A lot of my patients ask me if I get acupuncture or if I give myself acupuncture. The answer is definitely yes.
I woke up Friday with a swollen eye, a headache and a full day’s worth of patients. The weather had turned just a little bit chillier during the night, but the mild change in barometric pressure was enough to set off what I knew was about to be a migraine in an hour or two.
I managed to treat a few patients until my symptoms progressed to photophobia (aversion to light), nausea and vertigo. The rest of my patients were understanding about having to reschedule them, and I took my own advice to 1) keep hydrated and 2) get some acupuncture!
I settled into the bench in my favorite room and gave myself a basic headache treatment with points I could reach on myself. Laying down makes my symptoms worse, so I snuggled into the bench and observed my breath and the changes acupuncture facilitated in my body. Sometimes that’s a lot harder than it sounds. It’s difficult for me to stay still during the day. I like to be on the move and get things done. My chronic pain is better if I keep moving gently throughout the day. So sitting still is a physical challenge for me, and it was a mental challenge for me to just sit there and allow the treatment to work. And that is totally normal for a lot of people.
It took a good ten minutes before I noticed anything other than the pounding pain, nausea and vertigo. But slowly, those symptoms eased up. After about 15 minutes, it felt like a fog was lifting from my brain. I felt alert again. The helmet-like pounding receded to a dull, but manageable stabbing in my occiput. After a half hour I was ready to take out the needles and slowly resume light office duties. I rearranged my keyboard and changed my chair to make it more ergonomic, which was probably contributing to the issue. I got a chiropractic adjustment, and started my individualized homeopathic regime for migraines. I kept drinking water and resting.
By the end of the day, I was feeling well enough to treat a patient who’d been having headaches, too. It worked for them just as well as it had for me earlier in the day.
It’s such an honor and a joy to be able to help ease people’s pain with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. And it’s a relief to know that when I’m feeling bad, I can have relief for myself with just a few needles and a little rest.
Nicole Noles Collins is a NCCAOM Board Certified Diplomate of Acupuncture and licensed to practice acupuncture in the state of Florida. She owns Vitalichi Acupuncture in Port Charlotte, Florida. Nicole has two bachelor of science degrees – Alternative Medicine (holistic) and Professional Health Sciences (western medicine concepts) – as well as a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has a passion for writing and natural health. Please visit her website at http://www.vitalichi.com and like her Facebook page at Vitalichi Acupuncture. For more information, call 941-979-9793.
Vitalichi Acupuncture 