This felt better, I feel my body was more 'primed' for the needles, had only one that caused slight discomfort going in. They went in the same places as before. Unlike last time I didnt feel vertigo for 1 minute or so. I had some waves of restlessness as the room was quite hot. I had some rushes of temporary pressure in various body parts which I hoped was evidence of something working. I didnt think I slept but the 50 or so minutes I was resting flew by. I must have nodded off as time seemed to skip forward. Not sure if this is a common opinion by patients Final thought is that she missed another needle when taking out, thankfully I found this one in my arm. Last one she missed was the one in the chest.

Two more sessions then I need to decide whether to have another 4. I'm not having treatment for pain, more for body reset of its various systems.

I know most of LAc cannot bill Medicare for acupuncture. But for the ones who can, may I ask how much they are reimbursing? And do you need to submit treatment records, etc from time to time?

Hey everyone!

I'm a 20M who's been dealing with chronic fatigue for around a year or so; was previously pretty healthy with no real issues.

I've been going to see an acupuncturist for the past month or so, and I've definitely seen great improvements. However, after posting to both here and other forums and reading through people's advice, I came to realize that I probably need herbs in addition to the acupuncture to help treat whatever deficiency is going on.

Now, when I initially started with my acupuncture, I bought an herbal formula my acupuncturist made for me; it lasted for around 2 weeks. However, throughout the entire time I took it, I didn't really notice any difference, and with me having a somewhat tight financial situation at the time, it felt a bit like money down the drain.

So, my main questions are: How long do herbs take to work / build up, and additionally, how do I tell if they're actually doing anything? After trying so many other things and being told to "just wait" to see the improvements, I'm a little bit apprehensive of anything else that says the same thing. If the herbs are a good fit for my situation, I should see some level of improvement within 2 weeks, right?

Hello friends, I an experiencing symptoms of gerd/reflux and bloating. And i notice that if I do even light acupressure, even with an acupressure tool or pen on spots on the abdomen the gerd/reflux/bloating worsen. Some of the spots I am talking about are cv-12, liver-13, st-21. It seems any points around the area of maybe what might be considered the middle burner make symptoms worse. I am sensative enough that i can feel the inward energy in that part of the body being influenced and moving, tight or releasing. So something is definitely happening, it is almost as though the acupressure is causing a little bit of a contraction in that area and that is forcing some contents in the stomach or other upwards. Is it because the stomach has food in it possibly? Maybe these should only be done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or maybe I should only be using distal points? TY for any insights.

So, I have my first acupuncture appointment on Monday. I deal with multiple problems that could all cause each other. For example, I wake up dizzy everyman which I think is from sleep apnea. I have anxiety which could also be caused by this etc. My problems are migraines, anxiety, sleep quality, dizziness, nausea, brain fog and feeling hung over every morning when I'm 100% sober. I have a doctor's appointment at urgent care and I'm going to ask about problems with my thyroid. I'm on the lower end of the spectrum which might be why I'm having problems regulating my sleep(functional hyperthyroidism?) . My questions are, can I get treatments for multiple problems at once and where should start? Any info is appreciated! I've lost jobs and had to take a LOA from work because they get so severe. Please help! Also, I'm taking medication. I take venlafaxine for anxiety and propranolol for migraines and seroquel for sleep, but still have all the symptoms since before I got on the mega. Will any of this interact with acupuncture treatment? Is love to get off everything and be natural!

So I've had what I suspect is neuro toxicity from a severe withdrawal of a drug and my nervous system(s) feels very misaligned.

I went for my first session today; I have some thoughts and questions which I'd be grateful may be answered by a professional:

• I expected her to look at my tongue as that seems quite common but as we previously had a consult I guess she didn't need to
• the needles went in the feet, ankle, wrist/arm, gut, chest, forehead, neck and ears
• she had to remove one from my arm as it was painful, is this standard?
• a couple in my feet hurt too but only when entering
• there was a warm spotlight looking thing left hanging over me, then she turned off the light and left
• I was there for 45 mins, just lying there. It all felt a little tender, especially on the arms and the forehead one when I scrunched up my face
• I wasn't in a comfortable position to sleep, and had to use some mental effort to not think to much about all the pins in me
• a weird thing happened half way through; I felt for 2 or so minutes a strange bout of vertigo, my vision kind of shifted from side to side, like I was rocking in a boat on rough waters. When I gave her this feedback she was delighted. Her English isn't the best, but does anyone know why she was happy with this?
• A 20 minute massage concluded the session. As I got changed I noticed drops of blood on the white towel, I assume from the needles. Is this common?
• I noticed she left the needle in my chest in there. I guess it's easy to miss as I have lots of dark curly chest hair
• I suspect a lot of my current issues are to do with the gut / liver and vagus nerve, if I tell her this would she put the needles more in these area?

Anyway , I'm giving it another 3 sessions, then might do another 4. Next session Wednesday!

Hey y'all!

I had my first treatment on Monday of this week (April 29th) and the needles were only in me for about 10 mins. My sister told me that she had some stomach discomfort, upset, and aching after her first session, and I was thinking huh... I have been having stomach ache, nausea, and constipation since Wednesday.

Could this be from the session?

Thanks!

Hello everyone

Just fast brief about me, I have Gastric used to have stomach ulcer, my symptom is nausea for now 6 years, i have also vertigo, since one year and few months, and chronic fatigue since 6 years

I have been with my acupuncturist for 3 months, have done around 15 acupuncture session with him

He promised me the herbs he prescribe would heal me in one month, the herbs is baizhu, Guizhi, Zhi Gan Cao, FuLing..I have been taking them for two weeks, my vertigo has improved but it seems the stomach is getting worse, I am not sure why, but today when I took the herbs, I felt like its agitating my stomach..at least, it doesnt seems like they are helping my stomach, he clime those herbs are for my stomach specifically, and that the vertigo is coming because of my stomach

Just to let you know, I took the herbs from online, as his clinic have no herbs and I have to order online

So I am thinking to change my acupuncturist, because today when I was at shopping mall, I got serious dezziness, fatigue, and nausea..i was scared of falling down in the mall..it was so scary.. i was extremely disappointed that this is happening after 3 months with Doctor..i am not used to normally have such thing

What do you guys think?

I am so frustrated :(

Just curious why they needle this spot and if it means anything to be sore in this area after acupuncture. Working with an acupuncturist who specializes in women’s health due to struggling with hormonal imbalance and anxiety.

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for reading this.

I just left my acupuncturist and have been seeing her for a while after a car accident. So far it’s been wonderful.

Today she needled the back sides of my neck and I’ve developed a lump the size of a marble on that side on the spot of a needle that went deeper than normal. I left her office maybe an hour ago or so. Just noticed it when i got home.

I called right away and she said to apply a cold compress and call if it remains after two hours but I’m worried.

Is this common? She said it can happen at times but is that a common experience? This has never happened to me before.’

I'm a TCM student in Portland and my mom lives in Vegas and recently had a mini stroke, in addition to western biomedicine she's willing to use acupuncture and herbs to help her recovery and hopefully (maybe?) prevent a new one from happening. Does anyone have any good recs for a practitioner in Vegas for me? Preferably in or near Henderson.

Hello everyone! I’m a university student in California and want to become an acupuncturist! I’ve been so lost lately with what I want to do in life, so any tips for my journey would be very helpful. For anyone studying or is an acupuncturist, what steps did you take to become one? What degree should I be pursuing here?

I saw my acupuncturist on Monday for the first time. The needles were probably only in me for about 10 or 15 mins, he said it was a good first session regardless. My pain, dizziness, brain fog, and even the fatigue was gone for all of Tuesday. But I had a different type of headache. Today I woke up (Wednesday) and all of my symptoms are back, I had to take an FMLA day off from work. I was only good for one full day ☝🏻

Should I anticipate the results to last longer with more sessions?

Thanks.

I tried acupuncture two times and so far I'm relatively impressed but also a bit disappointed. The first time I went for stress relief and vertigo/migraine acupuncture I saw instant relief of my dizziness for about a 80% less. The persistent dizziness was barely there and I could move my head freely without having vertigo. My blurriness and fatigue were also gone. I was very happy as I have this condition for 7 months and it's making my life miserable. I also had a lot of adrenaline, to the point I couldn't sleep. But it was the good adrenaline type, where you want to do things and are very motivated. The symptoms came back after 3 days to the same intensity maybe a 10% better.

2nd time my experience was totally different. I was sedated and wanted to go to sleep instantly. My dizziness was relieved to a 40-50% only, so that left me a bit disappointed.

I'm planning on doing 8-10 sessions. Was anyone with the same problem with me able to cure chronic dizziness or vertigo with acupuncture. Is my experiance normal or I'm resistant to its effects?

I was diagnosed with PCOS 4 years ago. I lost some weight and was on metformin occasionally. I did have period when I took the pills but when I stop periods also stop being regular.

I consulted with an acupuncturist and they told me that periods skipping is pretty usual. Some won't have periods every months and it's normal. There are women who get periods every two months and even six months and they were able to conceive. That's the first time I'm hearing someone say that missing periods is normal. And come to think of it, I have had periods skip since almost the beginning. Also they told the periods we get using pill is not really periods from ovulating and that's the reason it stops once I stop the meds. I have no other symptoms of PCOS other than missing periods and I'm not married. What I need is get back my period cycle. They said try the treatment and check for myself if it's better or not.

Are they right about everything? I did read some women getting cured with acupuncture. I'm considering to try this. Lemme know if I should keep something in mind. Thank youu.

I developed a bad ear infection. A doctor prescribed me this particular antibiotic. Some of the serious side effects of the oral version are related to muscular issues. I’m being treated in acupuncture for upper back pain from tight fascia after an injury. So I’m worried the acupuncture will hurt me.

I'm 28M and planning to find a place to get acupuncture for the first time. I do not need to do it nor aim to treat any conditions, for me it is solely about the experience and relaxation. I've come to understand that is a valid reason, and the practitioners will likely understand.

What advice would you give to me for getting started? Do I get to pick body parts? Also, how can I be sure that the place I'm going to will be safe and professional? Any red flags to watch for?

Any recommendations in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area?

I am an acupuncture patient who is in the process of applying to acupuncture school. I have received 100+ community acupuncture treatments over 10 years or so for various illnesses... and maybe 10-20 more traditional 1:1 practitioner visits with herbs, cupping, etc. These visits have worked for what I was going through (pain, stress, etc)

I usually avoid more western treatments but I am now trying a novel treatment for long-term, treatment-resistant depression with very low dose Ketamine... to TREMENDOUS success! The dissociative quality allows me to detach from my issues temporarily and I no longer feel everything is so 'DIRE' all the time. My questions are as follows:

1. If I wanted to describe the presenting issue in a 'TCM' way how would this translate? (i.e. My therapist says I worry so deeply about all the small things that I am too drained to focus on the 'bigger/important' things in life)

2. If I wanted to describe the mechanism of action/results I am experiencing in TCM terms, how would that translate? (I am energetic, interested in life again, and more able to discern small issues vs big ones)

3. What treatment technique would you employ on me as a practitioner in this field? In lieu of the ketamine, I am happy with results but there are little long-term understanding of effects, so I see it as a temporary 'tool to help me do the work' rather than a long-term crutch.

I know this is a lot, but I am just hoping to use my own experiences as a way to better understand this medicine. Advice from anyone is welcome! (Practitioner, student, interested client, etc)

So while cleaning i found a box of expired needles from when i was in school. Any recommendations on how to dispose or maybe even recycle them

I'm a student with 7.5 months left of TCM school - I'm wondering if you could paint the picture of your day-to-day in this career? How do you feel about your career choice? Are you happy & fulfilled financially? Do you ever have any doubts? What are the good parts and bad parts of this career?

​

I have seen that pulse analysis is a part of acupuncture. For around 10 years I have had an issue with a bounding pulse, my heartbeat is way to strong for my body. The pulse is very visible in my neck, temples, groin, arm and chest. I've had a lot of tests and doctors can't find anything that is wrong. They will comment on my heartbeat being strong, but having an overly strong heartbeat doesn't seem to be a considered medical issue with no other symptoms. The symptom is debilitating, it's so strong that it feels like my headed is constantly getting pounded by blood. I can't get deep restful sleep because of it. I'm trying very hard to find a solution, which is why I find the analysis of pulses in acupuncture interesting. When I was younger I remember my wrist took a bit of time to find but now it's so strong that it can be instantly found.

I am interested to hear about what acupuncturists think about this and what the treatment would be? In practice can you take someone with an excessively strong pulse and make it weaker? I should point out it's not fast, just heavy and strong.

21f. For context. Back in October I started having knee pain. I weight train/strength train and I was at my peak squatting my heaviest and at my strongest then. I was also doing a lot of cardio, my knees gave out. My sudden knee pain would not get any better following cortisone injection, pt exercises, you name it. I got an open MRI and was misdiagnosed with a mild medial meniscus tear.

Pain does not subside. I see an orthopedic dr. And get a new closed MRI. NO meniscus tear, results come back normal. Dr says images are completely normal. So what is going on?

I’ve tried graston, cupping, leg compression sleeves. I have lost so much muscle and I am struggling so badly mentally. Will acupuncture help? Anyone have experience with knee acupuncture? Thanks!

Edit: my knee pain is bilateral ! Both medially

Hey everyone.

I'm a 20M who's been dealing with chronic fatigue with around a year or so. Was previously very healthy; had a super clean diet, slept at least 9 hours a night, worked out a bunch, yada yada yada.

Anyways, I found acupuncture around two months ago, and after doing some research and calling around, settled on a clinic. They said I had a kidney yang deficiency, and over the course of the past 4 visits, I've seen tangible, significant improvement. The effect wears off after some time (at first it only lasted a day, then 3 days, and finally for a week), but it's super promising to have something that actually works for once.

However, one thing that's still seemingly very far off is my sex drive. I understand that the body is smart and obviously is not going to spend resources on sex if its energetic budget is somewhat limited. However, I honestly just really miss having any libido or "fire" per se. It's almost like losing your sense of taste and smell; life just isn't as exciting and it simply doesn't have that spark that it used to have.

All this to say; theoretically, as my body continues to recover with each acupuncture session, will my sex drive eventually return at one point? Are there also any other things I can do to help speed up the process or get my body back online sooner? I understand that I have to give my body time and that there's no value to be had by trying to artificially shortcut the process, but man I just want to be able to live a normal life again. Life just feels so dull and gray without a sex drive (and by natural extension the general energy required for it).

Thanks,

-Khavoqi

Im in my late 30’s and have a very successful career in engineering. Medicine was always my first passion for a career growing up, but I was swayed to change course once I started at University. I really have no regrets in the change. It has afforded me a fantastic life. But I’ve grown tired of it and the passion is just no longer there.

I recently started receiving acupuncture and cupping treatments and this has totally revitalized my passion for medicine and helping others. I found a local program and it looks as if I could complete my doctorate in under 4 years. From my very limited understanding, acupuncture/TCM is an enormous amount of knowledge to take in. I’d be in my early 40’s when I complete the program. I really have no idea how long then one would have to intern and practice before opening their own clinic. Am I too late in the game at this point? Most practitioners around here seem to be well into their 70’s, or in their early/mid 30’s just really getting out on their own.

Is it practical to study while still working full time? Will I have to quit and place a massive burden on my wife while I go back to school? She has also reached a loss of passion in her field and is considering enrolling in law school. I’m incredibly interested in this field. I just do not know if this move would be advised at this point in life.

I’m an in network provider with Humana. Other Medicare insurers Im in network with are easily billed and reimbursed for Medicare pts with icd 10 code m54.50, but Humana rejects this code. I can’t seem to find out if there are secondary codes or modifiers that are specific to humana that are causing the issue. Anyone have success billing Chronic lbp through them and have suggestions? Thanks

Hi there I am 39 and I am considering becoming an acupuncturist, I'm looking for some solid advice.

I'm a failed tech worker who went to college for computer science and never managed to land a job that was consistent, the industry has becoming saturated and AI is making it far too competitive.

I have a strong background in Taoism...

I am considering going to Asia.

I would like to learn five elements or the more traditional modalities that are pre-communist.

Which country might have a great school that would translate to being a practitioner in another country. I am looking for a school that has a strong element and has a history of teaching amazing healers

Question for the practitioners in the states. What do you think about staying out of network vs. being in network. Is it worth it?

told the doctor that I would like to lose a few pounds, take care of the pain in my hips and quit smoking. too big of list? how many appointments did it take before you felt improvement?

update: appointment went well. great practitioner who took time to explain things and put me at ease immediately. was surprised at the low amount of needles she used. I thought I would be laying face down with a few hundred needles like in the movies but is was only 8 needles or so. never felt a thing. anyway, looking forward to next weeks appointment

I am looking to find an acupuncturist. I have acupuncture recently and it was largely disappointing, but I believe it can help me.

I want to find an acupuncturist who has a top reputation. Where do I start? I am from England.