Even if you’re one of the many people who hate the sight of needles, one of the world’s oldest medical practices might be just what you need to heal up.
While the idea of being stuck with needles may make you queasy, acupuncture may be a good alternative treatment for injury and chronic pain.
The main goal of acupuncture is self-healing. Acupuncture is a medical practice that entails stimulating certain points on the body with a needle penetrating the skin, which can alleviate pain or help treat various health conditions. It is believed acupuncture was developed in China around 3,000 years ago.
Since the first school of acupuncture opened in the U.S. in 1975, it has grown rapidly, and is now widely accepted by the medical community.
Since I don’t have any experience with acupuncture myself, I turned to a friend and YMCA group exercise instructor, Alicia Wassenberg. She recently tried acupuncture at the advice of her doctor and was surprised at the results.
Wassenberg started having issues with her foot about a year and a half ago. Her diagnosis was tendinopathy of the ankle. She wore a boot for six weeks, completed eight weeks of physical therapy and then reached a plateau. She felt she had done everything right, but she still had pain that kept her from fully getting back to her regular active lifestyle. It was then that she took her doctor’s suggestion and tried acupuncture with e-stem electrical pulse. Until then, she hadn’t considered acupuncture as a treatment for injury.
Wassenberg did her research and decided on the Salt Grotto in Valrico. After her very first treatment, she walked out feeling better. She had three treatments within a two-week period and is now back on her feet.
If you’ve tried traditional medicine and physical therapy but are still not healing, Wassenberg suggests you try acupuncture. She says the treatment can be a little uncomfortable, but it certainly can’t make anything worse. Definitely talk to your doctor first before exploring acupuncture and other alternative therapies, however.
Happy healing!
Angela Fulgieri is a Wellness Experience Director with the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA. Write her at observerfitness@gmail.com.
