Feb. 15, 2023

Ep. 8: Does it hurt? Exploring the sensations of acupuncture

Ep. 8: Does it hurt? Exploring the sensations of acupuncture
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Notes from Your Acupuncturist

It’s the most frequently asked of all the frequently asked questions about acupuncture…is it painful?

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Today’s episode of the podcast is a listener question episode, and I’m answering the question I’ve been asked more than any other…does acupuncture hurt?

The short answer is…not really.

The long answer is that it depends on a number of variables, including the practitioner’s style, the type of needle being used, the desired therapeutic effect, and most importantly, what’s happening in your body at that very moment.

And what do all those sensations mean, anyway? They could indicate an area of qi stagnation, or they might mean you didn’t sleep well the night before, and they’re often signs of the subtle energetic shifts of healing.

If you’ve never tried acupuncture and curious about it feels, or if you’re an acupuncture patient who’s ever wondered why you feel some points more than others, this is the episode for you.

Notes from Your Acupuncturist is a reader- and listener-supported publication. If you enjoy my work, you can become a paid subscriber for just a few dollars a month at https://notesfromyouracupuncturist.substack.com

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Transcript

0:00:04
Welcome to Notes From Your Acupuncturist. The podcast for anyone who's interested in Acupuncturist complimentary medicine, holistic health, and self care. I'm your host, Alexa Bradley Hulsey. If you enjoy this show, you can help other people discover it by leaving a rating or a review, by following or subscribing on your favorite podcast listening app, or simply by telling someone about And if you'd like to support this show financially, you can become a paid subscriber on Substack for just a few dollars a month. Just head over to substack dot com and search no from your acupuncturist or click the link in the show notes. And one more thing before we get started, just a disclaimer that this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical care from a qualified healthcare provider. Okay. On with the show. Hello, everyone. Thank you for being here.

0:00:58
Welcome to Notes From Your Acupuncturist. I'm your host, Alexa Bradley Halcy, and today is a listener question episode. If you have a question about acupuncture, I would love to hear from you. If you're a sub Slack subscriber, you can get in touch by commenting on any of my posts or replying to any email. You can also message me on Facebook or Instagram at notesfrom Your Acute. And if you send a voice memo, I will play that on the air. So on to today's question. This is the first of my listener question episodes So I'm starting with the most frequently asked of all the frequently asked questions, which is, does acupuncture hurt?

0:01:44
And the short answer is not really. But let's dig into that a little more. Because there are a lot of elements of an acupuncture treatment and a lot of variables. And each of them influence the type of sensation you feel the amount of sensation and the intensity of the sensation. So let's first talk about all of those variables. The first and most important element of an acupuncture treatment is you. Your body constitution and everything happening within your body. All of that will influence how the treatment feels to you. I can do the exact same points using the same size needles inserted to the same depth and with equal amounts of stimulation on two different people and it will feel different to each of them because you are unique and so is your body. And so are the sensations you feel. And also your body is different on different days. Maybe you didn't sleep well the night before. Maybe you just drink a lot of coffee. Maybe you're about to start your period. All of that can impact what you feel during an acupuncture treatment.

0:02:56
Another element is the practitioner. There are lots of different styles of acupuncture and ways that we approach treatment. So some acupuncturists go for a relatively painless insertion, while others will have more of a no pain, no gain approach. It also depends on what sort of therapeutic effect we're trying to bring about. So say we want to strongly invigorate the flow of she and blood. We might use a strong stimulating technique. We might paturle the needle or lift and thrust the needle after we place it. And all of that you'll feel more and it might be a little more uncomfortable. Some practitioners do strong stimulation on every needle while others will barely do any. So those are the two main variables. You and the practitioner.

0:03:49
And then another variable is the needle itself. And I feel like the word needle is a bit of a misnomer. Because what we use for acupuncture is really more of a filament than a needle. It's extremely thin and very flexible and it's solid because we don't inject anything into the body. So when people hear the word needle, they often imagine getting an injection with a hypodermic needle.

0:04:15
Getting acupuncture is nothing like getting an injection. You could fit about fifteen to twenty acupuncture needles inside one hypodermic needle. Each acupuncture needle is about the width of two human hairs. So the type of sensation you're going to feel with acupuncture is very, very different than what you'd feel with a hypodermic needle. Also, acupuncture needles come in various thicknesses and lengths.

0:04:46
And an acupuncturist will select a needle based on the patient and where the needle is being placed and what type of therapeutic response we're trying to bring about. So for example, we'll use shorter needles on the ears because there's not much flesh there. We'll use longer needles on areas of the body with more muscle or fat tissue. And then there's also a lot of variation in needle quality. Some needles are even coated with silicone to help them glide into the body more smoothly. So a lot of the variables in needle size and quality are based on practitioner preference, and again on you, the patient, and what your body needs. And finally, one more variable, which is where on your body those needles are going.

0:05:37
Some parts of the body are just naturally gonna be more sensitive than others. The extremities are often more sensitive than points closer to the center of the body, and that's because the she flows more superficially at the extremities. And we use these points on the extremities often for this very reason because the chi flows more superficially here these points have a powerful impact. Pain of the needle site is often also a sign of cheese stagnation. So if you feel something when the needle goes in, that generally means that the needle is doing its job. It's stimulating the flow of she. I joke with my patients that the more it hurts, the more you need it.

0:06:23
So when a point has a powerful action, to elicit change in the body, you're more likely to experience some sort of needle sensation. So those are the variables. So now let's talk about some of those sensations you might feel during an acupuncture treatment. What can you expect that to feel like? Kind of two parts to this. So part one is when the needle goes in, and then part two is after the acupuncturist has walked away and you're lying there relaxing with the needles in. So part one, when the needle goes in. The most common sensations are either going to be a little zing when the needle goes in or a dull achy sensation. You might notice this with some points more than others, And again, that's based on the action of the point and the the state of the chi flowing there. You might also experience something we call duchy, which translates to the arrival of g. And this is a signal that the needle has connected with the chi of your body and now your chi is responding in some way.

0:07:35
Dutch chi is really important. I think of it as where the magic happens. It's the thing that makes acupuncture effective. But here's the thing. Every acupunctureist has a different interpretation of what does she means. So I had a teacher in acupuncture school who insisted that Dutchy was only achieved when both the patient and the practitioner could visibly feel the muscle jump at the site of the needle insertion. So we'd have us practice this on each other and we'd needle each other and then stimulate the heck out of the needle by twirling it or thrusting it up and down in the skin until the muscle jumped. And we ended up giving each other a lot of bruises from this exercise but it did help us all understand what was that strong duchy sensation.

0:08:28
Personally in my own practice, I'm not looking for the patient to necessarily feel the arrival of she, but I do try to feel it on my end of the needle. And I guess the best way I can explain it is that I'm looking for a feeling of like a tightening around the needle. I wanted to feel like the patient's body is accepting the needle and holding onto it. If you do feel something when the needle goes in, it's likely you're feeling that duchy sensation. But don't worry if you don't feel it. Like I said, every practitioner has a different interpretation of what do she means, So if you're not feeling it, your body is still getting the benefits of acupuncture.

0:09:16
So once the needles are in and your acupuncture steps away, and gives you time to rest. Any uncomfortable sensations you felt when the needles went in, like a zing or a zap or a dull ache, that's naturally gonna dissipate on its own. And then, and this to me is the fun part. While you're lying there resting, you might start to experience some new sensations. So I made a list of some of the sensations you might feel. And this is just a partial list, but these are things that either I personally have felt during an acupuncture session or patients told me that they have felt. So could be a sensation of floating or levitating above this table. A sensation of spinning. A feeling of being very heavy or sinking into the table. Tingling sensations in the body may be focused in one area or maybe randomly in different areas or maybe throughout the body. A feeling like water is flowing through the body. Changes in temperature. See in colors. Feeling not quite asleep, but not fully awake either. And all of these are signs that your chi is moving and your body is subtly shifting its energy and rebalancing in response to the needles. I love when I experience something like this during a treatment because to me, it's a sign that my body is doing the work of healing.

0:10:51
And one more thing I want to add about nasal sensations. If you are ever really uncomfortable during a treatment and you can't relax because one of the needles hurts or something is bothering you, it's good to speak up. We don't want you to lie there in pain and suffering. So make sure your acupuncturist knows if something is bothering you. Because we can adjust it and we want you to be comfortable. So, there's your answer to the question of, does acupuncture hurt? Not really, but it's dependent on so many variables. The preferences of the practitioner treating you the areas of the body being treated, the type of needle being used, and much more. But The most important element is always you. Your energy is what produces those sensations in response to the needles. When you do feel something, just know that it's a sign, that your body is doing what it needs to do.

0:11:56
If you have questions about acupuncture and holistic health, I would love to hear from you. You can message me directly on Facebook or Instagram at no severe acute. And bonus points if you send me a voice memo so I can play it on the air. Or you can comment on any of my sub tech posts or reply to any of my sub tech emails. Thank you for listening to today's episode of Notes From Your Acupuncturist.

0:12:20
If you liked what you heard, please follow this show, leave a rating or review, or just tell someone about it. And if you want to join the conversation, you can subscribe to notes from your Acupuncturist on SubSec, where you can comment, ask questions, participate in discussion threads, watch videos, and read more of my reflections on acupuncture and healing. Huge thanks as always to our paid subscribers for helping keep this work sustainable. You too can become a paid subscriber fiber for just a few dollars a month. Just head over to substock dot com and search notes from your Accupuncturist or click the link in the show notes. Until next time, This is Alexa Bradley Hulsey, your acupuncturist signing off with love and gratitude.

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