Transcript: Basic Acupuncture

Zen Living

Episode “Basic
Acupuncture”

Nicole
Tomlinson: You have heard of acupuncture but have perhaps been too intimidated
to try it? With all those needles who can blame you, I am here today with
Kirsten Karchmer, who is going to demystify the practice of acupuncture.

HI Kirsten
how are you?

Kirsten: I
am doing fine thanks.

Nicole
Tomlinson:  Briefly what is acupuncture?

Kirsten:
Acupuncture is a form of medicine that has been in practice for over 3,500
years in china. It is a form of medicine that works with your bodies’ electric
system.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Your body has an electrical system?

Kirsten:
Well let’s do an experiment; is it ok if I touch your body? If I touch your
body here, do you feel something?

Nicole
Tomlinson: Mmm Hmm

Kirsten: How
do you know?

Nicole
Tomlinson:  I don’t know, I guess I just
feel it. My brain tells me.

Kirsten:
Right so if I touch your arm here a message travel along your nerve to your
brain and gives you the message something is touching you. And your brain
processes that information and makes a decision. What should I do about that?
Is that a bee? Is that something warm that I love to touch, something that you
care for.

What we
believe is that there are many points all over the body that have very specific
functions these functions might tell the body to expand the blood vessels, to
narrow the blood vessels, to promote urination, to move fluids in the body. And
so when we put a needle in that, a needle conducts electricity.

So if we put
a needle in a point that causes the blood vessels to dilate, like if I put a
point right here in your hand. One of the functions of this point causes the
blood vessels to dilate; the side effect of that treatment is it will make our
headache go away.

Nicole
Tomlinson:  Oh see I have heard that if I
massage this part right here, so that’s similar. SO there is all different
points all over the body that can trigger certain reactions to cure certain
ailments?

Kirsten:
Exactly, if you come to an acupuncturist and say I have headaches, the first
question we asked ourselves in our head is why? Why do you keep getting headaches?
What organ system in your body, what’s not working such that the side effect is
you continuing to get a headache?

Nicole
Tomlinson:  Ah, so you go to the source
and that way you inevitably find a cure.

Kirsten: We
try to; of curse we never want to say well acupuncture can cure everything. But
certainly what we try to do is understand what is the root cause. That root
cause is frequently causing a lot of other symptoms. Insomnia or poor digestion
or gassy bloating or fatigue.

Nicole
Tomlinson:  Now I have poor digestion. I every
once in awhile, just stomach distention, and pain in my stomach and I really
have a hard time, so acupuncture could help me with that?

Kirsten:
Acupuncture sure could help you. Now remember again that we could put. If you
came to me today and said I am very bloated and distended, I could put some
needles that would make those or give you some herbs that would make those
symptoms go away. That’s not a very complicated kind of treatment.

A more
masterful kind of treatment when you came in and said well I from time to time
have these problems I can ask myself why? Why do you have these problems? Where
another person doesn’t have those problems. So you want to investigate, you are
looking for all the clues that you can t make an appropriate diagnosis.

My old
teacher always said, the truth is, is that for the most part Chinese medicine
works, if it is not working it is because your diagnosis is wrong. So you
haven’t identified clearly what the real root is.

Nicole
Tomlinson: I see so what we have to do is go back through my own personal
history.

Kirsten:
your health history.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Find out along the way where we got troubled, figure out how my
digestive maladies were caused?

Kirsten:
Sure. Ok Nicole now as you talked about before you are having some digestive
problems, some gas some bloating. Are there any other symptoms that you want to
tell me that we haven’t talked about?

Nicole
Tomlinson: That’s pretty much it.

Kirsten: Ok.
You have been prepped for acupuncture, so your points have been cleaned with
some alcohol and now we are going to give you a treatment if that is ok with
you.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Yes.

Kirsten: Ok
so before I put in the points I just want to show you one more time, see we use
single use, disposable needles. So we are just going to touch this one alright?
We are not going to use it. So you can take your fingers, and see it is very
fine. You can try and bend it even.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Oh, it’s almost hair like.

Kirsten:
That’s why I use a guide tube, because the needle is so fine if I tried to just
insert it with my hands it will bend. Ok so because this is your first
acupuncture treatment we are going to do just a few needles. And what you can
expect to feel is the guide tube on your skin and then a little thump. Ok? Do
you have any concerns or questions?

Nicole
Tomlinson: No, I just wanted to know, just because it is my first time we are
going to do just a couple and as you gradually go back for treatments you
increase the amount?

Kirsten:
Yes, plus we want to, see different people respond to acupuncture in different
ways. Some people respond very strongly and some people don’t respond very much
at all and there’s people who respond somewhat in the middle. We want to give
you the appropriate needles and stimulation for your body. Now the needles are
going to go into muscles. So it is important that once the needles are in you
try to remain still.

So you feel
the guide tube on your skin and a little thump. How does that feel?

Nicole
Tomlinson: That one actually kind of hurt a little bit.

Kirsten:
Acupuncture is looking for what is blocked in your body and trying to open it
up. So as those places that re blocked open up sometimes they will stagnate in
other places, and then the acupuncture can work it out and you will feel it
just dissipate.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Ah, so I see it flows just like water entering a tube.

Kirsten:
Sure your bodies’ energy should be circulating through your body and when it’s
blocked sometimes you will feel some pressure and then as that blockage
dissipates you will feel some relief in that. But I am telling you this so that
you won’t be concerned there is nothing to be worried about. There is o needles
near your internal organs, although sometimes there are.

And so you
can just relax, most people go to sleep when they get acupuncture, snoring is
fine. Drooling is fine, I will wake you up when our treatment is over.

Nicole
Tomlinson: Thank you so much.

Kirsten: Ok
is the temperature comfortable for you?

Nicole
Tomlinson:  Yes it is. If you are looking
to get to the root of your problems, acupuncture just might be the way to go,
as you can see it is relaxing, relatively pain free and totally natural. I am
Nicole Tomlinson, and from all of us at Zen Living thank you so much for
watching and we will catch you next time. Peace.