On October 24, Ostenzen.com offered free acupuncture treatments in honor of National Acupuncture Day. An article was published in The Cardozo Insider by a law student who had her first acupuncture experience that day. The author gives an informative and clear description of Traditional Chinese Medicine and walks the reader through a typical treatment session at our clinic. For those who are contemplating acupuncture, but are looking for more information before jumping in, this article is a great introduction.
Lying in my bed one Sunday morning, I knew things were not alright. I had just spent all of Saturday painting a gymnasium at a middle school in Brooklyn for "New York Cares Day." "How many hours did you paint for," my friend asked caringly on the phone that Sunday morning. "Seven," I responded, "All in the same position." "Well," she proceeded cautiously, as I do not like people telling me that they understand things better than I do, "that's probably why you can't move your neck now." She was right. I was in bad shape. My neck was able to turn to the left with virtually no pain. Turning it to the right, however, sent my body into a state of shock because the pain was excruciating. I cried out on the phone, "Lauren, I don't think I can meet you for coffee!" She responded with the most unexpected advice, "I think you should go to an acupuncturist."
For some reason, Lauren's advice made sense to me. I knew that acupuncture had a miraculous way of soothing your muscles and could probably help my back. And I certainly did not want to go to a chiropractor, who would spend an hour cracking things, which is supposedly addictive. Nor did I want a massage, for fear of temporary relief that would only feel worse the next day (plus my sister had given me a massage and that had not worked, despite her very powerful hands). I decided to do some research. I googled acupuncturists in New York City and came up with Bernt C. Ostensen on 12th Street, one block away from me. I went to his website and read about his credentials - which were all state approved and matched the other acupuncturists I had check out that day. I also researched what acupuncture was about. My suspicions were confirmed as to the effect of acupuncture. It supposedly healed the pain in your body by concentrating on certain areas for a period of a half an hour to an hour -- it sounded perfect for my situation. I called Ostensen and he told me that I had called on the right day -- it was Acupuncture Day (who knew?) and my session would be free.
I went over to Ostensen's office and we chatted for a while. I scrutinized the disclaimers to make sure I was not signing anything that said that if he permanently damaged my back I would be in debt to him somehow. I also let it be known that I was a lawyer in training and knew a thing or two about a thing or two (wink, wink.) I glanced around the office to make sure there were no harnesses or other devices that could put me in a compromising position -- this was New York City after all, you never know. Finally we got down to business. Ostensen interviewed me for a while so that he could understand my body and mind better, to see what sort of treatment I could handle. He explained that acupuncture was based on diagnosis, where you ask questions, test the pulse, check the patient's tongue and then use this information, along with the symptoms described by the patient, to treat the problem, which was usually part of a pattern that stems from the internal system. I felt safe and comforted by the fact that he seemed to know what he was talking about.
Ostensen sat me in a chair and told me to show him where the pain was. I pointed to one spot in my upper-back and he proceeded to show me all of the other muscles that were involved as well - like in my neck and even my lower back. All I knew was that it really hurt! He then explained the procedure. He was going to do something called "cupping," which entailed placing a series of suction cups on my back to draw up the skin from my muscles. "Be brave," said a voice inside my head. "This is an adventure and a great story for the paper." I braced myself for what would come next. "And then I will place a few small needles into your back and neck to release endorphins and stimulate sensors." "About the needles," I said, "Are they really necessary? I mean, I know needles are big in the acupuncture world but I feel like seeing them would be enough for me. I feel better already." "Don't worry," he replied, "We'll take it slow and if anything feels even the slightest bit uncomfortable, we'll stop." "Bravery," said the voice again, "is a virtue. Virtues are good. You can do this." "Ok," I croaked.
The treatment began with 10 heated blankets piled on my back. I could feel my body relaxing and the pressure lifting slightly from my back and neck. Next he massaged my back for a few minutes to loosen it up and prepare it for the cups. The cups were the best things that could have happened to me. They did not hurt as they went on, they just felt a little funny. But I could feel their effect right away. He left them on for a bit and my whole body relaxed as the tension oozed out of neck and seemed to seep right into those cups. He moved them around on my back and massaged it with the cups. I could feel the muscles being worked -- it was like someone had entered my back and was massaging my actual muscles. My back seemed to be returning to normal. When he finished, I started to tense up again. I knew what was coming next. I felt so much better though, I decided to trust him and give up arguing.
"Now," Ostensen said, "I am going to insert some small needles into a few spots in your back. You should feel them going in but they should not hurt. Contact with your nerves is good." I asked him to explain how it worked. He asked me if I wanted the Western version or the Chinese one. I figured, what the hell, stuff's Chinese, might as well hear what they have to say about it. He explained how Chinese Medicine considers the body a flowing, self-healing system - not just a vessel divided by systems, like the central nervous system, brain, heart - the Western stuff. Pain and discomfort are a result of stagnation of energy, which needs to be realigned. Your qi is the energy of life that flows through the body, which reinvigorates and makes people calm and peaceful. There are points in the body that can activate the Qi and restore its nourishing function. The needles are placed equally in those activation areas of the body in the area that feel out of wack. The body ends up healing itself of the pain and just feels better overall - mentally and physically. What can I say? I totally bought it.
As he began the process, I grew very calm. My back was exposed but he had placed a heat lamp over me so that I would not be cold. The first needled that went in felt like the slightest little pinch, and the rest I could hardly even feel - they were tiny and thin. He adjusted them to make sure there was the proper needle/nerve contact, which sounds freaky but is really nothing. I stayed with the needles in my back for about twenty minutes, but it seemed like much less than that. While the needles were in, I became so relaxed - much more so than when I have gotten massages (professional ones even). My mind started wandering in and out and I felt as if my whole body were being restored somehow. When it came time to take them out, I could hardly speak. The only word I could find for how I felt was "Zen" -- it was quite lovely. I was a little dizzy when I got up from lying down for so long and having the heating pad on me. But I was also so relaxed, it was as if I was in some dream state.
Ostensen had me lie on my back for a minute to get rid of the dizziness and let my senses get restored. When I told him how relaxed I felt he explained that acupuncture is a great stress-reliever. He wasn't kidding. I had been stressing out all morning about a big assignment I had do the next day - for Professor Sterk no less, that I was not able to do because I could hardly sit in a chair. But at that moment I just thought to myself, "It's allright, I'll just get up early tomorrow and do it all morning. And I will be totally awake since I will just lie in bed and rest today" - this is not the attitude I usually have.
I finally left the office and felt great! I was still relaxed for a good hour or two after the session, and my back felt worlds better. It took a few days for my back to properly heal but I don't know what I would have done without Ostensen on that Sunday morning. And for those who are biting their nails wondering, I did get the assignment for Professor Sterk done on time. Ostensen is amazing, and I would highly recommend him to any stressed out law student, which I am sure there are a few of reading this article right now.
