"Acupuncture in Woodbury MN? No thanks. I don't like needles."

This is the response to the idea for 80% of Americans when I first tell them what I do. It's a totally natural reaction. We have zero positive associations with needles growing up in the United States. Needles hurt. Vaccines, blood draws, pricking your finger while sewing a button back on, getting a tattoo, none of these are enjoyable experiences. Who in their right mind would volunteer to have someone poke them with needles repeatedly?

Acupuncture in Woodbury MN

Acupuncture is as far from your experiences with other needles as you can get while still using a needle. The needles used for acupuncture are very thin. So thin that they flex and bend easily. So thin you can put five of them at once into the end of your average hypodermic syringe needle. So thin that if you just tried to stick one into your skin without support, it wouldn't go in - it would just bend. Acupuncturists have to use little plastic tubes called guide tubes to keep the needle from bending and help it actually get through your skin.

The experience of having an acupuncture needle inserted is so underwhelming you won't believe it. I didn't, the first time I had it done. I had myself braced for impact, and what I felt was so small I thought perhaps I had imagined it. You feel the pressure of the guide tube against your skin, and then a tap, and that's it. If you feel anything at all, you feel a tiny pinch - like half a mosquito bite.

So why get acupuncture? Acupuncture is very good at helping many things. Pain in your back and neck, headaches and migraines, painful digestion, pain in your joints and muscles. Stress related conditions are also greatly helped by it - insomnia, digestive issues, low immunity, neck tension. The science lingo is that it releases endorphins (pain killing neurotransmitters), lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), increases local circulation to speed healing of tissues, and lowers blood pressure. The experience of it is one of profound relaxation, you might fall asleep, and you leave your appointment feeling fantastic.

If you have been thinking of trying acupuncture in Woodbury, give us a call at Aspire Integrated Health and make an appointment with Whitney Horstman.