An Introduction to Acupuncture

 This is Weekly Dose of Wellness, brought to you by MemorialCare Health System. Here's Deborah Howell.

Deborah Howell (Host): And welcome to the show. I am Deborah Howell, and today we'll be giving you an introduction to acupuncture, and I'm really looking forward to it. Our guest today is Dr. Kym Loi, licensed acupuncturist and specialist with MemorialCare Medical Group. She has a doctorate of acupuncture and oriental medicine. Welcome, Dr. Loi! So glad that you could join us this morning. Let's hop right into it. According to a national health interview survey that looked at a five-year period, acupuncture is one of the treatments that is on the rise. So what is acupuncture and what is Q.I.?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Well, acupuncture is actually one of the modality of traditional Chinese medicine. It is originated from China. It's inception in China more than 2,500 years ago. Acupuncture has been used for, used traditionally to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as improve general health. It involves inserting, it's actually, it involves inserting very fine needles into specific body locations. The treatment focuses on correcting imbalances of energy in the body. Now “Q.I.” is Qi, we call it. It's energy or a life force.

Deborah Howell (Host): I've never seen it spelled. That is Qi. Finally the penny drops for me. Now I know how to spell Qi. Okay, that was worth learning today.

Kym Loi, DAOM: Some people spell it Chi, but it's actually Qi.

Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Okay, if nothing else, I learned that today, huh? Now what is the meridian system or acupuncture points and how does that work?

Kym Loi, DAOM: The meridian system is a distribution of network of meridians and collaterals, or they call it pathways, through which Qi travels along with blood and body fluids to nourish and energize the human body.

Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Can you imagine the first person who figured that out? It must have been a complete genius, right?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Yeah, it's very fascinating. I mean, there are actually many major pathways in there. I mean, there are 12 main major meridians and each is related to a specific organ system. And there's other meridians that actually run deeper in the body to connect to different body parts.

Deborah Howell (Host): Understood. Now, what disease or conditions does acupuncture treat?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Acupuncture treats a variety of conditions. The World Health Organization lists approximately 150 conditions that they say can legitimately be treated by therapeutic acupuncture. And just to name a few, post-operative pain or chemo, radiation-induced nausea, vomiting, alcohol, smoking, or pain medication addiction, any abdominal symptoms, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, pain, muscle tension, spasm.

Deborah Howell (Host): Are there types of conditions where acupuncture is not indicated?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Actually, no.

Deborah Howell (Host): Oh, really? Okay. How about it, the big question of course is, is it painful?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Acupuncture can be painful. It depends on what the condition calls for. The majority of the time, the treatment is actually very painless, it's actually very relaxing, but as a patient comes in with certain pain, it does require some stimulation of the needles after it gets inserted to get it to unblock and resolve the pain.

Deborah Howell (Host): Okay, but it is, you know, how long are the sessions?

Kym Loi, DAOM: The session can last anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, and for new patients usually about an hour. Critial conditions, it can take to about an hour. But on average, it's about 30 minutes, I would say.

Deborah Howell (Host): And are there any side effects?

Kym Loi, DAOM: There are minor side effects. There's bruising, it can cause bruising and some swelling in the local areas, and patients may feel a little fatigued afterward or they may feel energized. It depends on what the body's constitution is. If the patient has less enough rest and adequate fluid intake and all that, so the treatment can actually work in giving them more energy. But if the body is very weak and the patient has not gotten enough sleep, the treatment will make them feel a little tired and get them to sleep. So it serves as a balance, try to put the body physiology back in its own harmony.

Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Okay. Now is it recommended for people of all ages?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Yes.

Deborah Howell (Host): Even babies?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Even babies. Actually my youngest patient is 17 months old with Bell's Palsy.

Deborah Howell (Host): Wow. And it's working?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Yeah. Yeah. He's good.

Deborah Howell (Host): Good. I'm glad to hear that. How many sessions on average does a patient generally need?

Kym Loi, DAOM: If someone's healthy with just an acute situation, it probably takes anywhere about four sessions to eight sessions. But if it's an active chronic condition, it can take a lot more than just eight sessions.

Deborah Howell (Host): Okay, and once the session is complete, what should the patient expect to feel, if anything, after they leave?

Kym Loi, DAOM: After they leave, I will let them know there’s usually, there's a 72-hour window after the treatment for the therapy still going on. If the patient comes in for pain, the pain gets reduced, but then, you know, through the 72 hours, it can fluctuate a little bit and try to fix itself and iron the pain out. And during that period of time, they may feel relaxed or they may feel a little more painful depending on how it works or they can feel energized and fatigue. And then if they feel the fatigue, they need to rest. Just listen to the body. After that 72-hour window, they usually feel great afterward.

Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. Here's another big, big question. Is acupuncture covered by insurance and what type of insurance do you take?

Kym Loi, DAOM: We take a lot of insurance here at MemorialCare. The main thing is whether the insurance the patient has covers acupuncture. So the patient needs to verify with their insurance company to see whether that's a cover benefit. If so, then if I'm in network with that insurance company, then they can see me. Otherwise, there are other acupuncturists out there in different networks and they can actually, you know, seek one of them.

Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. And do you see patients with no insurance coverage and are willing to pay cash for treatments?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Yes, yes we do.

Deborah Howell (Host): Okay, that's great. And for new patients, could you just take us into the room with you and walk us through the process and explain what they might expect on their very first visit?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Let's see, when they come in, we usually give them a little information ahead of time before they get here. They need to eat a little bit before they arrive and bring all the pertinent records and medication, chronic medications that they are on, and then I will go through the past medical history of what they're coming in for that links to their condition. And during the consult examination, I do pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis. They can be expected to get their tongue out for me to take a look at, and that actually represents the condition of how the body health is, and then I can explain to them what's going on. And also, they can be expected to have a treatment where, let's say, a patient has low back pain, I may not always go to the low back. I can go to other areas, such as the hands or the face to go and treat the low back pain. And as far as needle goes, I can place anywhere from one needle to an average of 25 needles to treat their condition.

Deborah Howell (Host): Just a couple final questions for you, doctor. Why did you choose to specialize in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine as opposed to Western medicine?

Kym Loi, DAOM: I grew up with this medicine, actually, and I find it a very healthy way of treating patients, and I can see the quality of health without having to rely on medication. And it serves as a very complementary to Western medicine.

Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. And my final question is, do you have any final word yourself you'd like to add regarding the art of acupuncture or the benefits of treatment for our listeners?

Kym Loi, DAOM: Acupuncture treatment, the cumulative sessions of it can be transformational. A patient starts treating, I mean, starts the treatment and as they go through with a series of sessions, they can see how the physiology and the mentality gets transformed and experience the quality of life that they probably forgot that they have when they're in so much chronic pain.

Deborah Howell (Host): Right. Well, thank you so much Dr. Loi for your time today. We really appreciate it. For more information or to listen to a podcast of this show, please go to MemorialCare.org. That's all for this time. I'm Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a great day.