Can acupuncture drain too much energy?

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Without knowing your case overall or the points used there is little I can recommend to do on your own. I will comment generally in that nothing you are saying (or to be more correct, that your acupuncturist is saying) has any real meaning. Acupuncture is far more scientific than draining energy or giving energy and it doesn&#39t really work that way anyhow. I realize that this is not your "fault" in any way but a side effect of acupuncturists trying too hard to explain things in simple terms.

All that is a preface to say that acupuncture is not a one way street - i.e. always better. There can be ups and downs during initial treatments depending on the condition(s) treated - similar to any medication or other treatment modality. So a period where you feel worse is certainly not required but far from uncommon and it shouldn&#39t be read into too much initially. You do need to communicate this with your practitioner as they -may- change what they are doing and a negative response to a treatment -might- indicate they are on the wrong track diagnostically speaking. So communication with him/her is important.

Now if this continues to happen for more than a few treatments you need to find another practitioner - perhaps of a different style. No judgement on your current one but sometimes either certain methods are not right for people or the diagnosis overall is entirely wrong - either of which (or all of which) will mean the treatments will not be helpful to you. While you should expect (although it doesn&#39t always happen) some up and down initially - after 3-5 treatments or so things should be improving rather steadily.

Generally some exercise (brisk walking, etc.) can "clear" the effects of an incorrect or too strong treatment. Either way the effects should pass within a few days on their own.

Comment by Archived User

Thanks for your response; I appreciate it. I started feeling much better yesterday as soon as I had a realization (that - hippie alert - although it&#39s awesome that I&#39ve transformed my levels of energy and productivity, I was getting too ego-attached and Source-detached). It was pretty weird - as soon as I had the realization I felt like energy started to circulate in a more &#39normal&#39 way again and I came out of what had felt like suspended animation.

I may be reading more into this than there is, but I do think that the purpose of feeling so horrible was to cause me to accept a truth that I had been brushing off. Once I did that, I started returning to &#39normal&#39 - except better (more balanced and clearer about my intentions).

I will keep in mind that acupuncture isn&#39t as simple as my acupuncturist may describe it. I am very curious about the process, so she probably just wanted to give me some idea of what she was doing. I only went in for bruxism treatment, but she seems to be trying to rebalance my energies more generally, so I will continue going and see how it unfolds.

Comment by Archived User

Chad said: &#39I will comment generally in that nothing you are saying (or to be more correct, that your acupuncturist is saying) has any real meaning. Acupuncture is far more scientific than draining energy or giving energy and it doesn&#39t really work that way anyhow.&#39

The above is a very questionable statement. This is not a generally helpful comment. In terms of 5 Element acupuncture the practitioners comments were completely normal in regard to that particular training. To then go on to advise possible changing practitioner is unfortunate. A patient can always ak their practitioner for more information but we cannot make such judgements about a situation when we are not in the treatmenrt room with someone and not in full command of the facts.

Comment by Archived User

Hi Sandy, thanks for your comment. The outcome of this situation was that after a few months I abandoned acupuncture altogether. It is way too strong for me / I am way too sensitive for it. Everything the practicioner tried to do was achieved, but excessively so, like an overcompensation. Usually, I could feel energy moving in some part of my body immediately upon insertion or manipulation of the needles, and could instantly sense a change in the way I felt / my energy state.

Acupuncture for me was like trying to swat a fly with a hammer. The effects were just way too jarring and extreme to be worth it for the benefits gained. I finally called it quits when she did a set of insertions that seemed (I know I can&#39t prove it) to cause a) a very strong heart palpitation AND b) me to burst into tears for no reason whatsoever immediately afterwards (I have had palps for years and they certainly don&#39t make me cry). It felt like a jolt of electricity had gone from my feet all the way up my body. It was kind of horrible and I never went back.

Maybe it was the practicioner, but I think it&#39s probably the method...I&#39m sensitive to electrical stuf too. I&#39ll just have to stick with EFT.