last night i finally experienced the power of tcm!!
as i was frantically doing last minute studying for my test and my upper back was hurting like crazy, the usual plae below the shoulder blades, probably because i've been at the table for the whole day in all sorts of incorrect positions. i tried stretching, massaging and was close to popping painkillers to ease the pain temporarily, until i decided to give my acupuncture needles a try again. and so i took out the second shortest one, cleaned it, located the most painful spot and poked it in using my right hand into my left upper back. and it went in. not only that, when i manage to get the whole needle in (which is only an inch, at most an inch and a half) i felt something i've never experienced before... it felt like an electric shock going down my spine, followed by a moment of numbness. the feeling extended to the whole of my right arm and hand, which felt weak for a while. and as i began to bring my right hand down to the neutral position, i felt the sore-ness, right at the acupoint. the feeling was like trying to stretch a strained muscle when you have muscle-ache. usually people lie down or sit still during acupuncture, and i've never been acu-ed before by a professional, so did i do the right thing? or did i almost tear my muscle? as i was unsure and my movement was rather restricted as i couldn't move about freely without feeling the sore, i took it out after 10 minutes.
the result? well, my back didn't hurt that much for the night until i fell asleep, and this morning my left shoulder felt much more relaxed and didn't hurt at all while running, instead, my right shoulder felt the usual ache. but i think the pain is coming back gradually, though much milder and bearable. wow i see my future career! and that's certainly more exciting and useful than memorizing chunks of theory which is only stored in my ultra-short-term memory.
be my second guinea pig anyone?? haha