Mental well-being

Achievements:
I was waiting for a table at a small restaurant one night, and there was a young women sitting outside clutching her head and moaning and rocking. I didn't know her, and I didn't know if she was just crying or was in pain. I pointed to her and asked someone sitting near her, "Is she ok?" The friend said she was having a migraine. I asked her if she would like an acupuncture treatment in the feet, to relieve the pain, and she cried, "If it will help, yes." I put a needle in each foot, the point corresponding to migraine headaches, and 4 or 5 minutes later, she was acting normal again. She thanked me profusely, and asked how long she should sit there. I asked her if she could hang out for up to 20 minutes, and then I'd remove them. So that's what we did, and she went home feeling fine. I hope she continued to see an acupuncturist somewhere. No - I did not give her my card.

Disappointments:
My patient trying the "stop smoking" protocol missed her last two appointments. I hope she picks up again so we can continue until she is cigarette-free. (We got down from 20 cigs to 5 in a week.) But we as acupuncturists sometimes don't know if someone just feels good enough to quit treatments, or forgot to look at their calendar, or can't afford to continue, or whatever. It's a special treat when someone calls to let us know why they aren't continuing, if we were expecting them to show up.

Struggles:
This topic deserves so much more space than a paragraph. A book would do. I have been told by two friends who are holistic healthcare practitioners, that they have had patients come back to the clinic to complain to them about how they were treated.
A comment made to both of them was, "I didn't like how you kept asking me how I felt during the treatment...you didn't sound confident enough. And I didn't feel like I had the right to answer honestly. I felt like I had to say I was ok. You controlled me."
Other concerns they expressed had to do with the line of questioning during the intake. Even though they only had back pain, for instance, "how dare" the practitioner single them out with embarassing questions about their menstrual cycle, or ask them to show their tongue.
These are steps in every treatment- regardless of complaint- so it seems we are at risk of disturbing some patients who don't know what to expect from a treatment. A tough question now is, do we need to try and detect patients who seem distrusting, from that first phone call? And prepare them more carefully? I'm sure we can't every time, although there are sometimes clues during the first phone call. Then, should we study a protocol for reassuring patients who seem hesitant to answer our questions? Or be thorough in each New Patient treatment with explaining what to expect. Maybe these occurences aren't avoidable, and we just need to be sincere and sympathetic when it happens. I bet the answer is "all of the above." Holistic medicine attracts patients who don't trust or like conventional medicine. But how can we help the patients who don't trust or like any one-on-one, communication-based attention?

Ren 1

Achievements:
I have treated my new "stop smoking" patient 3 times now. After the first 2, she said she had cut back from a pack a night, to 5 cigarettes. She is amazed at how much her sinuses have cleared (surprise!) and how blissed out the treatments make her feel.

Disappointments:
It didn't occur to me that one of my regular patient's headaches were caused by dairy. She reported a huge improvement since eliminating dairy from her diet. As long as she figured it out and she's better, I'm happy. You learn something every day.

Struggles:
You can't believe how much composure you have to summon up, and quickly, when you realize you have to use the point called Ren 1 on a stranger for the first time. It is a point on the perineum effective for several urinary and sexual symptoms, but often we can select other points instead. This time I couldn't, so talked with the patient about it, and received permission to use the point. Then I just clenched my jaw, calmly put on my latex gloves, and worked on reassuring my patient that it wouldn't hurt. That's the hard part. I know needling the point won't hurt.
I know the patient is going to be nervous with the delicate situation. I know I feel enough awkwardness for both of us, for putting us in this position. But I have to exude confidence, peace, wisdom, and perhaps a little humor to get the patient through that one second quickly, so they can leave behind all the: "OH MY GOD, oh my god, oh my god...are you done yet?"

I believe I pulled it off! (Including all the psychological steadiness.) The symptoms are improving, and the patient is joking about it.

Misc:
My eyes were opened to a use of an herbal formula I have never prescribed. There is one for "damp-heat in the lower extremities", but I wasn't sure if I'd ever see a patient that needed it. Then I realized this summer: when I drink alcohol, my feet get so hot and swollen, I can't sleep at night! And: alcohol is the most damp-hot substance we consume! (Damp-heat= Chinese medical terminology for disorders presenting with swelling, redness, and heat sensations.)

Now I take this formula when I drink alcohol, and BAM!..feet symptoms are gone!

Welcome to my fascinating world!

Every day that I was in acupuncture school, and many days since, I have been in awe of what acupuncture and herbs do to cure or treat symptoms, disorders and diseases.

Besides just being excited to tell you what I witness at the clinic, I hope to answer the often-heard questions: "What does acupuncture treat? How quickly should I see results?" For the former: the list is too expansive, and truly my goal is not to bore you. For the latter: patients can respond at different speeds and magnitudes. But we expect significant change in 2-3 treatments for acute cases, and more for chronic cases.

To give you a behind-the-scenes idea, here are my EXTREMELY abbreviated notes from this week:

ACHIEVEMENTS -
Great success (since the first treatment) for depression caused by hormone fluctuations.
Much improvement (in first 2 treatments) for sprains & pains of new exercise regimen.
And...I convinced a new patient to try acupuncture for smoking cessation! Most people don't go for the 2-3x/week schedule!

DISAPPONTMENTS -
No noticeable improvement yet in patient with hyperhidrosis (excess sweating). I am following a protocol from published research, which was for 10 weeks. I have only finished week 5...and it is a HOT and HUMID summer...so I will stay hopeful a while longer.

STRUGGLES -
I have decided to offer housecalls, and that is working well. But it's tricky to figure out the schedule and my limits regarding time, energy, and traffic.

MISC -
My coworker received a birth announcement from one of his Labor Induction patients! How nice! We ask all of our patients we do this for, to let us know some day how quickly it worked. It is usually fast-acting, so I do offer a free follow-up treatment the next day, if the first treatment wasn't immediately effective. I never get any news, but I never get anyone coming back the second day, either.