Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used with great clinical success for over 3000 years to help people maintain energetic balance and experience optimal health. It is gaining more and more acceptance each year because of its effectiveness. If you are reading this right now, you are obviously considering it as a treatment for your own condition. There are a few common obstacles for prospective patients. They are:

The Needles

One major obstacle for prospective patients is the idea of the needles. The fact is, acupuncture needles are NOTHING like hypodermic needles. Acupuncture needles are solid and thin, they do not have a hole in them like doctor’s needles, and the majority of the time you do not even feel them. Of course, all of the needles are sterile and single use.

Exotic /Unknown/ Alternative Treatment

I also know that many people consider acupuncture strange or exotic. Over a decade ago when I first tried it as a patient I felt the very same way. Nowadays acupuncture is much less exotic and much more accepted. Acupuncturists in Massachusetts are registered by the Board of Registration in Medicine, the same board that registers doctors and nurses. We have to have extensive training. We practice in conjunction with doctors and nurses. Some of us even practice acupuncture in hospital settings. To find out more about my background and training, please see my bio (link).

Research

Some people feel that acupuncture is not an actual science. That is simply incorrect. It is both and art and a science with thousands of years of clinical experience passed down through the years. More and more research is being conducted each year to show its effectiveness. Not to mention, it simply would not still exist after 3000 years if it did not work. Some of the more widely published recent studies, which confirmed what acupuncturists have known for thousands of years, showed its effectiveness in treating knee pain from osteoarthritis, low back pain, and infertility. If you are interested in finding research about your particular condition I suggest a few links below. You might also simply type “acupuncture + your condition” into search engines like Yahoo or Google and you will find plenty of research and testimonials:

Acupuncture Today
Acubriefs.com
Acupuncture.com

I hope this helps you in your decision to try acupuncture. You have little or nothing to lose in trying, and if it improves your health or wellbeing you will have gained much.