Looking Beyond the Pill Bottle
In the April issue of Naturally Well Today, I included an article about homeopathy. One of the touchstones of naturopathic medicine is that practitioners aren’t limited to just one healing modality. In addition to prescribing pills and lifestyle changes, naturopathic physicians will recommend other therapies that may be less familiar.
One of those therapies is acupuncture, which can be of great benefit when used correctly. The question is how comfortable you feel, and how knowledgeable you are, about the treatment offered.
A Visit to the Homeopath
The homeopathy article in the April Naturally Well Today described some basic remedies that will work for nearly everyone in acute situations such as a bee sting or a cold. There are hundreds of other homeopathic remedies, though, and their proper application requires advice from a skilled practitioner.
On your first visit, be prepared to spend an hour or more discussing your current condition. The interview covers mind, body, and spirit, including your behaviors, preferences, and inner thoughts. You’ll need to be completely open and honest about everything in your life—from how well you sleep to how often you have sex.
Much of the discussion, though, will center around your health concern. How long have you noticed it? Is it with you all the time, or just occasionally? What makes it feel better or worse? What else have you tried, and how has it worked for you?
Your practitioner will use your answers to these questions, and to the ones about your life, to prescribe a remedy or remedies for you. The goal of homeopathy is to restore balance in your body, so the length of time it takes for the remedy to work depends on how far out of balance your body was to begin with. For the acute conditions discussed in the newsletter, the effect can seem almost miraculous in its speed. For longer-term conditions, though, it can take days to weeks for the full effect to appear. Give it time, and work on the other recommendations to restore your body to its healthy state, and you’ll be a believer for life.
Acupuncture 101
Acupuncture is the Traditional Chinese Medicine practice of manipulating the flow of the body’s energy. The most common method involves the use of needles, of course, but sometimes what’s called for is simple pressure from a finger or two, or else what’s known as moxibustion—the application of the herb mugwort at the acupuncture points.
A first visit to an acupuncturist will greatly resemble the homeopathic visit described above. One difference is that the homeopathic visit will often end with the dispensing of a remedy, while the first visit to an acupuncturist may consist solely of the interview.
On subsequent visits, not to worry—even if you’re someone who’s a bit squeamish around needles. Just close your eyes and relax as the session begins, and you’ll likely feel just a slight tingling sensation as the local energy flow is manipulated. For the most part it’s a soothing experience. In fact, patients often become so relaxed on the table they fall asleep.
I highly recommend a visit to a qualified and experienced licensed acupuncturist as the occasion warrants. It may be the only approach you need, or it may be the missing component to the health freedom you’ve been searching for.
Acupuncturists are easy to find—you’ll see listings for them in nearly every phone book, no matter how small the area—but you want to be sure you have a good one. Some medical associations offer weekend courses in acupuncture to their members, but that doesn’t make those people true acupuncturists. Instead, look for someone who has been licensed by your state—they’ll be listed as L.Ac. or OMD (Oriental Medicine Doctor). The degree indicates that the person has spent years in training, not weekends.
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