Heather Finn, M.Ac. Licensed Acupuncturist Feel like yourself again. |
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| Why Do People Receive Acupuncture? |
| People generally come to see me for one of three reasons: 1. People fail to get relief from an illness or injury with conventional medicine. The most common symptoms I treat are pain (examples are low back pain, sciatica, neck and shoulder pain, carpal tunnel or other repetitive motion disorders, Fibromyalgia, pain in the limbs, migraine headaches, other headaches), digestive disorders, respiratory illness, menopausal syndrome, insomnia, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and stress. Acupuncture can produce great results with these common problems. 2. People want an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs or surgery. Medication side effects can affect attitude, energy, ability to think clearly, sex drive, and other aspects of a person’s life. Surgery carries risks of anesthesia. Many people want an alternative which will stimulate the body’s own response to healing without relying on pharmaceutical or surgical interventions. Many of my patients have been able to reduce dosages or stop using medications altogether after turning to acupuncture treatment. (You should only change doses or stop medication under the supervision of your doctor). 3. People seek relief from medication side effects. Sometimes people face diseases where the best treatments are conventional medicine. Someone with cancer undergoing chemotherapy or radiation or both, someone living with HIV/AIDS, or another severe illness may rely on medication to keep them alive, but must cope with symptoms like extreme fatigue, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, brain fog, dry mouth which makes it difficult to eat, drink and speak, and more. There can be depression over the frustration of not being your old self on a daily basis, and anxiety over what the future holds. My years of treating medication side effects in people living with HIV started in my days as a student intern at the AIDS Care Project at Pathways to Wellness in Boston. A more recent experience treating a patient for medication side effects from throat cancer led me to take a fabulous workshop at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The workshop, Acupuncture for the Cancer Patient, was taught by a combination of oncologists and acupuncturists. The oncologists were the ones to stress how important acupuncture was in treating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. The acupuncturists agreed, and shared treatment strategies and tips. People also ask me these questions: What else does acupuncture treat? Everything. Remember that acupuncture, the best known tool of Chinese Medicine, has been in continuous use for more than three thousand years. It is a complete system of medicine that predates science, surgery, pharmaceutical medication and the NIH consensus statement on acupuncture. Whether it is your primary mode of treatment or your way of managing medication side effects, there is always a role for acupuncture. How long will it take me to feel better? It will depend on two things: the severity of your symptoms, and the length of time you have had them. Acute problems can be resolved in one or two treatments – but it is pretty unusual for someone to come in right when a problem starts. Most people who are new to acupuncture try other things first, and I see them months or years after their problem started. Often, for a new patient with a chronic health issue, I treat them for six to eight weekly visits, then stop and evaluate. Evaluation can lead to any one of several recommendations: continued weekly treatment, treatment every other week, maintenance treatment monthly or seasonally, or end of treatment. Again, the severity of your condition and the length of time you have experienced your condition will determine the amount of treatment you need. I am available to discuss your specific case by phone (see Current Practice Sites for the number to call me, or email me at finnheather(at)sbcglobal(dot)net). Is acupuncture covered by my insurance? Call your insurance company and ask. More and more companies are covering acupuncture. Even if yours does not, however, remember that you will not need weekly acupuncture treatments for the rest of your life. Most people need acupuncture treatment for a period of time, and find the relief they get is a worthwhile investment. The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) introduced HR 646, The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009. Go here to learn how to support this effort. Does acupuncture hurt? No. My patients tell me either they don’t feel anything, or they feel a quick pinch, like a mosquito bite. Acupuncture needles are as thin as a human hair, and are much smaller than hypodermic needles. I use only sterile, single-use, disposable needles. |