Needles

I went to the student clinic for acupuncture today. I lay face down, stripped to the waist, while the student doctor placed needles up and down my back, near my knees and in the soles of my feet. She left them in for ten minutes, then came back and twisted each one. This twisting is more painful that the initial insertion. The sensation is that of an electrical shock and a feeling of spasm in the surrounding muscle. Certain acupoints cause faraway parts of the body to tingle. Some people can't stand needles, but as for me, I love the feeling.

It started a couple of winters ago. I was getting sick all the time, so my doctor suggested twice weekly vitamin C IV drips to try to get my immune system working properly. I'd lie on the bed and the Korean nurse would come along and insert a long needle into my arm. It wasn't a quick procedure; it took a few seconds for the needle to get in to the proper depth. Sometimes also the nurse had trouble finding the vein. At first it freaked me out, but the more I got it done, the less uncomfortable it felt. And then one day as the nurse approached, I realized I was looking forward to the prick of the needle and its slow insertion. It is strangely satisfying.

My friend gets electric acupuncture in Hanoi: