First acupuncture in Taiwan!

I've had acupuncture in the states but had not experienced that here until just yesterday. As you all know I had a run-in with a scooter 6 weeks ago that resulted in a broken collarbone and hurt shoulder. The break isn't terrible but it's so close to the shoulder joint that it still is incredibly painful and makes healing a bit more complicated. Having a messed up skeletal system to begin with isn't helping any.

Anyway, I've been experiencing a lot of pain in the shoulder and I'm sick and tired of taking pain meds, muscle relaxants and ibuprofen. Enough already! I feel like my whole body, inside and out, is out of whack. I've always been a believer in holistic medicine and that we need to treat the whole body, not just the symptoms so I decided to visit a local Chinese Medicine Doctor. I went to the Ming-Dao Clinic, which is located right across from the hospital I was treated at. I've walked by this place many times and heard, through several friends and locals, that this is a great place and the doctor there speaks perfect English. That's a major plus because the language barrier has definitely made this process more challenging.

My friend Annie drove me there (she's been there before and highly recommends it) and all I had to do was give them my insurance card, pay $100 (about $3 US) and I waited for less than 5 minutes to be seen by the doctor. He thought acupuncture would help with the healing and after looking at my xray and checking out my arm, he walked me to a table, I layed down and within minutes I was sporting at least a dozen little needles from head to toe.

Now, from what I understand about acupuncture, it's all about creating balance in the body...yin and yang.  We all have a natural flow of qi (pronounced chee) that travels through the pathways of our body. When this is unbalanced or interrupted, it creates illness or pain. The placing of tiny needles influences the functioning of the body. There are 365 acupoints on the body and he knew exactly where to go. It's truly amazing!

He started out with my left leg and when he inserted the first one,  a current of electricity shot right through my body. My left foot contracted and I could feel it travel up my body right to my shoulder. Crazy! He then put in about 6 or 7 more down my leg and in my foot. Each one was more intense than the last but I could deal. No problem. Then he moved up to my shoulder. The first one he put right where I still have bruising and the most shoulder pain. This is a tiny needle but it felt like stabbing fire. Tears started flowing and each subsequent needle was almost as painful as the first. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I'm a hurting puppy and I need something to happen to get this healing process jumpstarted.

The last needle he placed on the left side of my skull. You wouldn't believe how much I felt that travel through my body. It just shows how much our body systems are connected.

So I go back every two days for a while and I'm hoping that some of this pain gets under control. I see the "regular" doctor on Monday and I'm hoping to hear that the bone is well on it's way to being healed so I can start moving my arm up a little and use my shoulder. Between traditional Chinese Medicine, massage and western medicine, my goal is to be out of this damned sling, able to raise my arm and be in less pain by the time I return to the states in June. Wish me luck!