I am often asked if acupuncture hurts. Needle insertion can be uncomfortable, but once the needle is in place, there is generally no pain. There may be a feeling of numbness or pressure around the area of the needle or even some sensation that radiates away from the point. Treatment with the needles might last from 10 minutes to 40 minutes depending on the illness, the severity of the problem and the acupuncturist.

Interacting with the qi
Since acupuncture is not just about sticking needles into patients, but about interacting with qi, then what is qi? Qi is hard to define, but think of it as a kind of life force. Qi is one of the things that animates living things and is an important aspect of the Chinese world view, dating through the millennia. Impairments in the quantity, quality and flow of qi directly affect health. Acupuncture is just one way to interact with a patient's qi. The medical system in which acupuncture is usually practiced, East Asian medicine (EAM) -- which includes medical systems from at least China, Japan and Taiwan -- has, over the last roughly 2000 years, developed a wide range of methods for interacting with the qi, such as acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, cupping, moxibustion and qi gong.

Why do patients seek acupuncture treatment? In the 15 years I have been in practice, patients have come to me seeking help with many different complaints, such as headaches, menstrual cramps, irritable bowel syndrome, pneumonia, bronchitis, neck pain and joint pain. Sometimes I was the first choice for treatment and sometimes I was the treatment of last resort. EAM is potentially helpful for all of these conditions and many more. When a patient comes in to my clinic, I start with a diagnostic exam, which generally includes feeling the pulse, looking at the tongue, feeling the abdomen and asking a wide range of questions.

In EAM, the pulse is examined not only for its rate and rhythm, but also for more subtle qualities that can provide information to a trained practitioner about the health status of the patient. At the conclusion of that process, which lasts about 15 minutes, I am ready to start the treatment process. I may choose to start by inserting some acupuncture needles or doing some massage therapy. After that treatment, I may provide some specific suggestions about dietary modifications, give the patient a set of exercises (qi gong) to do at home and make a recommendation for an herbal formulation.

How should you choose an acupuncturist? The training does vary from state to state, to some degree, so it is good to get an idea of the specific background of the practitioner. As an example, at the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine, where I'm the academic dean, our students graduate with 3,000-plus hours of training, 1,200 of which are specifically seeing patients. During those 1,200 hours of clinical experience, a typical graduate of our program will see hundreds of patients under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist. Our students train in acupuncture, massage therapy and herbal medicine. I suggest asking a potential practitioner about the depth and scope of his or her training. It is also great if you can get a personal recommendation from a friend who has experienced the treatments directly.

All the best!