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BASIC ACUPUNCTURE

Nicole Tomlinson: You have heard of acupuncture but perhaps been too intimidated to try it? With all those needles who can blame you. I am here today with I am here today with Kirsten Karchmer, who is going to demystify the practice of acupuncture. Hi Kirsten, how are you?

Kirsten Karchmer: I am doing great, thanks!

Nicole Tomlinson: Good, good, briefly what is acupuncture?

Kirsten Karchmer: Acupuncture is a form of medicine that's in practice for over 3,500 years in China. It is a form of medicine that works with your body's electric system.

Nicole Tomlinson: Your body has an electrical system?

Kirsten Karchmer: Well, let's do an experiment; is it okay if I touch your body? If I touch your body here, do you feel something?

Nicole Tomlinson: Hmm.

Kirsten Karchmer: How do you know?

Nicole Tomlinson: I don't know, I guess I just feel it. My brain tells me.

Kirsten Karchmer: Right, so if I touch your arm here a message travels along your nerve to your brain, it gives you a message, something is touching me. And your brain processes that information and makes a decision. What should I do about that? Is that a bee? Is that something warm, is that a loving touch from somebody that you care for.

What we believe is that there are many points all over the body they have very specific functions, these functions might tell the body to expand the blood vessels, to narrow the blood vessels, to promote urination, to move fluids in the body. And so when we put a needle in that, a needle conducts electricity.

So if we put a needle in a point that causes the blood vessels to dilate, like if I put a point right here in your hand. One of the functions of this point causes the blood vessels to dilate; the side effect of that treatment is it will make headache go away.

Nicole Tomlinson: Oh I have heard that if you massage this part right here, so that's similar.

Kirsten Karchmer: It's similar.

Nicole Tomlinson: So there is all different points all over the body that can trigger certain reactions to cure certain ailments?
Kirsten Karchmer: Exactly, if you come to an acupuncturist and say I have headaches, the first question we ask to ourselves, now headache, why? Why do you keep getting headaches? What organ system in your body, what's not working such that the side effect is you continuing to get a headache?

Nicole Tomlinson: So you go to the source and that way you inevitably find the cure.

Kirsten Karchmer: We try to do, of curse we never want to say well acupuncture can cure everything. But certainly what we try to do is understanding what the root cause. That root cause is frequently causing a lot of other symptoms. Insomnia or poor digestion or gassy bloating or fatigue.

NicoleTomlinson: Now I have poor digestion. I every once in awhile, just stomach distention, and pain in my stomach and really have a hard time, so acupuncture could help me with that?

Kirsten Karchmer: Acupuncture sure could help you. Now remember again we could put -- if you came to me today and said oh I am very bloated and distended, I am feeling very uncomfortable, I could put some needles that would make those or give you some herbs that would make those symptoms go away. That's not very complicated kind of treatment.

A more masterful kind of treatment when you came in and said well I from time-to-time have these problems I can ask myself why? Why do you have these problems? Where another person doesn't have those problems. So you want to investigate, you are looking for all the clues that you can to make an appropriate diagnosis.

My old teacher always said, the truth is, is that for the most part Chinese medicine works, it is not working because your diagnosis is wrong. So you haven't identified clearly what the real root is.

Nicole Tomlinson: I see so what we have to do is go back through my own personal history.

Kirsten Karchmer: Your health history.

Nicole Tomlinson: Find out along the where along the way we got troubled, figure out how my digestive maladies were caused?

Kirsten Karchmer: Sure. Okay, Nicole, so as you talked about before you are having some digestive problems, some gas and bloating. Are there any other symptoms that you want to tell me that we didn't talk about?

NicoleTomlinson: That's pretty much it.

Kirsten Karchmer: Okay. You have been prepped for acupuncture and so your points have been cleaned with some alcohol and now we are going to give you a treatment if that's okay with you.

NicoleTomlinson: Yes.

Kirsten Karchmer: Okay, so before I put in the points I just want to show you one more time, see we use single use, disposable needles. So we are going to just touch this one, alright? We are not going to use this one. So you can take your fingers, and see it is very fine. You can try and bend it even.

Nicole Tomlinson: Oh, it's almost hair like.

Kirsten Karchmer: That's why I use a guide tube, because the needle is so fine if I try to insert it with my hand it will bend. Okay, so because this is your first acupuncture treatment we are going to do just a few needles. And what you can expect to feel is the guide tube on your skin and then a little thump. Okay? Do you have any concerns or questions?

Nicole Tomlinson: No, I just wanted to know, just because it's my first time we are going to do just a couple and as you gradually go back for treatments you increase the amount?

Kirsten Karchmer: Yes, plus we want to see different people respond to acupuncture in different ways. Some people respond very strongly and some people don't respond very much at all and most people respond somewhere in the middle. We want to give you the appropriate amount of needles and stimulation for your body.

Now the needles are going to go into muscles. So it's important that once the needles are in that you try to remain still. So you feel the guide tube on your skin and a little thump. How does that feel?

Nicole Tomlinson: That one actually kind of hurt a little bit.

Kirsten Karchmer: Acupuncture is looking for what's blocked in your body and trying to open it up. So as those places that are blocked open up sometimes they will stagnate in other places, and then acupuncture can work it out and you will feel it just dissipate.

Nicole Tomlinson: I see so it flows like just water in a tube.

Kirsten Karchmer: Sure, your body's energy should be circulating through your body and when it's blocked sometimes you will feel some pressure and then as that blockage dissipates then you will feel some relief in that. But I am telling you this so that you won't be concerned there is nothing to be worried about. There is no needles near your internal organs, although sometimes there are. And so you can just relax, most people go to sleep when they get acupuncture, snoring is fine. Drooling is fine, I will wake you up when our treatment is over.

Nicole Tomlinson: Thank you so much!

Kirsten Karchmer: Okay, is the temperature comfortable for you?

Nicole Tomlinson: Yes, it is.

If you are looking to get to the root of your problems, acupuncture just might be the way to go, as you can see it's relaxing, relatively pain free and totally natural.

I am Nicole Tomlinson, and from all of us at Zen Living thank you so much for watching and we will catch you next time. Peace!

Speaker: All original shows fall in HD from onnetworks.com.

BASIC ACUPUNCTURE Nicole Tomlinson: You have heard of acupuncture but perhaps been too intimidated to try it? With all those needles who can blame you. I am here today with I am here today with Kirsten Karchmer, who is going to demystify the practice of acupuncture. Hi Kirsten, how are you? Kirsten... click to read more