Occasionally, I like to present a snippet of my day and depict what goes on at Acuzen Wellness. Every patient is treated as an individual. No two patients are alike, regardless of overlapping symptoms. The Acupuncture point prescription is specific to you, your symptoms, in that particular moment in time.
One of the things I love most about being an Acupuncturist is the constant fluidity in the diverse types of patients I see daily. I think I would get bored if I only treated one type of issue all day-every day. It is more of a personal challenge to treat diverse types of illnesses and never know what is up next. It keeps me on my toes, it keeps my brain working and I enjoy that immensely. Much of my day is typically filled with people suffering from stress and anxiety, I mean who isn’t these days? Stress is often the underlying cause of physical pain in the body. When the mind is stuck and ruminating over the same concerns repeatedly, it often stagnates the body as well. This stagnation of Qi and Blood prevents proper circulation and pain can ensue.
This morning I started my day with a patient who suffered from chronic migraine headaches for over twenty years. They were painful and debilitating. She became useless to her family and even missed work. She had to retreat to her bed in a dark room until they passed. An MRI of the brain ruled out anything clinically wrong. Her neurologist had prescribed numerous medications. The medications did not help, and merely served to give her awful side effects. She tried Acupuncture as a last resort. She did not have much faith that it could help, but simply had nowhere else to turn. Typically, I see patients with migraine headaches triggered by stress. They can expect a severe migraine headache at the worst time in their lives. It can come prior to a deadline at work, when they have a family celebration, even prior to a vacation that requires planning. In this individual case the headache was literally constant and relentless. Stressful situations would exacerbate it. I started treating this patient a year and a half ago. Hold on, relax, she is not still suffering from migraines headaches! It is quite the opposite; within a short two weeks she saw significant improvements. Her headaches were less intense, and less frequent. As we continued treatment, her breakthrough days of no headaches became lengthier. She no longer considers herself a migraine sufferer! So why does she still come for Acupuncture? She was so enthralled by her results, especially when nothing else had helped her over so many years, that she decided to incorporate Acupuncture into her daily regimen. She comes once a week. We work on stress and anything that has come up in her life. We maintain a baseline of optimal wellness. Maintenance is as unique to the individual as the overall Acupuncture treatment. Some patients require maintenance treatment once a month. This patient feels her best with Acupuncture boosting her on a weekly basis. Aside from being good for business, to which I cannot complain, I agree with her choice for optimal wellness. I am happy she recognizes the incredible changes and impact Acupuncture has made on her life.
A seventy year old woman comes in regularly for Microneedling and has Acupuncture simultaneously. She loves feeling relaxed and focusing on her health, at the same time as focusing on ridding herself of wrinkles and aging-backwards. She appreciates that we only use vegan and all natural serums. She has seen incredible changes in her skin’s luminosity, and in getting rid of her deep wrinkles. People have been stopping her on the street asking what she has been doing! We typically treat underlying family related stress, so she leaves feeling both relaxed and beautiful!
My next patient is an 81 year old female. She initially came to me with terrible lower back pain as well as knee pain. She wanted to prevent surgery and was willing to do anything to avoid it. This included Acupuncture and Physical Therapy. She commutes over an hour to see me. When I initially started seeing her, she came in two to three times per week. She was serious about getting out of pain and improving her mobility. She had significant improvement with pain relief and quality of life. Simple tasks like getting in and out of the car became bearable. She was no longer in constant pain. She no longer had to plan rest periods to get through a mundane day. I now see her on occasion when she swings by for treatment. I am grateful when I see her happy and living life pain free.
Anxiety and severe depression are more common than you think. My next patient has suffered with severe depression from youth. He has put in an extensive amount of time seeing different psychologists and psychotherapists over the years. He is extremely sensitive to medications and unfortunately, they simply do not have a lasting effect on his depression and gloomy mood. I just started treating him very recently. I am still trying to get a pulse on the situation and trying to make things easier for him. I do believe that a combined effort with Acupuncture and psychotherapy will be the best for him. He reported back after the first two treatments that he felt very relaxed. That is a good start. I also recommended simple tools including exercise that can help him. Sometimes, it is especially beneficial for patients in a crisis to know that someone else can help carry the burden. I hope to be able to help this person and make an everlasting change so his day to day will no longer be so heavy, and he can further appreciate the beauty that surrounds him.
My next patient was suffering from infertility. I say this in past tense, as she is about to start her third trimester! Her Ob/Gyn referred her to my practice when things were not going according to plan. From a Western medicine perspective, she did not have a specific medical cause for her not conceiving. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we diagnose according to the individual. Within three months she was pregnant. I have since been supporting her pregnancy and addressing any issues that come up. Acupuncture is a fantastic tool for fertility, as well as pregnancy support since there are no medications in the needles and it is super safe. Nausea, lower back pain, and even carpal tunnel syndrome are typically things that I address during pregnancy. I am looking forward to seeing a healthy baby in the coming months, and knowing I played a small part in helping her realize her dream.
Kids are resilient and respond beautifully to Acupuncture. My next patient is a seven year old. I treated her mom a few years ago for pain issues that we resolved. Her mom felt that she could benefit from Acupuncture to help manage her stress and aggression during the school year. Kids are amazing and typically respond very quickly. They do not mind the needles too much and need shorter duration of treatment. Sometimes they will use the patient buzzer to let me know they feel like they are ‘done.’ It can be amazing to witness how in tune they become to their bodies once they start paying attention.
My sample day would never be complete without giving a snippet of someone who suffers from Gastrointestinal issues. Those suffering from IBS or irritable bowel syndrome have remarkable results with Acupuncture. By addressing and treating the root of what is causing the stomach upset, whether it is constipation or diarrhea predominant, the changes are miraculous. With this patient, underlying stress is a big factor. The mind- body connection is a real thing. Being able to use tiny needles with no adverse effects, alleviate stress, and get the digestive system regulated is amazing. It has been life changing for him.
Whatever your struggles are, Acupuncture can help. Every patient is seen and treated as an individual. A one-size fits all approach does not exist at Acuzen Wellness. Getting to the root of your concerns is a great formula for achieving optimal wellness. What are you waiting for?