Hello I am getting some sessions from an acupuncturist and the point of concern is the pin between the soft tissue of the index finger knuckle and the middle finger knuckle on right hand. It's looking bluish in that area and more painful to acupuncture since the tissue is growing inflamed and tough. She continues to pin it but should I be heating the area to help heal it? Will it cause permanent damage to keep going. This point is used to stop profuse female bleeding.
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
Generally speaking this is a question for your current practitioner. It is extremely unlikely to cause any type of permanent damage by repeatedly needling a point (correctly, of course). That said, except in rare cases and temporary at that, you shouldn't even notice that a needle was in a point - some areas are more sensitive than others though and different needling techniques, etc. are a factor as well.
It is unlikely that you should need a similar point needled long enough for this to be a concern - in other words your condition should improve in an appropriate amount of time (depends on a host of factors) and if it isn't improving the practitioner will likely change their treatment protocol to at least some degree.
Some areas are definitely more sensitive than others and some tissue is more or less resilient to repeated needling. I would express your concerns to your current practitioner - even if they are not overly concerned about it, it is worth mentioning as they can often (at least temporarily) choose other points to give an area a rest so to speak. In general, you should leave every treatment with less concerns, not more....
Comment by Archived User
Thank you for the knowledgeable reply! I hope you don't mind me asking another question. The reason I am inquiring is because I'm not sure what is considered a good practitioner or not. I am trying to gauge that. I came across another issue with acupuncturing but can't put total blame on the acupuncturist. I ended up with lactic acidosis from taking too much apple cider vinegar. Being aware of this information, the acupuncturist still felt it necessary to move my "chi". This involved a needle point on the soft deep V tissue between thumb knuckle and index finger knuckle. After that all hell broke loose. I could hear my heart in my ear, with my heart going 800 miles an hour. It's whooshing in my ear as I try to lie down and sleep for last 3 nights. Heart feeling like it's going to give out when I walk up the stairs or do anything involving movement. Somehow the blood has pulled away from my lips and hands to my heart. I understand she wanted my body to recover blood after my profuse blood loss but could it have pulled lactic acid to my heart also? Causing these unwanted effects? That needle point also went blue and numb and my guess is that this point will have to heal before these effects abate? Thanks.
Comment by Archived User
Sorry forgot to ask. If these effects are triggered by specific points, how long do you think they will last? Weeks? months? Until this numb needle point gets feeling again?
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
First, in general terms the fact that you do not appear to be comfortable discussing your symptoms and reactions with your current practitioner is alone enough of a reason to go to a different practitioner if you have options. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The process of acupuncture will generally be much more productive if both the practitioner and the patient are comfortable with each other.
That said, I wouldn't over think or exaggerate the power of acupuncture - particularly the power of an individual point or a few treatments. While it can be extremely helpful and at times quick, it is generally more of a slow'ish longer term process - extremely different from a strong western medication, for example, where things can go poorly really quickly and can require longer term recovery.
Generally acupuncture isn't forcing your body to do anything - it is merely recommending that your body try "x" function(s) - and in many cases (based on what we know from scientific studies in humans and animals) it is doing this not by "doing" something but by stopping the body from some of the potentially obstructive responses it has (ie cutting inflammation, promoting circulation, etc.). The idea of "qi" is just a concept to try to describe some of what is happening (before we knew of concepts of blood circulation, inflammatory markers, etc.). A useful concept within the realm of Chinese Medicine and even within the martial arts, but it is too deceptive or misleading in most of the ways it is used by laypeople in my opinion - by thinking of it as a power above and beyond your bodies natural functions/processes.
Your description seems like a mild panic/anxiety attack (which will increase heart rate, draw circulation away from the extremeties, etc.). This is not common but certainly possible during an acupuncture treatment. But it is nearly exclusively not "caused" by the treatment - but more situational or a response by other natural functions such as reflux as an example or even not feeling comfortable with your practitioner or the treatment space, etc.
With what you have described, I would simply try to find another practitioner and ideally one who also practices Chinese herbal medicine (as that will likely be particularly helpful with your specific issues). For the most part, acupuncture should be an enjoyable, very relaxing experience. Can temporary bruising happen on occasion, yes, could people still have an anxiety attack, yes, but these are very far from the norm - it should be enjoyable, relaxing and ultimately effective.