Acupuncture treatment for back pain I had a session of acupuncture treatment for the back pain that I've been suffering from for the past month. One of my yoga instructors, Anne Thiel, recommended that I try acupuncture, instead of a chiropractor or doctor for dealing with the lower back sprain. She recommended a young couple, Kelly Welch and Katherine Yonkers, here in downtown DC, only a few blocks from my work place. They were on my CareFirst approved list of alternative medicine providers so I got a discount. I would have gone sooner, but they were on vacation for the week prior to July 4th so I got an appointment as early as I could fit into Welch's schedule. Since this was the first time, the session lasted 90 minutes -- the first half for a general evaluation and history taking, and the second half was the treatment. Welch explained the principles behind the Chinese medical practice and explained how it would be applied to my problem.

I came out of the office without feeling even an ache in my lower back, a relaxing flush in my body and a new appreciation for an "occult science." Admittedly, as soon as I made my appointment this week, the pain began to subside sharply. Today, it was not that severe and I even had some problems pinpointing it once I was lying on my stomach. I will have to see how I feel after my yoga class this afternoon.

I will have two more sessions, the first in a weeks time', and then assess if additional treatment is necessary. I have read that back pain has a really low success rate for treatment, though my is not chronic pain so it may not be more prone to treatment. I liked that the treatment was holistic in approach and fit smoothly and neatly with my yoga practices: there's no meaningful difference between Chi and prana -- both are life energy.

Postdata: I noticed during my yoga class that I felt energized and in touch, even though it's been a while since I had a class and I was out of form. It was a very emotionally satisfying session, even though my thighs ached from the deep lunges.

  ¶ 2:08 PM