An acupuncture experience

I hate needles. Not that I cry or anything, but I would go to extreme measures to avoid them.

Some of you may know that the choir that I sing in, Alata Harmonia Chorus of Canada, will be giving out a concert on Saturday, March 24. We will be singing Brahm's Requeim. I have the opportunity to sing a solo for one of the songs.

So you may ask yourself, "What does this have to do with acupuncture?"

Since my trip back from Hong Kong, I am still recovering from bronchitis. The bronchitis is gone now, but leaving me with a lingering cough (it's call "hundred-day cough" in Chinese medical term). My voice has been slowly getting back to normal, but it's not recovering as fast as I would like it to...

To speed up the healing process, my vocal teacher suggest that I pay a visit to our choir member (also an acupuncture specialist) to get treatment. Honestly, in my head, I was thinking, "Are you kidding me???"

I have never had acupuncture all my life - and wasn't planning to start trying either. Don't get me wrong. I'm a true believer of Chinese medicine. I can also say that I'm proud of the long history of research that Chinese has put into such practical use. But just offering to have needles poke into me in a voluntary basis is just a little too out of character...

My fellow choir member is an acupuncture specialist. Last time my choir conductor had a flu, the acupuncture specialist was able to cure her in just a few days! So, I've decided to go to him for acupuncture therapy as well. It was a little scary at first, but I think it helped because I knew him from choir before.

The whole session took around 25-30 minutes, starting with a reading of the pulse to determine the condition. Then I had to lie on the bed (like going to the doctor) and he would determine which pressure points need needles. I had total of 7 needles in me. After the needles are flicked into my skin (sorry to make you shiver), I had to lie on the bed for 15-20 minutes. Then, the specialist would pull out the needles and the session is complete.

I think you all want to ask one question: "Did it hurt?"
The answer is - Yes, a little bit. But nothing more than taking a needle. There are some parts of your body more sensitive than others, but it's definitely something that you can bear. The most important thing is, I feel much better! It cleared my congestion a lot and I don't have to gasp for air that much after coughing.

He is a registered acupuncturist, so most of us can claim this with our benefits.