Acupuncture to the Rescue!

Open heart surgery usually is very emotional for patients. The heart has been touched, lifted out of the body and manipulated in big ways. My body, mind and emotions endured a great struggle. My main symptom for 2 weeks was crushing pressure in my head, especially when I lie down. My Western doctors did not seem concerned because all the expensive tests, xray and MRI scans showed no evidence of stroke. They said I was good.

The pressure in my head was unbearable. I was fortunate to get an appointment with an older retired Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist. She came out of retirement, because, well… she is my other sister who lives in St Paul, MN.

In the first session, she did pulse and tongue diagnosis, then used only 15 or 16 needles on the usual major points, and then some specific ones for my condition. It was not an excessive amount of needles, nor was it too few. After the needles, she did manual therapy and a smoothing technique on the needle points for maybe 15 extra minutes! I have never had an acupuncturist do that extra step. She gave me herbs for my belly pains, and “Star of Bethlehem” flower essence for my mood.

She said my issue was not a blood problem, but a lymph problem. She said I mainly have low kidney chi, but my heart was strong and there was no apparent toxicity from the pharmaceuticals on my liver. That kind of information was invaluable. After one treatment, I felt immediate relief of head pain, and could do walking exercise twice as far. After a second treatment the next day, she completely eliminated the head pains and lymph problem. End of story. I felt significantly changed.

If you have problems your western doctor can’t help you with, an acupuncturist might help. If can find a good one, you might heal faster, suffer less and get better results. I am not always impressed by acupuncturists, but the extra 15 minutes of smoothing technique and massaging and connecting the points was superior. She was very soft, fluid, and in no rush. It felt like all the needle points were integrated and put back together.

In 1998, there was a reported total of 10,623 licensed acupuncturists in the US. By 2024, it swelled to 38,000 licensed US acupuncturists coming from 62 active, and accredited Acupuncture schools.

Acupuncture has followed a similar trajectory as the yoga boom. With 62 schools of Acupuncture in the US, graduating hundreds of new practitioners each year, a surfeit of acupuncturists with varying degrees of experience, different kinds of theories and training are beginning their practice all the time.

There is Japanese acupuncture, Korean acupuncture and 7 or 8 different Chinese schools that have been brought to America. Like taking a random yoga class from any yoga teacher, having an acupuncture treatment varies widely depending on where you go.

Always seek out the most experienced person you can find.