Around 1997, my mom came to visit me in Denver. We both hated needles to the Nth degree, but were curious about acupuncture as "alternative medicine." My first argument for both of us was that it's incomparably older than any medicine in the west. So we found an old Chinese guy who said he was brought to the United States
by Nixon himself and decided to give it a try.
I told him I was having neck and shoulder pain; I think my mom was having headaches. He took us into separate rooms, and asked us to lay down. He was extremely gentle, which I have found of all acupuncturists since that time. I told him I hated needles so he showed it to me. It was wrapped sterilely, and thin-as-a-hair when he took it out. He laid me on my side, and worked quickly, plinking in seven needles from my neck down to my forearm. When he put one close to my elbow, I experienced something strange in my next breath. He told me to hold still and relax deeply. I giggled for the next 20-minutes, laughing at the site of needles in my skin (I really hated needles).
After he took them out, I felt better. So did Mom. We went back for a second treatment (understand that it takes at least two), and my neck pain was gone for at least two months. You can do it too. It's SO worth it. They can even give you needles for weight loss.
While some western researchers acclaim its effectiveness for some ailments, others claim it's just the placebo effect. "Chi" energy has not been reconciled with western medicine, and there is no supporting evidence of the "meridians" or channels in which the chi flows.
But if you skip a meal, you feel less energy. If work hard all day, you know you have expended energy because you have little left. Conversely, if you feel excited about something, you feel a high level of energy.
Also, everyone knows that brain waves are pulses of electrical energy. Muscle motor units fire when the brain sends electrical impulses along sodium chains in the body. Our blood contains iron, which is conductive. We have a measurable electromagnetic charge.
There are all kinds of evidence of "energy" in our bodies; the problem is that acupuncture is "based on a pre-scientific paradigm of medicine that developed over several thousand years and involves concepts that have no counterpart within contemporary medicine."
But as we say in the States,
"The proof is in the puddin'."
Forget your fear of needles and go try it.
You will be shocked at how well it works.
A few suggestions:
1. I like Chinese doctors. Other ethnicities can learn and administer needles, but the Chinese invented it.
2. Acupuncture should not cost $100. I think $25-45 is typical, with a slightly higher initial consultation.
3. My Chinese doctor also employs the use of an infrared lamp. It warms the needles and feels really good.
4. If you're tough, and really need strong medicine, they can hook the needles up to electric charge, and/or use bigger needles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAaMJ2whtg