I'm a Cute Pincushion

I can't believe I'm writing a blog post about acupuncture. Just add this to the list of hipster/hippie qualities I've acquired through the years. Side note: my sister called me a hipster recently and I was all up in arms about it. Don't you have to live in the city to be a hipster? The evidence is mounting against me:

• I wear plastic glasses.
• I grow my own food in a square foot garden.
• We buy shares of grassfed beef from a farmer.
• I spend a lot of time at Whole Foods.
• I shop at thrift stores (before it was cool, Macklemore).

And now, doctors are just too mainstream for me. Sort of. You see, I've been on a quest to fix my hand since the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. My pinkie and ring finger on my left hand have been numb ever since. I saw a chiropractor, who was upfront when it wasn't better after three visits. Then, I saw Jenny's neurologist twice. Both agreed that I had nerve entrapment in my wrist, and the neurologist said he could give me an injection, but he thought it was a bit aggressive as I'm not in pain. He recommended acupuncture as a potential course of treatment.

So off to the acupuncturist I went yesterday.  It was a weird experience. Not weird uncomfortable or bad, just outside of my regular realm of experience.

The acupuncturist took a lot of notes about my condition and asked questions that I she said wouldn't seem relevant, like if I'm generally cold, if I sleep soundly, if I crave salt (hello salted breakfast), if I drink water, and if I had normal cycles. She also took my vitals (my resting heart rate was 36. I win, Lance Armstrong). 

She explained that acupuncture is based on the flow of chi, or energy in the body, and that Chinese medicine believes illness is caused by blockage of this energy. She also said that everyone has a balance of yin and yang energy, and I have more yang, which is categorized by a low heart rate, a calm disposition and a cool body temp.  Since my numbness began during extreme cold and my body tends to stay cool, she said she would burn moxa as part of my treatment.

In the end, she used six needles in my hands, feet and head, then I hung out for a while and she burned moxa. That's right ... I went to get my energies balanced and breathe in incense. If it works, I'm all for it.  I'm embrancing this with an open mind simply because she was so upfront that at the end of three sessions (a package I already purchased from Groupon), she should be able to tell if this is worth pursuing.

We'll see if this results in being able to feel my wedding rings.