“I Hate Needles!”: Six Reasons Why Acupuncture Needles Are Nothing to Fear
“I hate needles!” Complete strangers often say this to me after they find out what I do for a living.
How do I respond? “Take a Qi pill!”
Don’t flip out and get all judgy until you learn about what my needles can do. Anyway, acupuncture needles aren’t real needles. I feel like they get a bad rap for the “needle” name, so I often call them “magic sticks” instead!
Read on for six reasons why you’ve got nothing to worry about.
1. Acupuncture needles are super skinny.
The needles people often say they hate are hypodermic needles, which are used for blood withdrawals and injections. They’re quite thick and they’re hollow in the centre, because they’re used for the purpose of injecting substances into the body or extracting fluids from it with the help of a syringe. Ouch!
Acupuncture needles are nothing like hypodermic needles. Instead, they’re so thin and fine, they’re like a cat’s whisker or a strand of hair. You can actually fit 40 acupuncture needles into one hypodermic needle. That’s right, 40! In short, they’re much easier to handle than even the most mundane blood draw.
2. Acupuncture needles don’t hurt.
For real, they don’t cause pain. They’re used to move Qi, which runs along the surface of your skin and only requires an insertion of one-eighth to one-sixteenth of an inch. This is because the channels that carry Qi are on the outer surface of the body, so they don’t require a deep insertion to generate a response.
When I insert a needle in an acupuncture session, it’s just a gentle tap, which passes the pain sensor in the surface of your skin. From there, the rest is up to your body. The needle is designed to gently move the patient’s Qi. It’s not forced; opens up the natural healing process and allows for your body’s own healing mechanism to kick in and generate a natural, productive response.
3. These needles won’t turn you into a porcupine.
In each session, I choose the specific points to stimulate based on your needs that day and what’s happening with your Qi. The selection of the points is very specific to your body’s needs and to your constitution. No two treatments are ever the same, even if they’re for the same ailment.
The idea isn’t to put in as many needles as possible. There are over 3,000 acupuncture points running all over the body; there’s no need to use them all at once! Anyway, it’s not the number of needles used that matters so much as the specific combination. Some days, you may only need 10 or 15 points, while others require 80 to 100 needles. (Football players, you know who you are!)
4. You will feel a gentle sensation. That means it’s working.
When each needle goes in, the arrival of Qi, known as “De Qi,” occurs on your body’s own timing in a gentle and regulated manner. Patients describe the sensation as a small tingle, a warming sensation, even a small itch. It lasts for five to 10 seconds.
Anything you feel during a treatment is excellent. We want the Qi to be awakened so it can address any blockages, imbalances or deficiencies. You want to feel the Qi!
5. Acupuncture is very relaxing.
Another fantastic feature of acupuncture treatment: the natural stimulation of your relaxation response! Once the first few points are placed, it elicits a neural response, opening pathways in your brain and allowing for the parasympathetic system to engage the release of endorphins and enkephalins—natural pain mediators, without the toxicity of narcotics. This is the opposite effect of the stress response produced by the sympathetic system, which is often overstimulated from the constant strains of everyday life.
How nice is that?! Acupuncture gives you a chance to chill!
Acupuncture is your time for healing. Here, you get to disconnect from the outside world and the constant stimulation of technology. You get a chance to enjoy some much-needed peace and tranquillity. I want you to learn to be selfish for your Qi!
6. Acupuncture will take you from “ack!” to “zzzzzz.”
In fact, acupuncture is a great excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day. And no-one needs to know! Yes, you read that right: napping is a common response to acupuncture treatment. You don’t have to doze off if you don’t want to, but once the needles are placed, people do commonly fall asleep thanks to that relaxation response... in case you needed any proof that acupuncture doesn’t hurt!
This down time lets your body adjust to the new flow of Qi and do some deep healing work. At the end of your treatment, you’ll wake refreshed and ready to get back out in the world, with all the benefits of your acu-nap!
I hope I’ve allayed your fears!
I know needles can still be a deterrent for some people, but I hope that by reading this you may find some reassurance. Everyone truly deserves the amazing health benefits of acupuncture. It would be a shame to miss out because of needless worry!
Regular acupuncture treatments will help regulate and balance your Qi levels, improve your quality of life and keep you in great shape to do whatever you want to do in the next five, 10 or even 50 years. Acupuncture has no side effects, uses no chemicals, and introduces no toxicity into the body. Best of all, your body remembers where it last left off in terms of Qi regulation so with each session, you always move forward—no regression.
So, if you’re considering acupuncture, don’t think about the needles. Just think about what your body needs and deserves!