Eliminating Medications From My Regimen

Acupuncture is useful to people all over the planet for relieving pain, aiding healing, and easing stress, but it's understandable if you're hesitant because it involves needles. Any licensed and practiced acupuncturist should follow these steps to ensure your safety while you're being treated. Here's why your first acupuncture treatment will be safe for your body.

Clean Needles

Acupuncturists never reuse needles, nor do they use needles that have been lying around gathering dust or germs. Acupuncturists use blister packs that are filled with a small quantity of new stainless steel needles. These packs are typically opened in the presence of the patient, so you can see for yourself that they're unused and safe.

When your acupuncturist inserts the needle, they will only handle the end of the needle, which has a rubber or plastic tip to protect their hands. Your acupuncturist won't touch the part of the needle that will be inserted into your skin, so you don't need to worry about bacterial transfer.

Clean Skin

Acupuncturists don't stop at using clean needles. Like any physician would, acupuncturists make sure to clean your skin before inserting needles. Typically, your acupuncturist will first palpate your skin to determine where the needles will go. Once they've decided, they'll swab the insertion areas with rubbing alcohol prior to inserting the needles. This will help to prevent problems like staph infections.

Meridians, Not Veins

Lastly, just because acupuncturists use something called a needle doesn't mean that it's anything like getting a needle from a doctor's office. Acupuncturist needles aren't designed to insert a vaccine or to extract fluids from your body, and are completely whole. Your acupuncturist isn't aiming for your veins at all and will do everything in their power to avoid them.

You may have heard that your acupuncturist is aiming for something called an energy meridian. This is the pathway that carries energy throughout your body and can be stimulated to encourage healing and pain relief. However, energy meridians don't overlap with veins, so you don't need to worry about bleeding or having an infectious substance get into your blood.

Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years and is an extremely safe art. If you have further questions regarding the safety of acupuncture, don't be afraid to ask your acupuncturist. Chances are they've heard your questions before and will be more than happy to provide you with an answer that will be reassuring and honest. Companies like Acupractic Natural Healing Center can help answer your questions.