Acupuncture

Th 8.8.13

luckily, I didn't need THIS many needles

• I had never tried any kind of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but have been curious since living in Korea where many people treat ailments with things like acupuncture, cupping, herbs, etc.
• so when I started feeling this terrible back/pelvic pain, then saw a certified acupuncturist (Lauren @ Acupuncture Buenos Aires) post an article about treating pregnant women on a Facebook "BA mom" group...I thought I'd give it a try
• Lauren is from the States and is living here with her Argentine husband and two young boys (ages three and one)
• she is a licensed acupuncturist with a number of certifications and several clinical and classroom hours of experience under her belt
• I contacted her, filled out the personal health history form online, and made my appointment
• the appointment began with a conversation about my answers to these health questions, she took my pulse, and we discussed my pain issues and goals
• then came the needles...
• I naively was expecting it to be fairly pain free, but it ended up hurting a little more than I thought (when going in, the needles felt as they would with a shot, even though they are thin; but I mean, who likes shots?)
• she inserted somewhere between 20-30 needles...some of which I felt more than others
• the first one she put in happened to hurt the most...which is kind of funny because she said it was called the "beautiful baby" point...went right into my left calf and caused it to cramp up a bit, but the pain wasn't terrible and didn't last long
• Lauren said this point was best stimulated in between trimesters (I was in between the second and third) and is supposed to help with the baby's health
• I looked it up: 

https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/The+Beautiful+Baby+Point+-+Acupuncture+for+a+Healthy+Baby

• I don't think a golden needle was used on me, but hey, maybe our baby will come out even more healthy and beautiful!
• after all of the needles were in place, she covered me with a light scarf and left me to lay on the table for about 20 minutes while listening to calming music
• after the time was up, she removed the needles, did a little back massage and I was on my way
• that day and the next I was still feeling lower back pain...but two days after, the pain seemed to subside a bit
• so I signed up for a 4-session package to be used in the following four weeks
• so far, I've gone back twice and I've experienced similar results...a bit of pain the first couple days, then some relief
• I think acupuncture can be an effective way of helping with several ailments such as aches and pains, stress, digestion, etc.
• I'm not sure I'll continue after the 4-session package is up, but we'll see
• if you'd like to hear more of my personal opinion of the experience, please feel free to contact me and we can chat!
• go here for another review of Acupuncture Buenos Aires with some photos of the place
• still no running for me...and may have to take a pause from the yoga (past two times I went, back pain worsened...maybe because it's a regular class, not geared toward pregnant women...and with my special little back/pelvis problem, I'm needing to alter every move so I don't hurt myself!)
• starting with a new pool next week...Megatlon in Barrio Norte...we get a discount through Jake's work; Well Club was great because it was a five minute walk from home, but really not nice enough for the expense...bathrooms never seemed to be cleaned, pool water was too warm, and there were dust/hairballs floating around the pool...? yikes!
• swimming seems to be the winner in the pregnancy exercise department for me!