Different methods of acupuncture?!
Question: I am being treated for an allergic reaction with acupuncture. I was wondering if anyone had experience with more than one kind of acupuncture. I used to see someone who would leave the needles in me for 15-20 minutes. Now I am seeing another acupuncturist for the same problem who puts the needle in the point then takes it out immediately. The appointment takes about 5-10 minutes and is half the price as the guy who would leave them in. I am wondering why the difference in treatment methods.
Answers: I am being treated for an allergic reaction with acupuncture. I was wondering if anyone had experience with more than one kind of acupuncture. I used to see someone who would leave the needles in me for 15-20 minutes. Now I am seeing another acupuncturist for the same problem who puts the needle in the point then takes it out immediately. The appointment takes about 5-10 minutes and is half the price as the guy who would leave them in. I am wondering why the difference in treatment methods.
The two people were taught different styles (there are more for Accupuncture than you could imagine), and came up with different ways to fix the problem. Without meeting them I could not tell you who was better. In cases like this you either find the opinion of someone in your area you trust the opinion of (sadly I can only offer advice for the bay area), or go off of how it felt for your body. My personal bias would be to the 15-20 min guy, but as I said, I really cannot make a decision without more information.
Hope that helps!
also
Kalos cited a very bad source for debunking accupunture (it has a lot of logical flaws and self contradictions). I wrote a long response up on it, and if you'd like to see it, I posted it on my friends server.
http://www.guswut.com/quack.html
Acupuncture is not effective for allergy, so it doesn't matter where the needles are placed, or how long they are left in. You can leave the needles in your nose all day, if you like.
At best, acupuncture shows better-than-placebo results for pain reduction and related conditions, but that's about it.
Did an Allergist suggest you try acupuncture?
A lot of ignorant people believe that alternative medicine is quackery, but a lot of people do find relief with it. Whether it helps is the key in most cases.
Different schools of any type of medicine, whether it's alternative or not, have different methods of treatment, depending on where they were taught. One treatment may originate in the Northern district, another in the Central.
duno
It depends on the Chinese diagnosis they have given you. In simplistic terms Asian medicine diagnoses are based on yin and yang, excess and deficiency. The first practitioner may have been treating you for a deficient condition and therefore left the needles in longer in order to stimulate your body, however if the second practitioner is now treating you for an excess condition they may only leave the needles in for a short time period or even remove them right away like this doctor has. I would suggest asking your acupuncturist and see what he/she has to say - it might be that they are using a different technique/training also. Contrary to what the other poster said acupuncture and Chinese medicine does work.