Playing with Needles

I never really thought of myself as having allergy problems.  Yes, I've seen those wonderfully annoying commercials where the cartoon's head is a balloon and they sound really nasally, but what the heck were they even talking about?  Pet dander, pah-cha.   Hay fever, hells no.  It wasn't until I moved to Austin that I figured it out and fast.  If you have any type of allergy problems, even the slightest, DON'T, I repeat DO NOT move to Austin.  People here are constantly talking about their allergies and all the different drugs they're taking to get rid of it.  After getting back from Dallas, having spent several days in a cool air conditioned hotel, I got hit by a mad attack of the allergies.  The drugs I took did absolutely nothing and I decided it was time to get this mess sorted, I made an appointment for acupuncture.


Alright, a couple things to address first:

• I am not so great with needles.  If you've heard my tattoo story then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
• Alternative medicine, say what?  I took an Eastern Concepts of Health and Healing class in college so I suppose I'm a little more open to these things.
• I hate being drugged up.  Every over the counter drug that I've taken only lead to me being drowsy and wanting to sleep the day away, not so great when I'm at work.

So I found a place that had really good prices because they do what they call group acupuncture.  Basically, in order to save you money they put everyone in one big room in their own recliners, to take in the medicine.  Not quite your average acupuncture deal (most places offer you a private room), but it saved me money and besides the snoring man across the room, I really didn't notice the other people.  Once I was under the needles, which was nothing more than 9 short pinches, I was able to relax and was left alone for over an hour.  I guess most people fall asleep, thus the snoring man across the room, but I took the time to meditate and relax.

Two days later I'm still not sure of the effects of the acupuncture, perhaps it will be nothing more than a placebo, but at least it forced to me to sit back and relax and I was a lot happier and stress free after it.

Have you tried acupuncture or any other type of alternative medicine?  I'd love to hear your stories!

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