We're back in Miami after a week of cruising... and frankly, I'm a bit cruised out. I highly recommend Norwegian and their amazing Epic cruise ship... but entertainment on that scale is work, for both the staff and the guests.
As you might guess - and surely if you know me - I am one for some pretty intense pampering, and my vacation involved a lot (too much, really) spa time. Massages, a hydro spa (including a sauna with an oceanside view)... just let me at them.
And then... I also tried acupuncture, for the first time.
If you, like me, are generally not pro-needles, your reaction to the idea of being pinned in a number of places may be as averse as mine generally has been. But years of back pain - in part from scoliosis - and a sudden burst of jaw pain led me to look at any possibility. And one look at me, and the acupuncturist said "you need acupuncture."
Sure, that's to be expected from someone selling a service, but after three treatments on my back and left leg, and two on my jaw, I have to say the stuff seems to work. And how. In the last four days of cruising, and since returning, I have ease of movement and freedom from pain in my back and legs like I haven't had in years. And the pain in my jaw has lessened substantially. And much of the stress and tension I carry in my body - especially in my neck and shoulders - is largely gone.
I'm not trying to oversell the prospects - for one thing, I'll need more treatment, and probably more time with a chiropractor. And acupuncture is expensive (as is chiro). Moreover, I won't lie: some of the sessions were uncomfortable, and some of the needle insertions really, as they say, "struck a nerve." Your acupuncturist has ways to "dial back" the intensity, and should be attuned to your comfort. Acupuncture is meant to help, not punish, the patent.
Still, I was surprised about how minimally uncomfortable the needle insertions were, and thrilled with the results. And I'm not shy about believing, firmly, that there's something to alternative treatments for what ails us - because of the acupuncture I won't be seeking out painkillers, or seeing a doc to talk about surgery, or considering some sort of radical dental procedure on my jaw.
Sure, I feel like a starlet with a new pet cause, but I'm not asking you to call me now and order your pins for the low price of $29.95; I just wanted to pass along the effects of an interesting new experience. Really, I never thought I'd just agree to lie down and be stuck with a lot of needles. And even more amazingly... it worked.
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