I am constantly on a quest to find new ways of eliminating the pain I experience due to my back injuries. As many of you know by now, yoga has been a major stepping stone on the road to my recovery. It’s helped so much that I’m able to do things in my thirties that I had a difficult time doing in my teens before I even hurt myself.
A few months ago, I got word that a good friend of mine was back in the area. This gentleman and I were and still are very close, but I had helped him move to New Mexico several years ago where he was accepted to medical school. His field of study: acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine.
Today, Scott R. Smith is one of the leading practitioners of this art form in the United States. His articles and writings have been published in journals all over the country. He is set to have a new book published this coming March, and he happens to live 10 minutes from my house! Reaching out to him for treatment was a no brainer. I booked my first treatment with my old friend and things have been going very well ever since.
Scott explained to me that this type of treatment was not a one-time fix. Much like any other discipline that I’m involved with, if I wanted to see results, I was going to have to be treated more than once. I had no problem with this. My next few posts, in fact, will deal with the different dynamics of each treatment as they’ve all affected me in different ways. The first session was about getting to know what I needed help recovering from. He asked me about how I had originally hurt my back. We talked about why I felt that I needed treatment for my knees. My diet, sleep habits, and daily physical routine would also play major roles in how my body would respond to what was going to happen. I could tell right away that if I stuck with it, this was going to make a big difference. 
After about 30 minutes of Q & A with Scott, it was determined that because I’m active for a living, maintain a good diet (for the most part), and practice as much yoga as I do, that I’d feel results faster than most. The next order of business was literally and figuratively on the table. It was time to be on the business end of needles and cups. Lying face down on the table, the first thing I felt was a quick pinch in my neck. The next was in and around the shoulders. At last, he had reached my back. All in all, I was stuck with 31 needles from head to toe. The pain was minimal and quickly went away. I was left to lie there and relax while the areas were stimulated by four heat lamps placed around the edge of the table. (For those of you wondering, yes, I totally fell asleep!)
The next phase of the treatment for me was a process called cupping. For the first session he used a method known as “fixed cup.” This meant that six to eight small suction cups would be applied to my back and allowed to sit there in order to relieve muscle tension from the area. These cups would produce large red marks that indicate to Scott the level of toxicity in my spine. The idea is that the faster the marks go away, the better the circulation. After a good amount of time, there should not be any bruising at all.
I felt good after the first session, but didn’t experience anything too outstanding. It was not until subsequent treatments that the real benefits began to kick in. I’ll discuss those more in my next few posts. The important thing to note about this whole process is that in order for change to happen, it takes time. Most athletes today are so concerned with being able to get back into their routine as quickly as they can after an injury only to put themselves back in the same position of being hurt a few weeks later. They never actually break the cycle of failure. If you truly want to be able to perform at your best, you must take time to listen to your body. If you suffer even the smallest of injuries, then you can expect a large setback for as long as you ignore it. We should never be afraid to make changes to our practice to accommodate for such things. That is what really helps develop longer lasting strength.
Next time, I’m going to give you a deeper look into how acupuncture helped me with sinus pressure. Until then, please share below your stories about how holistic medicine has helped you.
