M. seems a tiny bit surprised to see me again. I believe I was flagrantly disoriented at the end of last week’s acupuncture session and did not display requisite enthusiasm to inspire confidence of my return. I have vague recollections of scheduling tonight’s appointment while fumbling socks onto my feet and gutting the contents of my purse in search of my wallet, all the while my body buzzed with the unblocked energy that soared through its meridans. “Yeah, yeah, next week sure…” I muttered, counting money for her payment. I felt as flaky as a hippie meditating in a granola factory.
By nature I’m a skeptic when it comes to alternative medicines. I do believe that positive thinking, stress reduction, and the power of the placebo can trump corporate-sponsored science, but there are limits. Hyponosis will never supplant immunization, and Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic will not be stemmed with guided imagery. That being said, the results of my first treatment of acupuncture pleasantly surprised me. My major compliant saw some remedy, and the promised side benefits — better sleep, calmed mood — were evident, at least until the weekend.
So I returned again to roll up my sleeves, my shirt, and my pant legs, bearing my skin to M.’s needles. I believe she used 8 needles this week, although I cannot be sure because I still haven’t mustered the courage to look at the needles while they are in my body. As I lay on the table for 30 minutes to allow the needles to work, I did feel a little of the same foggy disorientation as last week. But not as much. This is significant, right? The acupuncture must be doing something if my body is affected differently from week to week. Right?
Still, I didn’t feel the sleepy relaxation that many practiced punctureers swear to. I lay on the table, vaguely energized and musing on the word “puncture,” which is one of those words that just gets me. It’s almost onomatopoeic, in that I can imagine hearing a needle make a little noise that sounds like “puncture” when it pierces the skin. The “acu” prefix does redeem it somewhat of its fright by implying that it’s accurate, precise, targeted puncture. Much more reassuring than “circumpuncture,” “pseudopuncture,” or “mispuncture.”
