Piercing and Healing: My Acupuncture Experience

Alternative healing, naturopathy, homeopathy and Ayurveda have always been a huge part of my life. Popping pills and taking medication was something we (my family) just didn't do! Having a grandmother who continues to practice yoga at the age of 90, a mother who has studied reiki, an aunt and uncle who are homeopathic doctors, my inclination to explore non-traditional healing methods is TREMENDOUS. As a kid, when contracting colds became a frequent phenomenon, my mom took me and my brother to an ashram, where they taught us jal neti, where you pour water up one nostril and it comes out of the other, to irrigate the sinuses. Many years later, my mother studied acupressure, and eventually acupuncture (even though she cannot practice the latter, as one needs to be a medical doctor for the same).

From http://www.kapuracu.com

So basically I am giving the background as to how I landed up in an acupuncturist's clinic; why I agreed to succumb to needles being put into me, given my phobia of needles. (This does not include piercings as I have 11 of those!) I decided to get acupuncture in India because its more affordable and my mom could accompany me, as I was TERRIFIED. In fact, it was she who suggested I try it. This was because my knees were beginning to hurt, and there was stiffness in my neck and back, due to excessive dancing. And by the time I went to the clinic, I also had a horrible cold and sinus. (shouldn't have stopped that jal neti!)

Doctor Raman and Sunita Kapur's Clinic in GK 1, New Delhi, is well known, but I was still not prepared for the large number of people who flocked there. They do acupuncture for all kinds of ailments, diseases, for quitting smoking as well as for cosmetic reasons. They conduct a test using a specialized instrument which they place on your palms and determine where the "blockages" are. Acupuncture is based on the concept of Qi, the life energy in the body, and needles are inserted to allow it to FLOW and rejuvenate, by removing any BLOCKAGES.

From http://www.silverpointacupuncture.com

My first day and I had 27 needles in me, including 7 on my FACE. But almost immediately, I could feel a relaxing sensation and a flow of energy within me. There were several needles on my knees, and they put herbal pellets called moxa through them, which were burnt to allow the heat to seep into the knees. I know it sounds INTENSE, but it was actually really soothing. 30 minutes later, they came in and removed the needles. The sinus went away in about 3 days and the gradually the deep ache in my knees eased too. 10 days and over a hundred needles later, I felt GREAT!

Now that I am back in the studio, dancing for several hours at a time, I am glad I spent that time taking care of my body. I would highly recommend acupuncture to anyone who has any chronic pains (though my pain wasn't caused by any medical condition like arthritis, it was more due to the high impact of dancing). Doctor Raman Kapur is FANTASTIC; my only criticism is that the clinic tends to be really NOISY. The staff chatter constantly and sometimes are just a bit haphazard. There were few times when my mother had to remind them to put the moxa, or tell them that my session was over. The most annoying was one day when the moxa was too hot, I rang the bell for the staff and no one showed up! My mom just added extra paper, but that is not the point.

Overall it was a good experience, though I wish that the atmosphere was more peaceful. But my pain has VANISHED so I can't really complain!