Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Oriental Medicine: Part 3

To give an update on my oriental medicine/acupuncture -- it has been working fairly well though, of course, I have to watch diet along with the treatments.  I have felt a lot more "balanced" than I was when I first came in for treatment.  At this point, the majority of the time I don't feel the needles at this point in the same way as I did at first.  The first two times it felt a bit more sore and tender.  However, I will admit today there was a spot or two that was uncomfortable for a little while.  

Today I kept my phone in my pocket so I could take a picture to show what some of this looks like.  Prior to the acupuncture treatment, they apply heat to the area.  Naturally, they don't use just a simple heating pad but rather this heated-pot looking thing with some sort of incense that they light and put on my stomach with just a little cover the size of a napkin underneath.  I lay there on the heated table (traditional Korean style) with this pot on my stomach with additional heat being pointed at my stomach above the pot.  The smell of the smoke is actually quite relaxing, so I normally take a little nap for the 20 or so minutes that I lay there before they do the acupuncture.  When they do put the needles in (which are actually quite small and thin -- certainly not the size needle for when you get a shot or blood drawn), they keep the heated lamp above the area.

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