How did you get into acupuncture?!

There are a couple of questions that an acupuncturist gets asked over and over again. One is "Do the needles hurt?" (Usually there is minimal, if any, discomfort -- see a future blog post for more about this!) The second question that people always ask is, "How did you get into acupuncture anyway?" This is a reasonable question, since acupuncture and herbal medicine are still considered "alternative" medicine in the United States. This is changing quickly, but for now, people often end up at an acupuncturist's office because they have "tried everything else".

This was certainly my experience. During college, I was in a car accident which left me with several herniated discs in my low back. During the next two years, I sought out a variety of treatments to address the severe back pain and sciatica I felt on a daily basis. I tried yoga, chiropractic care, physical therapy, physiatry, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, codeine, and epidural steroid injections. None of these provided relief. Finally, I was told that there were no options left and that I would need to undergo an invasive surgical procedure to correct the herniated discs. This surgery would require about 8 weeks of recovery and bed rest, and was not even guaranteed to take away the pain. Needless to say, this was not an appealing option!

I went to visit my parents in upstate New York, and my father got me an appointment with one of his dental patients, an acupuncturist named Ric. Ric told me that since the pain was severe and chronic, it would likely require regular treatment to alleviate the pain. He told me that if I felt even the slightest improvement after my treatment, I should find an acupuncturist in New York and go for weekly treatment. I was slightly skeptical, but ready to try ANYTHING to avoid surgery.

I was surprised (and pleased!) by how easy and painless the acupuncture treatment was -- compared with the needles I was used to at doctors' offices, these were nothing! I felt mild tingling sensations or slight pressure at some of the points; at other points, I felt nothing at all. I left the office feeling hopeful...

The next day I woke up and noticed that I felt slightly better than I had the day before. Most notably, the sciatica seemed less severe. On Ric's advice, I contacted an acupuncturist named Kathleen in New York. She immediately started me on Chinese herbs, and I went for weekly acupuncture sessions. The pain gradually became less and less severe, and I became more and more hopeful about the possibility that I could avoid surgery and live my life without debilitating back pain and sciatica.

Meanwhile, throughout this Eastern and Western medical odyssey, I was working at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, doing clinical trials to develop and test psychiatry medications. I loved working in healthcare, and I really enjoyed working with anxious and depressed patients. I felt that a career in healthcare would be perfect for me, although I wasn't really sure what I wanted to specialize in... and then suddenly it dawned on me -- I would go to acupuncture school! I would learn to practice the medicine that had helped me avoid back surgery and kept me fully functional and pain-free. I could incorporate my knowledge and experience with western mental health care into my Chinese medicine practice. I read about it and researched programs, and finally enrolled in school in New York City, where I completed my clinical training and earned a Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I am often asked if I like being an acupuncturist, and I tell people that I think I have the best job in the world. I love treating such a wide variety of conditions (click here for a list of conditions that are commonly treated with acupuncture), and watching people improve is incredibly satisfying. For those who are skeptical, like I was, I tell them to give it a chance and see how effective (and pleasant!) treatment can be.

Are you "out of options" for a condition that you have had for months or years? Learn from my experience -- give acupuncture a try! Feel free to call me at (917) 596-6385, or e-mail Jessica@YunkerAcupuncture.com, if you would like to discuss a specific condition.