Here’s a case where acupuncture is making rapid inroads into a case of neck pain and anxiety. She’s a 25 y.o. student who has been feeling nagging right-sided neck pain, with a history of anxiety felt largely in the gut. We’ll call her Sophia. Matters had worsened sufficiently to where Sophia sought the help of an acupuncturist, moi. It should be mentioned that aside from the on-going problems, the abnormal cold here in Los Angeles probably exacerbated matters. Here’s her first Acugraph reading.
Even though the red bars are more striking, the TE, LI, and ST lows are most remarkable, as the degree to which they fall below the range is greater than degree to which any of the reds push above the range, the horizontal bars. This was the initial reading. Given time constraints of the Center, no treatment was administered.
Here’s the readout on the following week. The weather had warmed and Sophia reported feeling better but the pain and anxiety were still nagging concerns.
Two readings provide a basis for making initial pattern discernment. Note, as all of the channels essentially improved, the TE and LI showed even greater imbalance. Also noteworthy is the LR, liver. TE is a measure of the central nervous system and LI is the large intestine. Matches pretty well with her complaints. Let’s explain things a bit now.
The primary objective initially is to address the nagging neck pain (did I mention “nagging”?) on the right. The TE channel runs through the neck area. The TE and LR have a relationship that might be worth exploring for purposes of treatment, as they are related, and the graph shows that as one increased, the other decreased. Since TE has some bearing on the nervous system and it is customary treat the opposite side of the distress on this channel, treating the left to address her right-sided pain is a perfect intervention. Nervous system imbalance is the practical effect of emotional stress.
Since Sophia had never had acupuncture before, it was essential to be efficient with the treatment. Only four needles were used, with particular emphasis on stimulating the left TE and the right LI, with relationship balancing points in the feet. Attention was also paid to using the left TE point in reducing the pain in neck joints, not simply the muscles surrounding it.
Upon phone interview two days later Sophia noted considerably less pain and no anxiety. She noted that the neck pain exacerbated the anxiety. She was able to study and focus without the pain distracting and exciting her.
Conclusion
A case of nagging neck tension and pain has gained considerable relief after one acupuncture session. The Acugraph provided key information for focusing the treatment in a fashion specific to Sophia, not upon rote prescriptions that can be hit or miss. The combination of Sophia’s complaints combined with Acugraph findings provided a successful treatment approach based on Sophia’s interview two days later.