Pins and Needles

Last week I began acupuncture. In the months since we started trying to have a baby, I have come across numerous articles regarding acupuncture and it's well documented practices of increasing fertility. I thought about it for a while before I actually made a phone call. I found my doctor, yes he is a REAL doctor through the AAMA (American Academy of Medical Acupuncture). I basically only went in for a consultation. We went over my medical history, then he took my pulse, looked at my tongue and felt my hands and feet. And whatta ya know, my Qi* was off balanced. (Please see notes below.) He told me he thought that acupuncture would be helpful to me and that we could get started right away. Plus my insurance covered it. (thanks T)

I rolled up my pant legs and sleeves and laid down on the table. He told each time he was going to put a needle in me, and where. In this particular session, I got a total of fourteen. Three in my scalp, two in my right ear, one in each wrist, three in my abdomen, and two in each foot. He placed and panic button in my left hand, turned a heating lamp over my feet and told me to rest. SURE, RELAX. I wasn't in any pain, it didn't hurt. But I'll be honest I couldn't really relax. It was so new. The office, the sensations from the needle points... He also gave me some herbs and asked me to take them once per day. No stinky tea or anything, just a small wax ball that I have to crack open, full of little pellets. I take them with water.

This may seem like an aggressive approach to you. It also might seem silly to you. But if several articles and websites told me that waxing off my eyebrows whilst inserting bamboo shoots under my toe nails would increase the chances of me getting knocked up, I'd do it.



***Qi, pronounced "chee", means energy. Qi is the energy of the body, of the meridians, of food, of the universe. There are refined theories regarding the different types of Qi within the body, the creation and actions of Qi and, consequently, ways to determine where imbalances may arise.

- American Academy of Medical Acupuncture