It was difficult sitting down and trying to figure out exactly what my first blog post should be about. Should I explain what acupuncture is? Should I dive right into Chinese history and where acupuncture came from? What’s the best way to start?
I decided to wait and listen to my patients and find out what their number one question would be…
“What made you decided to study acupuncture?”
I was shocked. Not many people asked about the needles or the treatment, they all wanted to know about what made gave me my passion for acupuncture. I decided for my first post I will explain to everyone why I love acupuncture so much.
When I was 17 years old I was diagnosed with Stage 3C Ovarian Cancer. Being so young and being diagnosed with something so frightening I didn’t know where to turn or who to listen to, and I just assumed whatever my doctors suggested was the right thing to do. After a few surgeries I underwent chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy was awful, as expected, but I had no idea how bad the side effects could be. I expected hair loss, but I didn’t expect the nausea, bad taste in my mouth, bad smells, anxiety, the list goes on. I was having trouble eating and when I did eat I was having trouble keeping food down. To top it all off, I was receiving intense treatments that required me to stay in the hospital for a week at a time. Since I was staying there, I was given the chemotherapy drugs at night-thinking I would sleep though the side effects. Unfortunately one of the medications was a diuretic and kept me up all night. Therefore, my sleep/wake cycle was way off.
After every treatment my mother took me for something special. It was a great way to keep me focused and get my though each treatment. After one treatment we got massages, and the woman recommended I see an acupuncturist for my side effects. I was hesitant. How could needles make me feel good? This was a little too far fetched for me to believe, but I decided to give it a try.
To keep a long story short, I had an amazing acupuncture experience. The acupuncturist was incredible. Not only was he sympathetic and understanding, but he really listened to everything that was going on in my body. He gave me just enough needles to slowly help with all the side effects, and even after treatments, he helped me get my body back to its healthy state. I still see the same acupuncturist to this day.
I have always had a passion to help people, that’s why I became an EMT and began volunteering with the FD. I had wanted to be a doctor, but something just didn’t sit right with me about giving the patients the same chemicals that gave me so many side effects. I decided I wanted to help people the same way that my acupuncturist helped me.
I had no idea when I entered acupuncture school how intense it would be and how amazing Chinese Medicine truly is. It is a topic I could talk about for hours. I am lucky enough to get to treat people with this amazing medicine every day.
Now, why should you get acupuncture? Acupuncture can help you with things you didn’t even know it could help with. Acupuncture can help treat so many medical conditions in addition to just keeping you healthy. It is a natural way to help your body heal itself and it doesn’t require you to have all the side effects of medication. If you’re open minded, acupuncture can truly make a difference in your life and your health.
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