NEEDLE TREATMENT! It hurts just to prick myself while sewing without someone deliberately sticking needles into me!” That was my first thought when it was suggested that I try acupuncture.

I was assured that it is not like that. Acupuncture, which originated in ancient China and was introduced to Japan some 250 years before Christ, is the Oriental art of using fine needles to stimulate or to calm various points of the body. It is considered to have three effects. First: sedation for operations. These operations may include tooth extractions, Cesarean childbirth and brain surgery. It is felt that acupuncture sedation is desirable as it does away with the unpleasant side effects of vomiting and dizziness that can come from sedation with drugs. It has been called ‘the shot that doesn’t trade pain for drug addiction.’ Relaxation is the second effect. The third effect is functional modification. I was particularly interested in these last two effects.

I was surprised when I saw the acupuncture needles. Since I had envisioned something like a sewing needle, I was pleasantly surprised to find that although they vary in length from five to seven cm (2 to 2.8 inches) they are very fine. Usually with a thickness of 0.1 mm (.0039 inches) and in some cases up to a thickness of 0.2 mm (.0079 inches) or more, this fine needle is one of the refinements that the Japanese have employed in acupuncture. In ancient times needles were made of stone and metals. Nowadays, in Japan, the needles are almost always silver or stainless steel. The Japanese also use a small metal ‘guide tube.’

The Acupuncturist at Work

As an aid to diagnosis, the acupuncturist took my pulse. His interest in the pulse is based on the Chinese theory of energy, or what Westerners may label the ‘life force.’ Additionally, the acupuncturist feels to determine the hardness of the muscles. He asked me about my symptoms and observed my skin hue and facial expression. The acupuncturist asked me if I had something on my mind. “As a matter of fact, Yes,” I answered. I was concerned about a personal matter. But how could he know that? “Today you are smiling with your mouth but not with the rest of your face,” he explained.

Yes, the successful acupuncturist is adept at observing every physical or mental factor that will affect his patient’s health. Truly a desirable quality of a doctor in any field!

Applying the Needles

After an abdominal examination, and determining that there was congestion in my colon, the practitioner placed a needle about an inch or so below the center of my rib cage. After a short time, the nerves at this point began to vibrate as if the nerve had been momentarily shocked with electricity. Shortly, I looked down at my abdomen and saw four needles waving gently like tiny leafless trees. Although I looked like a pincushion I did not feel any pricking sensation. After these were inserted, I found my abdominal area emitting some gurgling noises.

The acupuncturist was now working on my feet. He sits Japanese-style on the tatami (straw) floor as he positions himself at the various places he works. One point about three fingers’ width above the inside of my left ankle affects the intestine and was the recipient of another needle. Although the needle was placed for only 10 seconds, my leg tingled for several days.

From the outset I was impressed to find that there is no groping around for the proper point on the part of the acupuncturist. He knew which point affected which internal portion and was adept and ‘to the point.’ He has had exhaustive training in anatomy and has a thorough knowledge of the body organs and their function. He knows which area of the skin and muscle is connected with which organ. You see, he employs a sense of touch keenly developed through practice. Yes, the acupuncturist in Japan usually learns the art by practicing on himself.

Actual insertion of the needles takes various forms. For example, the needles in my abdomen were inserted to a certain depth and then removed after about five minutes. For treatment on my neck and shoulders, the needles were inserted and worked. The needle is placed in a guide tube held in the acupuncturist’s left hand. The guide tube is slightly shorter than the needle itself. With a light tap of the right index finger, the needle is poked into the skin and the guide is withdrawn. While movement is barely detectable, the acupuncturist is holding the needle in his left hand and adjusting the depth of needle insertion with his right hand. At the same time, he is resting the fingers of the left hand on the skin at the point of insertion. By this method, he can feel the hardness of the muscle he is “needling.” His right hand feels what the needle is running up against under the skin. In my case, I noticed two reactions. One to the nerves at the point of needle insertion, and the other to the organ or area affected by that acupuncture point.

After treatment, I rested for about 30 minutes and was pleased to get up feeling that a weight had been taken off my shoulders. The usual tenseness of my neck was gone. It was as if someone had given me a good massage and I was pleased to feel this way for two or three days.

At this point, I might mention that the effectiveness of acupuncture varies with every patient. In addition, usually more than one treatment is necessary for desired improvement. For a person responsive to the treatment, one to six treatments may be sufficient. If there is a great deal of pain, daily treatment will be advised. As noted by the anesthesiologist working at Maimonides Medical Center in New York: “No two patients can be treated alike. It’s not done like a recipe from a cookbook. The practitioner must follow the patient’s responses closely.”

What Is Acupuncture?

There has been a tendency to dismiss acupuncture as mysterious hocus-pocus, a simple placebo, or a psychological effect. Upon investigation, I was reminded that oftentimes ignorance breeds suspicion. For example, when William Roentgen discovered X rays, he was considered a quack.

That acupuncture is neither superstition nor a pure psychosomatic therapy is evident from reports of a veterinarian in Mito, Japan, who applies acupuncture with four electrified needles to farm animals. According to the veterinarian, the treatment neutralizes the acute pain of cows after stomach operations and speeds recovery afterward. It is also used successfully on newborn infants. Another impressive point is that clinical tests have proved that body parts and functions react when acupuncture is applied. For example, tests in Japan and Europe prove that application to a particular acupuncture point can raise the red blood-cell production from below normal to normal level in 24 hours.

Explaining the treatment, the acupuncturist who treated me said: “Acupuncture is simply our way of treating illness. The patient likes the personal touch that is sometimes regrettably missing in Western medical treatment. Through acupuncture we can ease pain and correct an unhealthy condition​—in other words, help one who is sick to regain reasonably good health.”

Yes, I got the point​—about acupuncture.​—Contributed.