I became a fan of acupuncture after my first series of treatments to relieve shoulder pains and stress that were causing severe migraines and destroying my quality of life. The treatments worked and I have been hooked on needling ever since. In fact, it has become one of my preferred methods of pain relief along with Yoga and massage. Even though I know a bit about the practice of acupunture, I'd like to learn more, so I was thrilled when Jordanna offered to answer my burning questions on the topic.

Q: I know from experience that acupuncture is painless, but can you explain why having needles stuck in your skin does not hurt?

A: Acupuncture is not meant to be painful. Some of the most frequently experienced subjective sensations include tingling, numbness, dull aching, throbbing, warmth, itchiness, radiating, and swirling. By utilizing a guide tube to tap the needle through the skin, a practitioner can eliminate the "ouch" factor by clearing the epidermis away from the dermis (the layer beneath the skin surface that tends to be most sensitive).

Q: What was your first acupuncture experience as a practitioner — you know, needling someone for the first time?

A: One of my first acupuncture experiences was a smoking cessation client. The protocol is a fairly simple auricular (ear) treatment, with just 5 needles in one ear and ear seeds in the other. My client was an amiable man who was ready to quit his pack-a-day habit. Within 3 sessions, he went from a pack a day to 3 cigarettes a day. By the end of the fifth treatment, he had quit completely. The treatment worked!

Q: Have you ever performed acupuncture on yourself? Can you?

A: Yes, I've performed acupuncture on myself for sinus congestion, common colds, immune system boosts, knee pain, neck pain, nausea, and even lower back pain. Ear, facial, arm, leg, and foot points are completely doable. Let's just say that needling your own back doesn't really work, angle-wise. I was desperate enough to try it while in terrible spasm two years ago. And when you're in spasms, you'll do ANYTHING to get rid of the pain!

A: I understand what moxibustion is, but how do the burning herbs work? Is it the heat, the mugwort or both?

Q: Moxibustion works on both a thermal level by warming the body and on an herbal level by delivering smokey wafts of mugwort into the area in need of stimulation. It's multifaceted benefits include pain reduction, elimination of PMS cramping and bloating, infertility, improvement in digestion, and even turning a breech presentation!

Q: What is the most miraculous acupuncture cure you have ever witnessed or heard of?

A: Acupuncture is never considered a "cure" for disease. It is known as a complementary alternative medical treatment for various ailments. One of the more miraculous outcomes in my practice involved a patient with severe sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation. The client was days away from turning to surgical intervention to alleviate his pain. He could barely move. I told him to be patient, follow a weekly acupuncture and Qi Gong stretching regimen for a number of weeks, and then reassess whether surgery was worth it. After four sessions, the pain had greatly diminished. He resumed his usual workout routine within a few months, pain-free, and sans surgery.