Does acupuncture really work? Short answer is yes, for a variety of ailments and conditions. How acupuncture works scientifically remains unclear. Some people claim it works by balancing vital energy, while others believe it has a neurological effect.

An acupuncturist will insert needles into a person’s body with the aim of balancing their energy. Acupuncture is done using hair-thin needles. Most people report feeling minimal pain as the needle is inserted. The needle is inserted to a point that produces a sensation of pressure or ache. Needles may be heated during the treatment or mild electric current may be applied to them.

Some people say acupuncture makes them feel energized. Others say they feel relaxed. This, it is claimed, can help boost wellbeing and may cure some illnesses. Conditions it is used for include different kinds of pain, such as headaches, blood pressure problems, stomach problems and leg problems. Most any pain that you can think of.

Traditional Chinese medicine says everyone has QI, pronounced as “chi.” Your body has to have a proper balance of chi. A good analogy might be when your computer takes a lot of hits and all the data is scattered all over the place, it doesn’t work very well. So, what do you do? You use some software to bring everything back together again and so your computer works great.

Think of acupuncture like software that fixes everything in your body. putting everything in proper balance. Balance is important everywhere. You have to balance your checkbook, or you might bounce a check. You have to eat the proper balance of food or you don’t stay healthy. OK, so now we sort of understand what acupuncture is. This is my personal story to you about a place called Central Acupuncture Yamato in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Central Acupuncture Yamato is run by Mr. Joe. One good thing worth mentioning about Mr. Joe and his staff, is everyone speaks English. And, of course, they all speak Japanese and possibly some Chinese, although I’m not sure about the later. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that they all have great personalities and are fun to talk to during your treatment.

Now to my personal experience. About a year ago I was trying to understand what was wrong with my leg. I couldn’t sit down in our car for longer than 10 minutes at a time because of the pain. I went to the doctor and finally they figured out I had sciatica. Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back to your hips and buttocks and down each leg. I went to a hospital where the doctors tried very hard to help me, prescribing various creams, ointments and also pain killers. I even went for physical therapy. This lasted for almost a year and I still was in pain.

Finally, a doctor at Atsugi Naval Air Facility suggested I might try acupuncture. I went for two or three treatments and this pain went away. It’s been about a year now and the pain from sciatica has not returned.

However, several months ago, I developed a severe headache. It was such a strong pain in the back of my head. I visited several doctors and acquired many types of medicines to try to stop this pain, but nothing worked. That smart doctor at Atsugi suggested that I might have Occipital Neuralgia and that I might want to try acupuncture again. So, I went back to Central Acupuncture Yamato. After several treatments, the pain went away and hasn’t returned for six or seven months and I’m still feeling very good.

I realize there are many people who are scared of needles. I was, too. But Mr. Joe and his staff are very much aware of this and are sensitive to your needs. They talk you through the process. The instruments are not like the needles used for injections, they are tiny pieces of wire (hair thin) with a top base and they get tapped in gently with the doctor’s finger.

Different body locations have different levels of sensitivity. For example, you may feel more on your fingertips than on your back. The needles tell your brain it needs to send help to that area of your body that is in pain. Almost always, you will need multiple sessions. It’s like maintenance for your body. I wouldn’t have taken the time to write this article if I didn’t feel strongly about this and that it would be helpful to you. So, if you’re experiencing some kind of pain and no one can solve the problem, give acupuncture a try. It sure helped me.